Asian Cultural Backgrounds for International Technical Communication  

The communication styles of Asian people have often been seen by Westerners as part of a single, unified 'Oriental culture.' However, there are observable differences in communication strategies among them, mainly Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. The present research attempts to reveal the deep structure of their thinking and behavior that affects writing styles in international technical communication. Its purpose is to overcome stereotypes, and to understand better similarity and diversity within East Asian countries.

Otsuka, Yoshihiro, Kenji Hitomi and Eiichi Yubune. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>TC>International>Asia

Basic International Technical Communication  

International technical communication is the profession of the present and most definitely of the future. Businesses around the world need technical communicators who are skilled in communicating with a multicultural audience and who are comfortable working as members of international teams. This workshop introduces you to some basic skills you need to master to be successful as an international technical communicator. The skills this workshop focuses on are: performing an international user analysis, identifying cultural bias, generating a glossary for translators, and designing a page with translation and the international user in mind.

Hoft, Nancy L. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>International

Best of Show -- Winners of STC's International Competitions  

Read about the Best of Show winners of the 2005•2006 competitions in international technical art, international online communication, and international technical publications. Also, meet the winner of the international student technical communication competition.

Intercom (2006). Articles>TC>Document Design>International

Current Research: An International Perspective  

Research provides the basis for technical communication practices. Such research, conducted in the United States, is readily available to STC members through the Proceedings, Technical Communication, and other technical communication journals. However, research being performed in other countries is not so readily available to those in this country who may need it.

Warren, Thomas L. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Research>International

E-Globalization

Globalization involves the process to adapt a company's product and message to meet the varied expectations of markets around the world.

Govindarajan, Sharmila M. Carolina Communique (2006). Articles>TC>International

Information and Communication Technologies and the Global Digital Divide  

This article examines the global digital divide-and discusses conditions and circumstances that have contributed to its creation. An important issue this article explores is whether there is a convergence, absolute convergence, divergence, or relative divergence in the application and diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) between developed countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and if so, which of these conditions will continue.

Rice, Mitchell F. Johns Hopkins University (2003). Articles>TC>International

Information Development in a Flat World    

The flat world has had a clear impact on information development and will continue to increase competitive pressure on the profession in the foreseeable future. By adapting to the realities of global organizations and global audiences and instituting a disciplined work environment that thrives on standards and best practices, technical communicators can remain competitive.

Hackos, JoAnn T. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>International

INTECOM Present and Future  

This panel will present a discussion of the purposes and activities of INTECOM, the international umbrella organization of technical communication societies. The panel will describe the organization of INTECOM, its major programs such as the international FORUM conference, the value it offers to member organizations, and the activities and programs of some of its member societies.

Hibbard, Jeffrey L. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>TC>International

An International Technical Communication Curriculum: The Value Added  

In the expanding global economy, the focus on international communication has largely been devoted to machine translation of technical documents, and in a world of online information it only makes sense to take advantage of the computer’s speed and relative accuracy in translating documents. However, with the emphasis on machine translation as the standard, we still need well-trained people to conduct international business intelligently and effectively. The prototype curriculum presented below outlines some of the objectives and components for a program which focuses on both the technological and cultural elements of international technical communication.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Education>TC>International

Interview with George Hayhoe, editor of Technical Communication Journal, on Technical Writing in China and Korea

Keith Hoffman, president of the Madison Wisconsin Four Lakes Chapter, talks with George Hayhoe, editor of the Technical Communication Journal, about the emergence of technical communications in China and Korea, and the forces behind the push for technical communicators.

Hayhoe, George F. and Keith Hoffman. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>TC>International>Podcasts

Networking the World Over  

Technical communicators working in countries outside the U.S. share their thoughts on their profession.

