English
Technical Writing – Use the Method that Untied a 400-year Knot
As a child I grew up only 90 miles away from Polatli, the site of the famous “Knot of Gordian” in Anatolia (what is today modern Turkey). This was such a tough knot that, according to the legend, for 400 years no one could untie it. Then came Alexander the Great, the world-conquering commander with…
Read MoreEliminate Adverbs and Improve Your Writing
© Ugur Akinci You can improve your writing right away by eliminating all the unnecessary adverbs. 1) Eliminate adverbs by using a correct verb instead. EXAMPLE: “He walked into the room cockily.” BETTER: “He swaggered into the room.” EXAMPLE “She walked into the room confidently.” BETTER: “She sashayed into the room.” EXAMPLE: “He looked threateningly.”…
Read MoreGoogle's Translation Service: How Good Is It?
© Ugur Akinci I’m fascinated by Google’s translation service since it promises to translate texts among over three dozen languages, including some quite exotic ones. So I decided to test the reliability of Google’s translation engine by performing a simple test. 1) I took two sentences in English and translated them into a foreign language…
Read MoreWhen to Use Jargon in a Technical Document?
Introduction As a technical writer you’ve heard this piece of sage writing advice a thousand times: you should stay away from jargon and write as you speak. It’s basic. Strunk & White said so, didn’t they? It’s true. But is this rule true ALL the time, unconditionally? No, I’m afraid it is not. Life has…
Read MoreHow to Improve Your Technical Copy by Editing "Trash Can Sentences"
You can improve your technical copy instantly by staying away from sentences with a long RANDOM list of objects. I call them “trash can sentences.” Here is a technical copy example: “The Committee will meet Thursday morning to discuss building permits, hiring practices, derivatives trading, inventory, Thanksgiving recess, product modeling, labor issues, Caribbean resorts, IPO…
Read MoreTechnical Writing – How Not to Violate the English Grammar While Trying to Be Gender-Sensitive
This is a grammar error that I see committed by some writers these days: mixing singular subjects with plural verbs and pronouns. As a technical writer you would normally never say “He enter their password.” But increasingly, in order not to commit a gender bias, I see documents that contain sentences like “the user should…
Read MoreHow to Write a Style Guide – plus, a DIRECTORY
Posted a new page on how to write a Style Guide, together with a comprehensive directory of Style Guides. Click here to read it
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Is Technical Writing "Boring" ?
One traditional complaint leveled at technical writing is that it’s “boring.” I obviously strongly disagree with that charge and I’ll explain why. Personal Disclosure But first a necessary personal disclosure: yes, I do love technical communication with a passion but that’s of course NOT the only thing in life that I like intensely. For example,…
Read MoreHow to Write a Chapter
Do You Just "Shutdown" Or "Shut Down" a System? "Sign In" Or "Sign-In"?
There are terminology errors in technical writing that even some experienced technical writers commit from time to time. The words we use when describing how to turn a system on and off, or how to enter and leave a location, are ripe for such inadvertent errors. Here are the basics: “Shutdown” is a noun. “Shut…
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