atw: Re: Accreditation (another longish contribution)

Jill Nicholson:

> Michael can probably answer this - I think there are a lot more editors in 
> societies than tech writers - is this correct? They certainly cover more of 
> Aus and have, I believe, narrower job definitions than the general tech 
> writer. This is despite the fact that they cover more writing genres. 
> However I could be wrong on this.

More members: yes. In each of  NSW and Victoria there are well over 300
members, and active societies in every other state and territory (except NT,
where there is at least an e-mail group). I'm not sure what the membership of
the various [A]STCs is these days, but I'd guess at not much more than 300
nationally.

Narrower job definitions: yes. Part of the problem is that "tech writers" (or
technical communicators -- a term I prefer, though it doesn't have exactly the
same meaning) can be anything from technicians who occasionally have to write,
at one end of the spectrum, to professional writers who sometimes choose
technical subjects, at the other end. (And a lot of "technical writing" is
"technical rewriting" or even copy-editing.) "Technical" itself covers a vast
range of fields. I'd say that a lot of people who "do technical communication"
don't even think of themselves as technical writers.

More writing genres: yes as a group, no as individuals. Most editors
specialise in one (or both) of two ways: role in the editorial (publishing)
process, and subject matter or market. 

A major difference: there is a publishing industry, in which editors have (not
always clearly) defined roles. There is no "technical communication" industry;
people who do technical communication work in IT, finance, law, manufacturing
of many types, and so on. So do many editors, but those who work outside the
publishing industry at least can turn to publishing for a recognisable set of
models to work from.


Michael Lewis

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Brandle Pty Limited, Sydney, Australia
www.brandle.com.au
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