Bouquet, Luc, Ken E. d'Albenas, Frederic R. Menezes, Alison Reynolds and Valerie Gilliotte. Intercom (2001). Articles>TC>International

Open Access Digital Repositories: An Indian Scenario  

Open access digital repositories give barrier-free access to literature for study and research to users worldwide. They solve the pricing and permission crises for scholarly materials. This paper deals with open access digital repositories in India. The results of the study reveal that the repositories contain both published and unpublished documents, like seminar proceedings, conference papers, theses, dissertations, research reports, books, and so on. The results also point out that open access digital repositories in India are mostly subject specific and commonly use open source information repository software like DSpace, Greenstone Digital Library Software, and GNU EPrints. It is observed that generally the open access digital repositories use OAI-PMH (protocol for metadata harvesting), so that they can be accessed using search tools such as Web search engines, whereas a few don't use it but provide direct access to their documents through their websites.

Ahmed, Fayaz and Rafiq Rather. International Journal for Technical Communication (2007). Articles>TC>Information Design>International

The Other ITC  

Technical communication flows across borders. Talking about 'international technical communication' makes about as much sense as talking about a 'flying airplane.'

Martin, Maurice. Intercom (2004). Articles>TC>International

Schemas in Intercultural Communication    

Raju demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural schemas—models providing patterns for understanding ideas or objects in a cultural context—when dealing with international technical communication.

Raju, Rita. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>International>Cultural Theory

STC's International Membership From 1979 to 1991  

This study examined changes in STC's overall and international membership between 1979 and 1991. Though the USA and Canada consistently comprised about 97% of the membership, significant changes occurred within the international membership. The Pacific Rim Countries experienced the greatest growth, with their membership increasing about twenty fold over the twelve year period, as compared to a five times increase in the overall international membership, and a three times increase in the entire membership. The disparity of the growth rates resulted in Japan replacing Israel as the residence for most international members, with Australia in second place.

Coolidge, Joy. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>International>STC

Technical Communication Societies in a Global Environment  

INTECOM (the International Council for Technical Communication) is an organization of technical communication organizations founded in 1969 by, among other national/international technical communication societies, STC. It meets yearly (sometimes twice yearly), and its primary goals are to improve networking between and among the member societies and their members, assisting national/ International organizations to form, sponsoring FORUM international conferences, and promoting technical communication education. The panel will present an update of the activities of the member societies to make INTECOM's activities more widely known so that STC members can take fuller advantage of them.

Beuttenmüller, Brigitte, Ronald S. Blicq, Julie L. Fisher, Gerry Gentle, Carel J. M. Jansen, and Thomas L. Warren. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>TC>International

Visualization in Technical Communication and its Cultural Differences: Building Better Communication Bridges across the Pacific Ocean  

The advent of multimedia technology has made 'visualization' a hot topic in technical communication. This paper classifies visualization into three categories, referring to differences in visualization between Western culture and Japanese culture.

Moriguchi, Minoru. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>TC>Technical Illustration>International

A Worldwide Phenomenon  

The movement toward a global standard definition for our profession will be a long process, but it is already underway. STC is playing an important role in ensuring that the process benefits its members and contributes to the competitiveness of the firms that employ them.

Burton, Susan. Intercom (2007). Articles>TC>Professionalism>International

South Korea Beckons: Global Awareness and Cultural Sensitivity Strategies for Western Technical Communicators    

As an Indian living in South Korea for the past few years, Rahul Prabhakar has had the opportunity to gain a unique perspective of global awareness and cultural sensitivity. In his article, he details the positive and negative aspects of living and working amidst a different culture.

Prabhakar, Rahul. Intercom (2009). Articles>TC>International>East Asia

Cultural Contexts in Technical Communication:    

Explores how and why the German and Chinese cultures differ in the presentation and perception of technical information. Presents a theoretical framework for technical communication across different cultures. Provides guidelines to technical communicators in Sino-German technical communication and services.

Wang, Yiqin and Dan Wang. Technical Communication Online (2009). Articles>TC>Cultural Theory>International