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033- Advanced Technical Communication

WEEK 4: Learning Resources and Assessments- PRELIM

The Language of Technical Writing and Practical Problems Regarding Style in Technical Communication
The following techniques on using the right language for producing effective technical reports:

1. Practice Conciseness

-Conciseness which means expressing oneself in the fewest number of words at the same time retaining completeness in meaning is possible
through the following methods:

1.
Shortening words/phrases     
Wordy Phrases Shortened Forms

Afford and opportunity Permit

As soon as possible By 8:00 am

At the present time Now

By means of By

Despite the fact that Although

Due to the fact that Because

In the final analysis Finally

In the proximity Near

In the near future Soon

Substituting long and complex words with short simple

Long/Complex Words Short/Simple Words

Advantageous Helpful

Alleviate Lessen

Commence Begin

Discontinue Stop

Fabricate Make

Modification Change

Numerous Many

Utilization Use

   

Avoiding nominalizations or the use of “camouflaged or shun words” (words ending in –sion or –tion), replace them with
active words

Nominalizations Active words

Come to the conclusion Conclude/decide

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With the exemption of Except for

Make revisions Revise

Implementation of Implement
Investigation of the Investigate
Take consideration Consider
Assessment of Assess

Omitting clichés, hackneyed, trite, old-fashioned, worn-out, expressions

Cliché Fresh/Natural Language

 
 
According to our records
Our record show
At all times
Always
As plain as day
Clear
At an early date
(specify the date)
Needless to say
Obviously
Thanking you in advance
I shall appreciate
This is to inform you
(say immediately what you wish to tell the reader)
We take this opportunity
(state your intention immediately)
Hoping to receive
I hope to receive
With your kind permission
May I
 

Avoiding redundancies or words that say the same meaning

Don’t say Say

During the year of 2012 In 2012

Like for example Like or for example

New invention New

Collaborated together Worked together

Plan in advance Plan

The reason why Why

Regular monthly status report Monthly

This the way how to This is the way or this is how

I mean to say I mean or I say

Color green green

Avoiding expletives or sentences with no true subjects like sentences beginning with There is, There are, Here is, It is, It
has been, and many more
Don’t say Say

There are many customers at the lobby. Many customers are at…

There is a sharp tool on that table. A sharp tool is on that…

There will be a meeting tomorrow. A meeting will be…

It is requested that you stay. You are requested to…

Here is the answer of Mr. Lee The answer of Mr. Lee is…

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Cancel or drop extra wordsDo not say:

1. Allowing the agent’s request means the showing of all confidential documents.
2. I think that the checking of all records is important.
3. It is necessary for the customers that they have to surrender the receipts to the officer in charge of the day in order to get a refund.

Say:

1. Allowing the agent’s request means showing confidential documents.

2. I think checking of all records is important.
3. The customers have to surrender the receipts to the officer to get a refund.
2. Express your ideas in active voice rather than in passive voice.

Sentences in active voice stress the doer of the action; in passive voice, the receiver of the action. At times, some prefer to use passive voice to
prevent the frequent use of “I” because the repeated use of this personal pronoun somehow indicates self-centeredness, monotony, or
repetitiveness. Between these two voices of verbs, many technical writers find the use of active voice better this clearly recognizes the identity of
the person answerable for the act (Pearsall, 2010). According to Vanhauss (2005), technical writing should be an “action-oriented style,” rather
than be one with a great deal of “hidden words.”

In addition, active voice should be used when it's important to emphasize the actor, while passive should be used when it's more important to
emphasize the action. Use active when a particular action is required of someone or when the user/writer is expected to complete a particular
action; use passive when it's less important who or what completed the action and more important that the action was completed.

