: Re: Does a technical writer need a technical background? Does a technical writer need a technical background?

@Frith254

A slightly different angle is that technical (or any other kind of) writing can be as much about culture as explicit content.

To be most effective in writing for a particular technical community, you need to understand the subject matter you are covering, but also need to communicate in a style that resonates with that community. For example, if you were writing about the contemporary music scene in a particular city, you would lose credibility with the readers if you misused local slang or made out-dated references, even if your facts about the local bands were entirely correct.

In the same way, technical communities tend to have subtle but distinct ways of using and perceiving language that can mark you as an outsider, a sympathetic visitor, or "one of us". Read some well-regarded writing for the field in which you plan to work, and look for examples of the community's style.

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