Outsourcing is a valuable tool for project managers with limited resources, under pressure to deliver a user manual, training guide, or datasheet. We outline two outsourcing options for delivering high-quality documentation and identify the scenarios with which they are best matched. Resourcing Challenges You have documentation requirements that you cannot fulfil with the resources currently […]
Archive | Software
Top Tips to Write Localisation-Friendly Source Content
High-quality documentation is not just essential for getting products ready to market and to increase sales, but also for reducing localisation costs. Localisation, the process of adapting your content to a specific market, starts with preparing the source content linguistically and functionally. To ensure global success, you must consider how the quality of your source […]
The Future of Work: Tech Talk
This week, it@cork kicked off its 2017 Tech Talk series at the brand-new Republic of Work facility in Cork city. Republic of Work CEO DC Cahalane clearly took pride in showcasing his latest venture to the local business and tech community. The facility is a well-designed co-working space that offers a host of ancillary supports […]
Technical Writers in the Development Cycle: Waterfall vs. Agile
Project team members’ grasp of the technical specifics underpinning a project management methodology can sometimes resemble a native speaker’s grasp of grammar. On the surface, it seems more than adequate, but don’t ask them to explain the present perfect continuous. Waterfall and agile (with its numerous variants, of which scrum is perhaps the most well-known) are […]
Hello World: Writing API Tutorials for Multiple Audiences
As technical writers, we understand where we fit in the world. No one wants to read the manual; they want to use the product. In fact, even that’s not true: often, users just want a certain result. This is especially the case with an application programming interface (API). External developers use an API because it […]
Strengthening the Technical Writer/SME Relationship
People outside our industry often ask how technical writers write about subjects where we have no specific expertise. The answer is that every writing project is a collaborative effort between a writer and a subject matter expert (SME). Like all products, the final documentation is only as good as the raw materials that go into it […]
The Art of Saying Less: Minimalism
Everyone is familiar with the information overload experience. Having spent your hard-earned cash on the latest product, perhaps a Smart TV, that promises to transform your life, you switch it on and are presented with a myriad of options, none of which you require. You open up the accompanying manual and groan audibly as you […]
Recruiting for Instructional Design Project with Multinational Client
We are actively seeking to fill two positions on a large instructional design project for one of our clients. We already have a writing team in place and are now in the process of setting up a second team. We are looking for applicants for the following positions on this new team: Documentation coordinator Technical […]
TWi Invited to User Assistance Conference
UA Europe is an annual conference for technical communicators that focuses on software user assistance and online help. It provides updates on the latest industry trends, technical developments, and best practices in software user assistance. This year, for the first time, the conference is being held in Ireland. User Assistance User assistance is another term […]
TWi Presents at Tech Tuesday Event
it@cork is a leading not-for-profit independent business organisation that represents the interests of the IT industry in Ireland, and specifically Cork. Members include executives, multinational representatives, government leaders, public sector representatives, academics, entrepreneurs, and consultants. Through the it@cork network, they drive thought leadership, collaboration, and global strategic alliances. it@cork organises a number of events throughout the year, including […]
