#21214
Adaptive Technologies for the Visually Impaired: The Role of Technical Communicators 
This column examines emerging technologies of interest to technical communicators to help them identify those that are worthy of further investigation. It is intended neither as an endorsement of any technology or product, nor as a recommendation to purchase.
Ray, Deborah S. and Eric J. Ray. Technical Communication Online (1998). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Visual
#12966
Adaptive Technologies for the Visually Impaired: The Role of Technical Communicators
Try your ordinary web browsing and e-mail with an translucent piece of plastic draped over your monitor, with your monitor partially obstructed, or with your monitor turned off. With each of these changes, you’ll have a significantly different experience. For example, if you have plastic draped over your monitor, you’ll likely have a hard time reading words, interpreting graphics, or distinguishing colors. If your monitor is partially obstructed, you’ll likely have a difficult time navigating pages, reading columnar formats, or associating graphics with text. And, of course, if your monitor is off, you’ll have an entirely different set of challenges in accessing and using information. Each scenario offers a different view of the information onscreen, poses different challenges, and, most important, each is significantly different from unimpaired viewing.
Ray, Deborah S. and Eric J. Ray. TECHWR-L (1998). Design>Accessibility
#12964
Good, Fast, Cheap: Translation Memory Systems Offer the Potential for All Three 
For technical communicators exploring translation services, a relatively new technology can help provide consistency among translated documents, make the translation process more efficient, and make translation projects cost effective. Translation memory systems assist human translators by following along as a document is translated, creating a database of translated material and terminology, and allowing translators to access previously translated material easily. Using this technology, translators can translate, save, and reuse material, making the resulting translations highly consistent and the overall process more efficient and cost effective than working without this technology. In this exploratory article, we explain the evolution toward translation memory systems, discuss why and when they're particularly useful for helping translate technical documentation, and offer guidelines for determining whether translation memory systems are appropriate for your translation needs.
Ray, Deborah S. and Eric J. Ray. TECHWR-L (1999). Articles>Language>Localization
#12954
Knowing When to Upgrade Software
Software upgrades generally do two things: Offer you new or improved features, and fix bugs present in existing versions. Whether you upgrade will depend on your need for the new or improved features, depend on whether you experience problems because of software bugs, and, of course, depend on your budget.
Ray, Deborah S. and Eric J. Ray. TECHWR-L (2001). Articles>Software
