1-99 (March 1999) by Guru Kamath Special Aspects India

I said to my technical writing friends: "I guess there are at least 50 technical writers in Bombay," But no one believed me. I extrapolated my estimate and calculated there must be at least 500 technical writers in India today. Then I corrected myself: "It is quite possible there are 500 technical writers of Indian origin all over the world, but in India there are hardly 500."

The reason for the relatively low number of technical writers in India is because India has been concentrating mainly on doing projects. It is only in recent years that many top multinationals have set up their development factories here. This has dramatically increased the technical writers' population in India. In some companies in Bangalore and Pune, one gets to hear of teams of 10 and 20 technical writers. Otherwise, India is no different to other countries: a large number of technical writers work alone in their companies. Today, all these technical writers have come together to share information and ideas through TWIN, the Technical Writers of India mailing list.

State of Technical Writing

Thanks to TWIN, one gets an idea about the state of technical writing in India. I would regard it as a few fountains of excellence in a desert. A desert because locally technically writing is hardly known or practised. The excellence comes from multinationals and large organisations which employ experienced technical writers. They have had the benefits of seminars, STC Conferences, etc, and contacts with established technical writers. Most other writers however are home grown..

Our best writers are journalists, teachers, and computer professionals - people from different walks of life - who have built careers in technical writing on their own. Our newbie "technical writers" are not even aware of the basics of technical writing. In many cases they comprise "writers," or those with "good English," and programmers who claim to be "technical writers" (yet it is years before they can be truly called that. In India, because there are very few formal courses on technical writing, most technical writers simply learn the skills on the job. Some are fortunate to have peers and seniors for guidance.

Online technical writing, web writing, and web help are virtually unknown. Usability Testing, Information Mapping, Minimalism, Instructional Design, and Information Design are new terms for Indian technical writers. A lucky few of our technical writers (typically 2 or 3) manage to attend the STC Annual Conference and other training forums. I do not know of a single technical writer from India who attended Forum 95.

Translation/Localisation

In the field of translation and localisation again we are far behind: the field has just started emerging and machine translation is totally unheard of in India. Many of our writers are aware of such tools but none have actually used them. Currently, the issues of globalisation and localisation do not affect our technical writers as there are very few companies with that kind of reach. Thus there are very few writers who understand these issues. The issues of American English versus British English are, however, a reality for Indian writers.

Education

The technical writing educational scenario in India is bleak. Few universities or institutions offer education in technical writing, and any online courses available abroad are too expensive for Indian technical writers. In contrast, mailing lists like TECHWR-L, TechComm, and TWIN are like daily online seminars for Indian writers.

A few established writers and companies occasionally conduct seminars, but in general they are poorly attended. It is as though India is just waking up to the technical writing field. There are hardly any local books or reprints available on technical writing, and only a few universities and institutions have developed a curriculum on technical communication. Consequently, Indian technical writers find it difficult to develop and polish their skills.

TWIN - Technical Writers of India

The Technical Writers of India (TWIN) mailing list has been instrumental in building a network of technical writers in India. I set up TWIN on October 2, 1997 with the help of Matthew Richardson in the UK. The list has over 170 members spread all over the world: in India, UK, USA, Germany, Australia, Israel, China, France, Singapore, Guam, South Africa, Slovenia, etc.

TWIN is a platform for sharing problems and helping each other grow. TWIN posts requests for help on tools (Word, RoboHelp, the Web, etc), techniques, grammar, etc. It also posts jobs wanted and jobs available.

TWIN Forum provides discussion areas to anyone interested in expressing views on technical writing and related topics. TWIN Forum also provides a facility to chat. Unlike the TWIN mailing list (where you need to subscribe), anyone with a free Delphi account can access the TWiN Forum and read and send posts on technical writing. The posts are available in the Topic areas for Delphi members to view and respond. Responses can be sent to the message board or to individuals.
As an extension to the mailing list, there are TWIN Chapters in Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi. Chapters hold activities such as meetings, seminars, chat sessions, site visits, and training programmes. TWIN celebrated its first year by holding the first Annual Conference of TWIN in Pune, India. Interestingly, many papers from the US and Germany were posted in absentia. A presentation on TC-Forum by Hans Springer also was made in absentia.

Future

India is recognised for its software and good English language skills. Yet the same recognition for Indian technical writing does not exist. Our manuals and documentation may compare with the best in the world, but our skill in producing them is not yet recognised. Companies and technical writers must take the lead to correct this anomaly.

TWIN is making efforts to affiliate with international technical writing organisations. For a start, we want to form a chapter of the Society of Technical Communication in India.

TWIN URLs:
TWIN home page : http://www.twin-india.com
[broken link as of 06 Nov 2001 AvO]  

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