Technical Writing in India: Is it as
good as anywhere else?
Technical Writing generally translates
to a piece of writing that conjures up
an image in the mind of a layman about
any device or software application.
In other words, the job profile of a
technical writer involves writing and
designing user guides, brochures and white
papers for a plethora of products.
Though these procedures are not new,
their categorisation under the term “Technical
Writing” is quite recent. The latest
entrant in the software field is not a
whiz kid from IIT, but might be a journalist
or an English literature graduate. This
option is here to stay, what with India
slowly accepting the prospect of technical
writing as a full-fledged career at par
with more popular contenders.
Now, the Indian technical writing scenario
would seem very bleak for an onlooker
who doesn’t delve deeper into the
layers. This field was practically unknown
till the 1990s. Tata Consultancy Services
was a pioneer in creating a need for the
current crop of technical wordsmiths.
Over a decade old, this profession does
not have many takers, but does boast of
a strong following in the various metros.
In Bangalore the number is believed to
be 500-600. Even by an optimistic view,
the number of technical writers across
the nation would be approximately 6000.
These statistics prove that, corporate
bosses and the software industry as a
whole recognized the need for a specialized
documentation team very lately.
The technical writing job has long come
out of the confines of being a strict
documentation-related activity. In some
organisations, technical writers are asked
to pitch in for test case development,
product testing, creating API code, creating
java documentation etc.
More recently, a technical writer has
grown to don the garb of a graphic designer,
web-content developer etc. Since a technical
background is not a prerequisite for a
technical writer, many writers foray into
the field even with a Humanities background.
The one and only criterion, going by
the current Indian standards, would be
a firm grasp over the Queen’s language
and a strong analytical mind. The prevalent
need, is however to meet International
standards in English usage. US companies
recognise the need for a trained technical
writer and that adds to the hiring and
training impetus for technical documentators.
The US provides a lot of scope and opportunities
for training and specialized study of
the subject. In comparison, Indian universities
shy away from offering unconventional
and lesser-known courses aka Technical
writing. The technical writers, who already
exist in the industry having created a
golden niche, are fast emerging as the
“trainers” for this career
option. Some of the Indian universities
like the Calicut University and the Mumbai
University have woken up to this profession
and have included the subject in their
curricula.
This trend, may give the Technical Writing
profession the impetus it requires. The
final recruiters, Corporates, MNCs need
to step in boldly to hire and provide
customized training to fresh technical
writers.
This might beckon the golden dawn for
Technical Writing in India!
Copyright © – Nithya K
| About The Author
Nithya K is a India-based writer
who specializes in writing fiction
and has tremendous interest in writing
non-fiction related to science,
technology and other genre. She
is also experienced in creating
technical documentation. Basically
a BE graduate with an MBA degree,
her main focus is still writing.
Nithya is also interested in Ghost
writing of books and articles in
the areas of business writing, technical
writing, science and technology
writing and fiction.
The author can be contacted at
tutor19us@yahoo.com
and also invites readers to visit
her webpage at www.geocities.com/tutor19us/index.html
nithyakalyani_303@yahoo.com
|
This article was posted on June 03,
2004
