Teaching Professional and Technical Communication: The Case of Technical Documentation

Abstract

Abstract The present article highlights important aspects that need to be considered in the design of the academic linguistic training oriented to develop students’ technical documentation-related writing skills viewed as critical career-boosting skills that influence and condition employees’ promotion and graduates’ hiring chances. Technical documentation is an umbrella term covering different types of technical documents (e.g. technical reports, manufacturing standards, installation guides, quick references cards, troubleshooting guides, release notes, etc.) which, irrespective of usage or function, observe general characteristics and share essential features whose effective recognition and knowledgeability facilitate students’ upward career trajectory. The topic is discussed from the perspective of two teaching priorities - awareness of stylistic features characteristic of technical documentation and awareness of performance standards in terms of technical documentation production - within the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and BELF (English as Business Lingua Franca) frameworks that prioritize the performative and lingua franca dimensions of the English language use in the currently-emerging globalized workplaces.