Do Technical Writers Need an International Standard for English-Language Spelling?

He demonstrates how ministers of state who speak different languages often choose English as the most convenient language of communication. He cites the 11-nation European Central Bank in Frankfurt as a typical organization that works only in English. And he notes that many of the journals published by respected international organizations such as the Pasteur Institute also are published in English. TC-Forum is another example.

Blicq, Ronald S. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Style Guides>International>Technical Writing

Guidelines for Writing English-Language Technical Documentation

In 1999 the member societies of INTECOM recognized there was a need to help technical writers in all countries who have to write English-language technical documentation for products that will be sold worldwide. If they are writing for an audience solely in the UK, the Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, then British style is appropriate. Similarly, if they are writing for an audience solely in North and South America, the Philippines, and many Asian countries, then US style is appropriate. But if they have to write a single set of documentation for use in all countries, then a difficult decision has to be made.

Intecom (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>International

Guidelines for Writing Technical Documentation for an International Audience  

A guide to help technical writers in all countries who have to write English-language technical documentation for products that will be sold worldwide.

tekom (2003). Articles>Documentation>International>Technical Writing

Technology Transfer and the Intercultural Communicator  

For effective intercultural communication, technical writers and editors need to analyze documents for tone. Tone often reflects an ethnocentric attitude which can undermine intercultural communication. Through a reconceptualization of technology transfer, applied anthropology provides a means for eliminating an ethnocentric attitude. Technology transfer, viewed as an interactive negotiable process, suggests questions which may serve as a heuristic for evaluating tone in intercultural communication.

Perkins, Jane. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>International>Technical Writing

Writing for a Global Audience? Be Careful How You Say It

Basic miscommunication can litter the path to understanding—and worse. You may recall that a few years ago the Mars Climate Orbiter failed to achieve the correct altitude for its orbit of Mars, and was destroyed by atmospheric pressure—all due to a little misunderstanding. It seems that some crucial data had been calculated in English units, while the navigation team had expected to receive metric units and used the data that way.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>International

Avoid Culturally Specific References

One of the tenets of good technical communication is to avoid culturally specific references, especially if your material is to be translated into other languages. But what’s a culturally specific reference? In simple terms, it’s a word or phrase that has meaning for members of a cultural group, but has limited meaning, no meaning, or some other meaning for people outside that group.

CyberText Consulting (2009). Articles>Writing>International>Technical Writing

Introducing Heuristics of Cultural Dimensions into the Service-Level Technical Communication Classroom    

A significant problem for practitioners of technical communication is to gain the skills to compete in a global, multicultural work environment. Instructors of technical communication can provide future practitioners with the tools to compete and excel in this global environment by introducing heuristics of cultural dimensions into the service-level classroom. By practicing how to use these heuristics in "real-world" contexts, instructors can prepare students to function as both information architects and symbolic-analytic operators within this global work environment. In this article, I first examine common cultural heuristics as they pertain to business communication. Next, I articulate how technical communicators can benefit from incorporating these heuristics into the classroom. Finally, I offer a pedagogical approach to introducing heuristics of cultural dimensions into the service-level technical communication classroom.

Schafer, Robert. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2009). Articles>Education>Technical Writing>International