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.
> Really, guys. Humor is entirely appropriate in tech writing given
> the right audience. Loosen up. Have some Red Bull.
Yeah, Laura... But my objection isn't to the "funny" part of the
definition in the subject line, it's to the "straining" part.
The forced attempts at humor in the Helix manual aren't always
successful. Worse, they often obscure the underlying instructions
rather than just embellishing them. Plus, they cause trouble for the
French and Spanish translations.
The meaningless distinction between "royal" and "serf" adjustments, for
instance, is made in the English text only as a setup for the "start
serfing again" pun. Since the pun doesn't work in French or Spanish,
though, the joke is omitted in those languages... But the translations
still get stuck with incongruous "princiers/serfs" and "nobles/plebeyos"
distinctions which are never referenced again in the manual.
Similarly, the joke about the "right to bear arms" plays only in the
USA... But presumably all English speakers get the same manual, so
readers in other countries have to wonder what that odd little phrase
means and whether it's important to their understanding of the watch's
operation.
Even a simple thing like "do not eat watch" causes problems: adding that
to the list of warnings throws into question the seriousness of all the
OTHER warnings on the list.
Anyway, I guess my point is that if you want to be funny, a) you have to
be extra-careful to keep the humor from impeding the instruction, and b)
you actually need to BE FUNNY. "Know your audience" is good advice, but
so is "know your limitations".
-Andrew
=== Andrew Warren - awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com
=== Synaptics, Inc - Santa Clara, CA
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot-
