TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: When the thesaurus attacks... From:Jo Baer <jbaer -at- mailbox1 -dot- tcfbank -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 10 Dec 2001 16:56:12 -0600
First of all, if one of your co-workers is lurking, I think the cat's already out
of the bag.
I would indeed suggest the shorter words, along with a comment starting with "In my
experience..." or "I've found..." and ending with something about why short words
are better. You could also throw in my favorite quotation on the subject, "Never
use a big word when a diminutive one will do." At this time of the day on a Monday,
I'm too lazy to look up the author of the quote, although it's well enough known
that someone on the list can probably remind me.
By the way, unless there's a label on the electronic device specifying HOW to run,
or invoke, the program, neither instruction is particularly clear. I'd wan't
something more like "Push the red button to start the software program," or "Press
Ctrl + J to start the software program."
Jo
--
Jo Baer
Senior Technical Writer
TCF National Bank
Minneapolis, Minnesota
jbaer -at- mailbox1 -dot- tcfbank -dot- com
Weakness Through Strength
Fanatics may defend a point of view
so strongly as to prove it can't be true.
Piet Hein
M Rassmussen wrote:
> I'll keep this vague, in case one of my co-workers is lurking. I don't want
> to embarrass the offender. Well, the one *I* consider an offender.
>
> Co-worker A is creating a training package for a piece of electronic
> equipment that runs a certain software program. She asked me to do a sanity
> check on what she has so far, and I found only two sentences that sent me
> into convulsions.
>
> She wrote: "From the piece of electronic equipment, INVOKE the software
> program."
>
> I would have gone with "run" or "open" because "invoke," as I explained to
> her, makes me think of pasty-faced Satanic teens frolicking in the woods
> trying to animate Our Dark Lord.
>
> Later on, she told the user to RELOCATE a window to an undisplayed area.
> Wouldn't "move" be okay?
>
> She thinks my points are silly, but I think it boils down to keeping it
> simple. What do you fine people think? Should she keep those verbs or go
> with my WONDERFUL suggestions?
>
> -Michelle
Collect Royalties, Not Rejection Letters! Tell us your rejection story when you
submit your manuscript to iUniverse Nov. 6 -Dec. 15 and get five free copies of
your book. What are you waiting for? http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
