I’m an ESL technical writer: English is my Second Language. It’s been a source of self-doubt when looking for a technical writer job in Vancouver, and it still is now that I am employed.
What was I thinking? Would hiring managers entrust me with their technical communication needs? Are my readers silently judging my English? Does it make me less of a technical writer?
Yes, I got hired
I got hired surprisingly quickly after deciding to make technical writing my full-time job. I had previous experience in FinTech and a network going for me. An influential past coworker referred me because he’d read samples of my work before.
Now that I’m happily employed, how does English as a Second Language affect my work? Mostly, I overdo copy editing. And self-doubt.
Grammar, spelling, and usage matter in technical communication
Technical writers need to write flawlessly to build trust and to keep readers focused on the information.
Build trust
Johnson-Sheehan (2018) states that a “well-edited, error-free document will help build your readers’ trust in your ideas and your company’s product and services.”
If the writer did not spend the effort to correct grammatical, spelling, or usage errors, can we trust that they put more care in their research? Can we trust the documentation?
Help your readers focus on information, not wording
When I spot multiple mistakes in a document, I start anticipating errors, even looking for them. My focus shifts from the information contained in the text to the writing.
More than once, I am ashamed to admit, I have sent an imperfect first draft to a reviewer. I was struggling with a business process, and it made sense at the time to ask for a review to get the process right, before rewriting the document. In spite of my warnings that I was solely looking for help on the content, all I got back from the review was edits to make the text I already had clearer.
Clear, concise, and error-free writing helps the reader forget about the wording, and focus their mental effort on the information.
Culture matters, too
If English is your second language, then it’s likely that you grew up in a different culture. I grew up in France, where I was taught to organize my ideas in a “thesis, antithesis, synthesis” triad. I never do that anymore now that I’m in Canada.
According to Johnson-Sheehan (2018), “[people] from other cultures have different ways of communicating. They also have different expectations for technical documents and presentations.” Culture shapes the content and organization of your ideas.
Consult your organization’s style guide for direction on how to organize your ideas and what voice to use. If your organization does not have a style guide, you can refer to these ones:
Does it mean that ESL writers should refrain from applying?
Technical Writing isn’t about communicating subtle nuances or emotions. It’s about explaining complex concepts to your audience in simple terms. Simple is the key word here.
Technical communication uses highly codified vocabulary (your domain vocabulary) and sentence structure (such as parallelism).
While you need to express yourself error-free, you can achieve this level of mastery even if English isn’t your first language.
Here are my tips to fake it in the short term, and to continue improving:
- Follow a style guide.
- Use good grammar and style checkers: I use Grammarly at home, and I love it so much that I have the premium subscription.
- Further your education: read grammar blog posts or listen to audiobooks; I read the transcripts of Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips and listen to Anne Curzan’s English Grammar Boot Camp, they are surprisingly entertaining—or maybe I’m weird.
- Ask for feedback: if an editor reviews your text, good for you; if not, ask a trusted coworker to hunt for typos and grammatical errors; and learn from your mistakes.
Conclusion
Yes, you need solid English language skills to be a technical writer. Your readers are not going to appreciate how talented you are at analyzing your audience, researching your topic, and understanding complex information if your document contains more than the odd copy error.
That being said, ESL writers can achieve a command of English that allows them to write useful technical documentation that does the job.
Occasionally, I read an excellent technical article written by an author who combines elegance and conciseness, and I reflect that I still have a long way to go. That’s exciting!
Thanks
Thanks Joanne for your review and feedback!
References
Curzan, A. (2016). English Grammar Boot Camp. The Great Courses. Audiobook retrieved from https://www.audible.ca/pd/Language-Learning/English-Grammar-Boot-Camp-Audiobook/B071HSC4DD.
Johnson-Sheehan, R. (2018). Technical Communication Today, Sixth Edition. Boston, Pearson.
Laure Mouillet 