• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

TAGS - Language Solutions

Tell tour brand's story in Portuguese

  • Why Portugal
  • Request a quote
  • Blog
  • Get in touch
  • SEO Training
    • For Freelancers
    • For Translation Companies
Technical communication: what do clients want?

Technical communication: what do clients want?

By Teresa Sousa

What’s THE NEXT BIG THING?

This was the topic of the TCeurope Colloquium 2016, last April 15, at ISCAP.

APCOMTEC and CICE-ISCAP brought Technical Writers and Communicators together to talk to us about technical documentation. I believe the main idea behind this is to ask the question “what do the end users need?” Is it the type of format or the amount of information that matters to them?

One of these communicators was Marie Flacke, a graduate of the Technical Writing Programme at the American University of Paris, with an interesting subject: “Customer success and satisfaction in the connected world: can technical communicators cope?”
In order to respond to the customer’s needs, Marie Flacke believes that:

  • We should skip useless information like the introduction, general information and pointless descriptions (for instance, a description of a table saying it has 3 columns and 5 rows when the reader can see that and knows how to count). Do we really need Warning Messages? Or just straightforward troubleshooting?
  • We should think about the user’s environment, think objectively. For instance, imagine a worker who needs to repair a machine in an outdoor environment, at -25ºC and with 15 minutes to repair it. He isn’t going to read a 50-page manual searching for the solution.
  • If troubleshooting is what users require most, it would be best to have just a clear title and a clear solution.
  • Findability is key! If the end user doesn’t type the exact word that the technical writer used in the search box, he may not find what he’s looking for. So, in order to find the pertinent info quickly it’s advisable to write a very good Index.

 

William van Weelden, a Dutch technical writer and functional designer, presented the theme “Great content and SEO: a match made in Mountain View”. SEO is about being found, and being found means creating content that makes the top 3.

Like Marie, William also mentioned the findability of content. In order to achieve this, there are elements to take into account, such as, if it’s mobile friendly, the page speed, the HTML structure, the technical sitemap, links from trusted sources, the content shared on social media, title, summaries and, of course, the quality of the articles.

Despite some controversy between some attendees and speakers as to whether written text is a thing of the past or not, the idea remains that users should contribute to the documentation. And, of course, a well-written text, with substantial and relevant information, means quality content.

by Daniela Melo

IeM1o77V_400x400

Related posts:

Why don’t companies invest in translation? What is transcreation?

Filed Under: I need a translator Tagged With: translation

About Teresa Sousa

Teresa is a Portuguese transpreneur* who loves to see businesses thrive./

Recent Posts

  • What languages should you translate your content into?
  • Discover Portugal through 12 fascinating facts
  • Why you shouldn’t (just) translate your website
  • Expand your business into a new market in 2022 with localization
  • 8 (not so obvious) things you should translate for your business

Categories

  • I am a translator (26)
  • I need a translator (33)

SIGN UP

to get updates from TAGS Language Services HQ, along with topical articles and news.

Copyright © 2022 · TAGS - Language Solutions -
Photography: @yourhappypics

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT