BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. In today’s fiercely competitive business environment, companies need to communicate information pertaining to a whole range of issues in a lucid and precise manner to their customers.
2. This is particularly so in the case of companies which do business in areas such as manufacturing, information technology (IT), engineering products and services—companies whose products and services may not be understood by a customer not familiar with its technical aspects.
3. These communication materials are prepared in a company these days by ‘technical writers’ — people who can effectively communicate to an intended audience.
4. The skills of a technical writer are being increasingly sought for preparing marketing documents such as brochures, case studies, website content and media kits and for the preparation of a whole range of manuals. Though technical writers in a company do a good portion of such work, the trend now is to outsource technical writing to freelancers.
5. Technical writing and writing textbooks are poles apart. The former is aimed at those who do not have an in-depth knowledge about a product and hence should be direct and lucid. An overdose of technical terms and jargon would only add to the confusion of the customer.
6. The basic requirement for being a technical writer is near-total mastery over the English language. A technical writer should be natural in creative writing and needs to be an expert in using Business English
7. This simply means that those with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature along with a diploma/degree in Journalism and has a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications (PGDCA) are ideal candidates for being employed as technical writers.
8. According to Joe Winston, Chief Executive Officer of ‘I-manager’, speaking ability is not imperative for a technical writer. All that one needs is the talent to write in a simple and effective manner. Many have inhibitions in speaking English but their writing skills would be very sharp.
9. Technical writing would be a good option for such people. If a candidate is to be assigned the task of preparing high-end technical manuals, he/she is required to have higher qualifications such as an M.A./M.Phil. in English Literature and a degree such as M.C.A.
10. Companies look for such qualifications because technical writers first need to understand the technical information themselves, before trying to communicate it in de jargonised language to the potential customers. However, it is also true that many companies provide rigorous on-the-job training to fresh technical writers before allowing them to graduate to high-end products.
11. Though the demand for good technical writers has risen sharply over the years, the emphasis is never on numbers but on skills. They point out that even graduates of English literature are often found wanting when it comes to creative and effective writing. Merely having the right mix of writing and comprehension skills is not sufficient. A technical writer should keep his ‘writing blades’ constantly sharpened. It means untold hours of reading up the latest in the technological trends and ceaseless honing of one’s Business English and writing skills. The nature of technical writing is such that a writer has to be at the peak of his expressive powers in each piece of writing he produces.
12. A career in technical writing is seen as a good choice for women mainly because it is widely held that women are more adept at creative writing than men and the job does not entail ‘graveyard shifts’ or ‘arduous travelling’.
13. A beginner can expect to be paid anywhere between f 8,000 to? 15,000 a month. Technical writers usually join as executive technical writers and then go on to become senior technical writers, team leaders, documentation heads and some even manage to make it to a management job within a decade. As in most private sector jobs, merit is the main criterion for the rise in the job and not necessarily the number of years one has put in.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer each of the questions given below with the help of options that follow:
(a) technical writing in today’s world is required for
(i) business (ii) journalism
(iii) marketing documents (iv) marketing products
(b) A technical writer should be an/a
(i) MCA (ii) MA MPhil
(iii) MA MPhil in English literature, MCA (iv) BA in English literature with Journalism
(c) Technical writing is a good career for women because
(i) it entails graveyard shifts (ii) they love to travel
(iii) they are more skilled in this field (iv) they are preferred over men
(d) A good technical writer is one who
(i) reads a lot of articles about business trends
(ii) writes a lot about business trends
(iii) reads and writes a lot about general and business issues
(iv) is informed about the latest business trends and practices business writing skills
Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:
(e) Why do companies need to maintain clear communication with their customers?
(f) Why are free-lancers important to a company?
(g) What does a technical writer have to be careful of while writing?
(h) According to the writer who is the people best suited to this type of writing?
(i) Why is having an MCA degree an added advantage for a technical writer?
(j) How does a technical writer keep his ‘writing blades’ sharp?
(k) Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) an expert (para 12)
(ii) difficult (para 12)
ANSWERS:-
(a) (i); (b) (iii);
(c) (iii); (d) (iv)
(e) In order to ensure that customers can easily understand the technical aspects of their products.
(f) Because technical writing work can be outsourced to them whenever needed.
(g) They should be careful about writing in a simple and direct manner that can be easily understood, instead of using complicated jargon.
(h) Those who have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in English Literature, along with a degree in Journalism and a postgraduate diploma in Computer Applications.
(i) An MCA degree implies that the person is familiar with Computer applications and can easily understand the technical information they are supposed to rewrite.
(j) By constantly sharpening their writing skills, Business English, and staying abreast of technology trends.
(k) (i) Adept; (ii) Arduous
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