Active voice example:

Here’s a short, active voice sentence:
The cat sat on the mat.
actor: The cat
verb: sat
target: the mat
Passive voice example:
By contrast, here's that same sentence in passive voice:
The mat was sat on by the cat.
target: The mat
passive verb: was sat
actor: the cat
 

3.  Use non-sexist instead of sexist language by expressing yourself in the following ways:

a. Use plural pronouns instead of single pronoun

Do not say:

1. The technician has to show his I.D. card to the guard.

2. Each reporter should submit his monthly report on time.

Say:

1. The technicians have to show their I.D. cards to the guards.

2. Reporters should submit their work on time.
b. Using 2nd person point of view instead of 3rd person point of view.

Do not say:

1. She presented her proposal report on time.

2. The customer showed his receipt to the guard.

Say:

1. Present your proposal report on time.

2. Show your receipt to the guard.

     c. Using expressions like He or She – him or her. Avoid using a slash mark – He/She – him/her. Others however find He or
she – him or her wordy, hence they prefer using the plural form – their, or the 2nd person point of view – you  

Do not say:

1. The customer explained her point to the manager.

2. The X-ray technician affixed his signature to the document.

Say:

1. The customer explained his or her point to the manager.

2. The X-ray technician affixed his or her signature to the document.

4.  Avoid using words that explicitly favour one gender

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Do not say: Say:

Businessman Business person

Chairman Chairperson

Craftsman Artist, crafts person

Manpower Personnel

Mankind Humanity

Fireman Firefighter

Camera man Camera operator

Career girl Artist, Designer

5.  Avoid using jargons, gobbledygook, horse-and-buggy, verbal dead words

These expressions are long, pretentious, and high-sounding; words that have no significant or necessary place in the sentence. Appearing
complex, they work, to hide the meaning of the term or make the writer sound learned or professional. Eliminate these vogue expressions by
substituting them with simple and easier terms. One good rule of thumb in technical writing is: write to express, not to impress. This means that
you have to write the way you speak or use a conversational or casual language you often use in you day-to-day interactions with people.
(Guffey, 2005)

Jargons are technical terms commonly used by people belonging to the same field of profession. Exclusively used by a specific set of persons like
the lawyers, the physicians, the engineers, or the businessmen, these terms do not sound familiar or understandable to ordinary persons in
society. Seemingly, the use of these terms works to exclude laypersons from knowing what are happening in a company of experts or specialists
or of people belonging to one field of profession.

Examples:
Legal profession                      - habeas corpus, subpoena, status quo, preliminary injunction
Business world                        - rebate, assets and liabilities, amortization, mortgage, balance sheet
Medical world                               - stethoscope, hypertension, differential diagnosis, formaldehyde
Computer world                           - user friendly, on-line adapter, debug, quick-assess storage, scramble time
Teaching profession                     - lesson plan, intrinsic motivation, systematic functional grammar, grade sheet

6.  Give careful attention to words and phrases that are commonly misused and misspell

Example:

Accept – to take something seriously

Except – to exclude a rule or statement from a list

Let him accept those tools except the one with a red mark.

Adapt – to adjust or to be in harmony with somebody.

Adopt – to make a person own a thing belonging to another person.

If you are familiar with their culture, you can easily adapt yourself to their cultural practices and will eventually make you adopt every
aspect of their lifestyle in your long exposure to this cultural group.

Already – by this time or before a particular moment

All ready – state of being fit or balanced for an immediate action or use

The company secretary has already sent a notice of meeting to all members who seem to be all ready in discussing salient points in
the general assembly.

Between – a preposition for only two persons, things, or places

Among – a preposition for three or more persons, places, or thing

Among all the imported products, the Japan-made item placed between two big boxes appear qualitative.
 

Affect – a verb used to men having an influence on another person or thing

Effect – a result coming from a cause

The manager’s resignation will not affect the company’s business reputation, but may have an effect on the economic standing of his
family.

Differ from – not the same in observation

Differ with – not the same in opinion

As to size, the two differ from each other; as to their usefulness, the prospective buyers of the machine differ from with one another.

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END of LESSON 4

REFERENCES

Baracero, E. (2011).  Technical Writing in this Era of Globalization and Modern Technology.. Manila: Rex Book Store

Online Reference

https://www.hurleywrite.com/Blog/61471/Technical-Writing-Using-Active-and-Passive-
Voice#:~:text=Active%20voice%20should%20be%20used,using%20active%20voice%20is%20preferable.

https://developers.google.com/tech-writing/one/active-voice

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