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From Around the Web: GenAI and Editing

The question of how ChatGPT and other generative AI tools will the affect the field of technical editing is a hot topic. Will we be replaced? Can we use it to help us do our jobs better?

Iva Cheung, a certified professional editor based in Metro Vancouver, B.C, has drawn a cartoon about how we as technical editing practitioners might need to react to the coming of large language models and GenAI, but she also writes some serious stuff about it that’s worth thinking about.

Take a look (and laugh!) here:

https://ivacheung.com/2023/07/conspiracy/

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Introduction to Technical Editing Course

Meg Vezzu

Are you looking to learn more about technical editing and the skills needed to succeed in this area? Perhaps you have recently started a job in technical editing or are considering a career in the field. Or maybe your job involves editing technical documents for colleagues or clients and you would like to expand your knowledge or brush up on your skills. If any of this sounds like you, you may be interested in signing up for the course “Introduction to Technical Editing.” The next session of this six-week course will begin on April 8, 2024.

In this course, we will dive into a variety of topics related to technical editing and cover important skills that technical editors need to effectively advocate for the audience and help technical writers to produce content that is clear, organized, and useful.

The course will begin with an overview of technical editing, including the different types and levels of technical editing and important skills needed for this type of work. We will also go over tips for managing editing projects and establishing positive working relationships with writers. Next, we will learn about the different tools technical editors use to do their job, such as tools for electronic text markup (e.g., Microsoft Word track changes and Adobe Acrobat markup) and the style manuals used by different industries (e.g., APA, Chicago). In addition to an overview of grammar and mechanics that will focus on common errors, we will discuss strategies for editing for clarity, conciseness, and style, including reducing redundancy and wordiness, using active vs. passive voice, and editing according to plain language guidelines. We will also cover topics related to editing for visual design, such as use of fonts, color, graphics, figures, and tables, in addition to issues related to accessibility. Finally, we will talk about some special considerations in technical editing, including technical editing in a global context, bias-free language, and ethical issues.

The course is presented in an asynchronous format, with lesson videos posted at the beginning of each week. There will also be at least one optional live session scheduled where students can ask questions in real time. Additionally, there will be discussion forums in Moodle where students can ask questions or share information.

Students will have the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the class through weekly assignments. Some of these will involve editing content provided by the instructor, and other assignments will allow students to find content for editing (e.g., websites). The course culminates with a final assignment where students perform a comprehensive edit of a proposal.

This course is ideal for those who are just getting started in technical editing as well as those who may have some job-related experience but are looking for more formal instruction to hone their skills.

To find out more and to sign up for the course, visit https://www.stc.org/course/tech-editing-april-2024/.

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Of Interest: STC TechComm Unconference!

Calling all technical communicators: Join us for our first-ever Tech Comm Unconference!

The STC Chicago Chapter, in collaboration with the STC Rochester and STC Carolina Chapters and the STC Technical Editing SIG, will be hosting a collaborative space for technical communicators to come together and discuss relevant topics, including projects, questions, difficulties and more. You bring the topic and we provide the space for the discussion.

How It Works: Attendees can bring their own topics and lead discussions in our hosted breakout rooms, or they can join someone else’s topic that they find interesting. Just as at an in-person event, attendees can move freely between different breakout sessions.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to discuss new topics and ideas with colleagues in an open and inviting virtual environment!

To register, go to https://www.stc-chicago.com/tech-comm-unconference/.

When:

February 29, 2024 at 12:00-2:00 p.m. CST (for your local time, click here)

Cost:

STC members – FREE
Students – FREE
Non-members – $5

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Of Interest: You’re Wrong. My Documentation Is Brilliant!

On 30 January 2024 at 1200 PM ET (click here for your local time), join Jeff Klein for an interesting discussion about the complexities technical writers encounter when navigating negative feedback that is generic, vague, and utterly lacking in specificity. Uncover an effective approach to identify the underlying issues that feedback providers often struggle to articulate. Learn a practical methodology you can implement that will transform their non-actionable critique into a roadmap for enhancing the precision, clarity, and impact of your technical documentation.

For tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youre-wrong-my-documentation-is-brilliant-tickets-788846088887.

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The Fundamentals of Technical Communication: Throw Out Your Thesaurus and Pick Up a Style Guide

by Chelsea Fulton

Consumers of technical content are hardly a captive audience. Typically, our readers need help setting up a product and troubleshooting errors. Rarely, if ever, do technical content consumers browse our websites and white papers for entertainment. Our consumers are purpose-driven. Therefore, technical content creators must be accurate, explicit, concise, and consistent.

  • According to Demand Metric, consistently presented brands are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience brand visibility.
  • A study by Marq determined that consistently presenting a brand can increase a company’s average revenue by 10-20%.
  • BBC News found that one spelling mistake can cut online sales in half.​ 

The bottom line is that consistency and quality matter.

Consistency is one of the fundamental differences between technical writing and other writing styles. Effective technical communication is uniform. The margin of interpretation for technical content should be next to non-existent. So, how does a team of 15 technical writers tasked with creating and maintaining hundreds of documents write in a way that is indistinguishable to an untrained eye?

An internal style guide, that’s how.

Continue reading “The Fundamentals of Technical Communication: Throw Out Your Thesaurus and Pick Up a Style Guide”