Chapter 15 Summary, June 27th
Chapter 15 was about "Creating Technical Descriptions." Defining technical descriptions consists of summarizing physical characteristics, answering questions you expect your readers to have about the appearance or composition of an object, substance, mechanism, organism, system, or location. Technical descriptions could range from a few words in a shorter document to several paragraphs in a longer document, such as a report. How important are technical descriptions? To answer this question all you have to do is remember The Challenger that exploded in 1986. If inadequately descriptions are presented readers may underestimate their importance or neglect them entirely. The results of negligence can be deadly. Negligence to act upon the technical descriptions of the O-Rings being charred during takeoff of the challenger ultimately ending in death.
You can use a technical description in just about any form of document, oral presentation, or visual. Some examples of technical documents are observation notes, training materials, technical manuals, proposals and reports, marketing and promotional pieces, and public information and education. Technical descriptions in public information or education usually contain a substantial amount of descriptions because the intended audience needs to know exactly WHAT something is before they can make a decision. Dramatic visuals are also used a lot in technical descriptions involving public information or education.
When preparing a technical description you need to identify the audience and the task involved, determine all the components, and choose precise diction with effective visuals and format. When describing the task you need to break it down into components. Two different kinds of components commonly used are Structural parts and Functional parts. The structural parts deal only with the physical aspect of the task while the functional parts perform clearly defined tasks.
Organization is essential when writing a technical description. Take into consideration the spatial order, to give the document a clear view of appearance or chronological order which lists things in the oder of importance. When writing your conclusion you can include applications, anecdotes or brief narratives, and advantages or disadvantages.
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11 comments:
This chapter covered a lot, more of an overview I thought of technical descriptions. I thought Burnett made good points when she discussed accurate terms giving examples of a ball being a sphere and not just round. That is something I tend to do often, not think of the accurate term but what is commonly used such as using Kleenex instead of tissue.
Descriptions must fit the audience. Just like valerie said, Kleenex works for english speaking audiences who have experience with Kleenex, however many audiences wouldnt have a clue what that means. I think this chapter basically says "explain everything in basic terms, excluding terms that may mislead or confuse the audience." I love the shape chart on page 565.
This chapter made me think about the bilingual assignment. I chose to write instruction on how to change the oil. I used the term "crankcase" in one of my steps. When my German speaking friend read it, he didn't know what the word was. I should have used more basic words to describe where the oil goes.
I agree with Burnett here. Technical descriptions are not easy to write. There are a lot of things that you must keep in mind if you wish for the specific audience to full understand your description. I will use technical descriptions frequently in my profession.
This chapter talked about the importance of technical descriptions. In some cases if technical descriptions aren’t portrayed correctly then it can result in some lack of important knowledge. The book also discussed how to use technical descriptions. One area that I could relate to was one of the applications used for technical descriptions, training materials. In dietetics we often use “calipers” to measure a person’s body fat. Before using the calipers, a description is needed so we understand how they function and how to correctly use them. Another thing that is needed to make a good technical description is visuals. I think visuals in a technical description are important because it gives the reader/audience a better understanding and mental picture.
The use of technical descriptions, although difficult, can really effectively reach an intended audience. Using specific terms that describe an object tend to stick in the mind of the people you are trying to reach with your idea or message. Burnett does an excellent job of explaining that in this chapter.
Technical descriptions have to mean exactly what they say. Language is a construction created by basing relationships between words and their meanings. Languages are designed to relate common shared meanings between people by being able to describe things with words. Think about the critical importance of accurately wording a description so that the meaning does not get lost. Grammar conventions and syntax become vital to the success of forming a mutual understanding because incorrect word choices or misplaced modifiers can only lead to misunderstanding between the presenter and the audience.
Descriptions must be accurate in their content and must have the audience in mind while being written. If something technical is decribed with basic words, then the definition can be understood at a basic level.
When writing the instructions for this course, I consulted this chapter and found myself learning more than I was looking for...there is a lot to know when creating technical descriptions. Different forms and how to organize descriptions were presented in this chapter.
The internet and advances in general in computers have opened up a wide range of options in this area...the diagrams in the text on pages 556-557 show how links can benefits varying levels of readers of the material. Readers can go to other pages to learn more about topics presented and/or to gain a better understanding of the initial description.
This overview of technical descriptions was very interesting and like rob said, it does apply to cross cultural, and language barriers. Some words do not necessarily convert to other languages so you have to describe in a technical matter.
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