Technical English

Technical English

Lic. Juan Carlos Santamaría Fernández.

Technical EnglishSeminar Lic. Juan Carlos Santamaría Fernández.

To understand Technical English issues and increase management and adequacy in the use of vocabulary and specific functions in contexts related to the academic field of study and future professional life.

Aim


What is Technical English?

The term Technical English does not really exist as such. Technical Communication is that lexical baggage (Jargon) and language technicalities applied to specific professional contexts.


Technical CommunicationIt is the transmission of technical information in an objective manner. The outputs are often action-oriented texts, that is, texts which have a practical purpose.

Other technical communication types are the production of documents to the professional field such as Letters, Curriculum Vitaes, Informative texts for internal organizational communication, newspapers, magazines, etc.

Technical writing (Blake & Bly 1993) is:Technically accurate, useful, concise, complete, clear, consistent, correct in spelling, punctuation and grammar, targeted, and well organized.


Grammatical Implications

Technical Communication demands the use of special vocabulary (Jargon) and language structure:

Formal language lexiconJargon ConditionalsCommand-ImperativesPassive voiceGerund (to/ing)


JargonJargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, or group. Philosopher Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas”.

In other words, the term covers the language used by people who work in a particular area or who have a common interest. A standard term may be given a more precise or unique usage among practitioners of a field. In many cases this causes a barrier to communication with those not familiar with the language of the field. As an example, the words RAM, bit, byte, CPU, and hexadecimal are jargon terms related to computing.


Business letterThe basics elements of a good business letter writing are easy to learn.

The following phrases and sentences provide ideas on usual ways for Technical Writing in any standard business letter.

These phrases or sentences are used as a type of structure and introduction to the content of business letters.

At the end of this session, by using these standard phrases, you can give a professional tone to your English business letters.


Business letter structure and sample phrases1.The Start •Dear Personnel Director, •Dear Sir or Madam: (use if you don't know who you are writing to) •Dear Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms Smith: (use if you know who you are writing to, and have a formal relationship with - VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs or Miss) •Dear Frank: (use if the person is a close business contact or friend)

2.The Reference •With reference to your advertisement in the Times/your letter of 23 rd March/ your phone call today. •Thank you for your letter of March 5 th .


3.The Reason for Writing I am writing to inquire about…/ apologize for… /confirm…

4.Requesting Could you possibly…? I would be grateful if you could…

5.Agreeing to Requests I would be delighted to…

6.Giving Bad News Unfortunately…I am afraid that…

7.Enclosing Documents I am enclosing…Please find enclosed… Enclosed you will find…


8.Closing Remarks Thank you for your help Please contact us again if…/we can help in any way/there are any problems/you have any questions/

9.Reference to Future Contact I look forward to ...hearing from you soon/ meeting you next Tuesday/seeing you next Thursday.

10.The EndingYours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to)

Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you're writing to) Best wishes,

Best regards, (If the person is a close business contact or friend)


Sample letterOctober 23, 2006.

Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc. 456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL .

Dear Mr Flintstone:

With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856 .

The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days.

Please contact us again if we can help in any way.

Yours sincerely,

Kenneth Beare. Director of Ken's Cheese House.


Recipe


Curriculum VitaeA curriculum vitae is used primarily when applying for an employment, academic, education, scientific or research positions.

A curriculum vitae should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience. In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for.

Start by making a list of all your background information, then organize it into categories. Make sure you include dates on all the publications you include.


Tips for writing your Curriculum VitaeKeep your curriculum vitae simple, concise and easy to read. Your curriculum vitae must sell you and must be tailored to what the reader is looking for.

Having a good CV is essential for full-time jobs, part-time, internal, external, promotions, new jobs, and career changes.

Successful candidates are invariably the people who provide employers with the best CVs and best covering letters.

A CV does not have to be a text document. It can be a video. Create a video CV, and to upload it onto a website. Only the people with the best CVs and letters get to that stage.


CV writing is a form of

marketing or advertising,

when the product is you!


Curriculum Vitae SamplePersonal InformationNameDate of BirthNationalityAddress (home and term)Telephone (home)Telephone (mobile)E-mail Personal ProfileSummary about what you have done (degree, relevant experience), the skills you have to offer (target towards the advert/job description) and what you are looking to do. 3 lines max.


Education and Qualifications Date University, Course, Qualification (grade or

predicted grade)SubjectModules studied, dissertation

Date School / FE College

A Levels (grades if good) / Other qualifications Date School

GCSE – number of subjects, including Maths and English

Work Experience (most recent first)

Date Company Name, Job TitleMain responsibilities

Skills gained (communication, team work, interpersonal, problem solving, etc)


SkillsLanguagesIT skillsOther relevant skills

Interests and ActivitiesNot just a list – try to make them relevant to what the employer is looking for – eg. Travelling around Europe helped develop my communication skills through meeting a variety of people.

References Available on request


Practice!•Write a business letter about a topic or situation of your interest.

•Write your own Curriculum Vitae