Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Has Technical Communication Arrived As A Profession, Kathy Pringle, Sean Williams

English Faculty Publications

This article examines the design and technology components of technical communication by investigating how practitioners imagine their work and the profession, specifically with respect to technology. In short, we wanted to interrogate the duality of “core design skills” and “technology skills” by asking practitioners to reflect both on the definition of technical communication and on the role technology plays in their work. We wanted to weigh claims that communication and rhetorical skills are important for success in the field against claims that knowledge of specific tools is likewise vitally important to success in the field. Technical communication historically has been …