Scholars have consistently claimed that rhetorical patterns are culturally bound, and indirectness is a defining characteristic of Chinese writing. Through examining how the rhetorical mechanism of directness and indirectness is presented in 29 English business communication textbooks published in China, we explore how English business…

Describing the emergence of the first shipbuilding texts, particularly those in English provides another chapter in the story of the emergence of English technical writing. Shipwrightery texts did not appear in English until the middle decades of the seventeenth century because shipwrightery was a closed discourse community which shared knowledge…

In this article, I examine a historical information graphic--Charles Booth's maps of London poverty (1889-1902)--to analyze the cultural basis of ideas of transparency and clarity in information graphics. I argue that Booth's maps derive their rhetorical power from contemporary visual culture as much as from their scientific authority. The visual…

Intellectual Quotient (IQ) has long been considered in education as the deciding factor in a person's success but have we overlooked emotional intelligence (EI) in determining one's success in life? In my attempt to reexamine the acceptance of EI, I studied the difference in EI between different groups of undergraduates in Singapore in terms of…

The article outlines the technical writing tutorial (TWT) that preceded an advanced ESL writing course for students of English Philology at the Jagiellonian University. Having assessed the English skills of those students at the end of the semester, we found a statistically significant increase in the performance of the students who had taken the…

While research in international technical communication has flourished during the last 10 years, there has been little published on technical communication programs outside the United States. This article addresses this need by describing 12 representative academic technical communication programs in Germany, including Germany's first master's…

Highlights the Islamic influence in Arab business strategies; magnifies the dynamics in the two-way communication process between an Arab speaker and English speaker; demonstrates fundamental differences between English and Arabic; and presents effective strategies for the technical communicator to use when pursuing business with an Arab country,…

Shows problems in the communication process between preparers and users of financial reports. Uses test techniques from linguistics and pedagogy (here, the cloze technique) to investigate two Swedish financial reports' understandability. Finds important parts of the reports were not understood by small investors. (PA)

Describes a class designed to make Hungarian students familiar with written genres in which abstracting plays an important role--students get theoretical background by abstracting lectures and analyzing appropriate chapters of technical writing textbooks, paying attention to objectivity and structure of the abstract. Advocates using such methods…

Reports on how Dutch instructive texts have changed in the course of this century. Gives insight into the kinds of documents studied. Presents investigation results: the disappearance of persuasive passages and of realistic representations of human beings. Gives a detailed sketch of the development of the algorithmic style. (PA)

Discusses the technical writing profession in the Netherlands. Bases the discussion on two studies--one directed at technical freelancers and another directed at technical writers working within organizations. Gives a profile of technical writers in the Netherlands; an impression of the problems technical writers in organizations deal with;…

Finds that, as a task, technical communication has not changed at all in the United Kingdom and Europe, and that, as a professional occupation, it has evolved slowly. Suggests that, as a procedure, however, technical communication has changed dramatically, mostly because electrical and electronic equipment has made life easier for technical…

Describes a report writing unit that is part of a three-year language/communication course for second language engineering students at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. States that the tasks motivated the students to develop their report writing and oral skills. (RS)

Introduces a special issue on technical communication in Canada. Describes aspects of employment, academia, organizations, conferences, and journals in the field of technical communication in Canada. (SR)

Introduces (in the French language) a special issue on technical communication in Canada. Describes aspects of employment, academia, organizations, conferences, and journals in the field of technical communication in Canada. (SR)