Localization and translation at the Society for Technical Communication 2014 Annual Summit

摘要

Just over 600 professionals from around the world attended the Society for Technical Communication 2014 Annual Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, May 18-21, 2014. The conference showcased many different aspects of technical communication, which included translation and localization. Jonathon Colman, content strategist for Facebook, led the conference with his keynote "Wicked Ambiguity." He talked about how writers can solve complex problems with clear communication. For example, how can technical communicators fight ambiguity and write a message that could be interpreted in many forms? He shared two problems that present a dilemma for technical communicators: extraterrestrial-life communication and nuclear semiotics. How can professionals write for an audience that may not know the meaning, whether it is from another universe or humans in the future? His questions were mind-bending, but he said technical communicators bring that ambiguity to certainty through communication. Lastly, Colman said those "wicked" problems ignite creativity and innovation, and we run toward that ambiguity to try and solve them.