RE: I had to say it because I was afraid no one else would

["Sarah Stegall" <sstegall -at- bivio -dot- net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sstegall=bivio -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sstegall=bivio -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Blount, Patricia A
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 5:56 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: I had to say it because I was afraid no one else would

 

Good morning, all,

 

I've enjoyed reading my Digests these past few days, as I have always

shared Sarah's violent objection to making up words to suit Marketing's

whims. 

 

But you all made valid points... our jobs as technical writers require

that we COMMUNICATE and in an industry that hasn't even made it to

adolescence yet, we often must influence the evolution of our language.

I've never really looked at it that way before and must admit, the

thought cheers me. 

 

I had never looked at it that way either. Interesting perspective, I'll
admit.

 

About twenty years ago, I worked for a commercial baker (you know those

grocery store white boxes) as a secretary and had been asked to type a

memo for a marketing manager because his own secretary was out that day.

It was five pages written in long hand of the most liberty I've ever

seen taken with our language. Terms like "incentivize" and "grow the

business" abounded. So used to editing my own bosses' mutilated grammar,

I blithely edited as I typed. To my astonishment, he came out of his

office with the typed copy, red as a beet, demanding to know what right

I had to mutilate his words.

 

I can top that. :-) I once worked for an engineering firm whose VP held
two PhDs. I edited a report of his to correct his spelling. He had
misspelled several rather common words - I'm not talking about insider
jargon here, but words like "evidently", which he spelled
"evidentially". After I had carefully corrected his report, he demanded
that I restore the original misspellings. I did, but I didn't like it,
and it has rankled ever since. 

 

Sarah

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