Tharun Kumar Unni, president of the Society for Technical Communicators (STC) has been in the field of technical writing for the last eight years. STC is the largest organisation in India for technical writers. In an interview with Neema George he elaborates on the issues facing technical writers in the country

How significant is the role of a technical writer in the IT industry?
A technical writer is the bridge between the product and the end user. And they are the first users of the product. Technical writers understand the user who uses the product. We play the most critical role in the development of a product. If the documentation contains an error, it affects the effective functioning of the product and can result in huge loss to the end user.

What are the growth prospects in technical writing?
Companies are recognising the fact that Indians have good writing skills. More firms are coming to India as they recognise the talent here. Cost is another advantage. But growth is not on the same scale as that seen in the software engineering profession. The candidate should be a confident writer and there is also a need for more professionalism in this field. Few institutions provide training in technical writing. There is a wide choice of tools for technical writing, but lack of expertise is a problem in India.

Does STC plan to focus on education in a big way?
STC plans to dedicate the year 2003 to education, which is one of the key areas of functioning for STC India Chapter. We are planning to conduct learning sessions in various cities across the country. STC had a good year in 2002, we conducted two learning sessions every month. This year, the sessions will provide training in technical writing tools and preparing documents that include writing and editing which will be helpful for writers who have not undergone professional training.

What’s the objective of STC in India?
This is the only professional body for technical writers in India. The main aim of STC is to discuss issues in the field, recognise talent, exchange ideas, improve performance through competitions, meet people from different domains and offer a good forum for networking.

The main theme of the 4th Annual Conference highlighted the different roles that a technical writer plays in an organisation. The major benefit out of such conferences is that it widens the individual’s knowledge-base, thus in turn increasing his/her contribution to the organisation. The conference, in terms of topics and quality of the papers presented, was a success. The number of participants for the conference has increased from 150 last year to over 240 this year.

What is the estimated number of technical writers in India at present?
STC started with 15 members, today there are 74 registered members in the Indian Chapter. Membership has grown by about 30 percent. However, as the registration amount is on the higher side, at Rs 8,000 per year, membership has not grown as fast as the intake of technical writers into the industry. TWIN, the mailing list for technical writers, has about 800 members.