Importance of Technical Writing
It would be incorrect to believe that mastering creative writing would provide
you any advantage at all in technical writing, despite the fact that it is a
sophisticated and difficult subject in and of its own rights. Technical writing
follows a whole different set of rules and principles than other types of writing,
and the necessity of following these rules and concepts correctly cannot be
overstated. For one thing, the daily operations of the contemporary world are
dependent in a much more critical sense on technical recording than they are
on fiction or even journalism — for better or for worse.
Generally speaking, technical writing is concerned with particular information,
which is found in the fields of science and technology. It may be found in a
broad range of media, including technical documentation, manuals, scientific
papers, dissertations, and other similar works. Writing for each of these genres
has its own set of regulations, and in order to produce an article in a scientific
journal, one must not only be familiar with the subject matter, but also with
the norms of the genre, which includes how scientific and technical ideas
should be conveyed. While it is true that you would not be understood
differently – although in certain situations you might – it simply means that no
self-respecting journal would accept your piece if it is not written in an
appropriate manner.
Moreover, it is not an accident that something is done in a certain manner;
rather, it is the product of the lengthy development of language that has been
employed in science and technology. Many other methods of transferring
information were tested and proven to be ineffective; as a result, what we have
today is the most successful method of conveying knowledge that has been
discovered so far.
It is for this reason that technical writing is of such great significance. At first
glance, it appears that students of technology and science should concentrate
on their primary disciplines – their particular branches of technology and
science – in order to achieve greater success in them, and that communication
and writing skills are superfluous at best and redundant at worst.
It is, on the other hand, far from the truth. If a scientist or engineer is very
talented, it is possible for him or her to have ideas in his or her mind that
might alter the way we understand his or her subject, or perhaps the way we
perceive science in general. However, if he does not possess the essential
writing abilities, he will be unable to communicate his views and convince
others of their advantages. And, in today's competitive world, it is much more
critical than ever before.
A second-rate specialist with a superior command of technical writing may
create a better and more structured project than a superb expert who has
overlooked this aspect of his or her educational background. And, given the
fact that the vast majority of technologists and engineers today work in
business, in highly competitive fields, it is important to note that their
(Engineering) department is always just one of many, and it must compete with
other units such as management, marketing, design, and so on.
Despite the fact that all divisions within a corporation are nominally working
toward the same objective, they are not always in agreement on how to get
there. Finally, engineers do work that should be sold by others - they are by
definition less willing to engage with other people, show their argument, and
sell their ideas than, for example, members of the marketing department are.
And, in order to be successful in such an environment, a technologist must
have the skills necessary to defend his or her case - namely, a thorough
mastery of technical writing.
That is why anybody interested in pursuing a career in science and technology
will do themselves and the world of good by doing their very best and learning
the fundamentals of technical writing before it becomes a problem.