Technical Communication in China

Introduction
Technical communication in China is in its infancy, both as a profession and as an academic discipline. While China's international policies have opened the doors for more foreign trade and collaboration between companies, technical communicators are still struggling to find their place in the Chinese job market. However, the rise of technical communication societies and the need for technical writers in China has resulted in the expansion of jobs and opportunities in the nation. The growth of the businesses of technical translation and localization has also led to more technical communication jobs and the call for better technical communication programs in universities so that Chinese products can remain competitive in the ever-growing and ever-changing global market.

History
Although the field of technical communication is quite young and not quite yet formalized in China, technical writing and communication has existed in the country for thousands of years. The earliest form of technical communication text is the Yi Jing, a book dating back over 3,000 years, which gave Chinese citizens instructions regarding elements of life, including marriage, lawsuits, war tactics, ethics, fishing, and agriculture. This technical instruction manual inspired technical writing and communication pieces that came after it.[1] In the 11th century, Shen Kuo wrote Brush Talks from Dream Brook. This book covers technical and scientific knowledge and topics ranging from astronomy and archaeology to geography and Chinese medicine.[6]



Image: The Yi Jing. The first known piece of technical communication text in China. Produced in late 9th Century BC.[14]

Technical communication in China is still in its inception. It is often uncategorized both academically and professionally, and it is not considered a formal line of work. Although technical communication is struggling to find its place in Asia in general, it is in a particularly desperate predicament in China where they do not even have a Society for Technical Communication (STC).[2] Moreover, technical writing in China is generally done by scientists and engineers.[5] Up until recently, the concept of technical communication even as a discipline was unrecognized or even unknown.

Beginning in the 1990's, however, interest began to grow in the field due to foreign influences and communication. In 1997, a technical communication instructor from Texas Tech University, led a delegation of a dozen technical communicators to China to meet with professors at Chinese institutions and leaders at technical and translation companies. The team discovered that China was in desperate need for technical communication information and training. They also found that that the subject was not officially taught at universities.[3]

The trip helped spark some change in China's views towards technical communication. This event, along with the fact that, around 25 years ago, China opened its doors to more foreign relations, has given more opportunities to technical writers, and jobs and projects have grown.[1] The combination of international and cross-cultural technical communication, foreign companies trying to establish a foothold in China's growing economy, and scholars studying Chinese technical practices has birthed and introduced technical communication, education, and jobs in China.[2]

Since 1997, technical communication has slowly but surely grown both in industry and in academia; in 2016, it was estimated that China had about 3,000 technical communicators. That year, China spent about USD$44.8 billion on languages services, which included technical communication. Since 2015, there have been many conferences, programs, and meetups regarding the field, and several professional technical communication companies have been founded. Huiling Ding (2019) suggests these elements indicate that "technical communication in China has moved on to the stage of early disciplinary formation."[4]

Technical Communication Jobs in China
Technical Communication jobs in China are still quite rare and not treated as an official profession. A study by Ding revealed that the majority of job openings are located in the main cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Over 60% of those jobs require a degree in Computer Science or Engineering, whereas less than 15% require a degree in Technical Communication or English. A research study by the China Technical Communication Forum showed that the majority of technical communication workers had a background in engineering. The biggest takeaway from this study was that almost 90% of the workers stated that they had taught themselves and had no formal training.[4]

However, the growth of international businesses in China is amplifying the need for more technical writers in China. Therefore, the number of jobs are increasing and more emphasis is being put on technical communication education in order to grow more local talent.



Image: A Swedish Company, IKEA, in China.[16]

Current technical communicators in China are expressing their concerns with how the field is being treated, and they are worried about the future of technical writing jobs. One worker complained that their manager is unwilling to pay for formal training. Another stated that around 90% of the workers in the industry leave before five years and that "this field still faces huge talent loss." One interviewee detailed that his company's workers' writing skills vary immensely.

A study by Hao Wang found that technical communicators in China were heavily female, and almost 50% of them were between the ages of 26 and 30. Furthermore, 75% of the participants in the study had a science or Engineering degree. Over half of them claimed that they do not have a designated documentation team or department at their company. The same number reported that Microsoft Word was the most common software tool they used, and only a third used tools like Oxygen, Skribenta, and DITA.

In regards to daily work, documentation management, information design, and translation were the three most common goals. One participant who works for a Swedish company in Shanghai stated that her main job was to create manuals and documents for European users. Another worker explained that her work generally consists of translating documents. One major highlight from the study's results was that all of the workers stated that their workplace didn't practice audience or user analysis because their company won't support it due to costs.[8]

Technical Communication, Translation, and Localization
One area of technical communication that is growing steadily and is in need of workers is translation. The United States does more trade deals with China than with any other country besides Japan, and it is the second largest investor in the nation. With all the technology being traded internationally, there is a huge need for translators.[9] Furthermore, for China to distribute documents into the global and international market, it needs technical translators to translate those documents.



Image: Illustration of the GILT (Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, and Translation) process often used by companies.[15]

Technical translation is "a type of specialized translation that deals with technology and technological texts on subjects based on applied knowledge from natural sciences." Localization involves modifying or adjusting a product for a specific market, and technical translation is a major element of localization. The term GILT (Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, and Translation) is sometimes used to describe methods used by companies to promote their products in the global market.

Because of the growth of international companies in China and the rise in Chinese companies trying to compete with businesses around the world, technical communication and translation is slowly being recognized as being valuable and useful, and leaders are now beginning to hire more technical communicators.[4]

The Growing Need for Technical Writers
With a growing population of over 1.4 billion people, China's leaders and educators are increasingly placing value on technical communication as they are beginning to realize the importance of being able to converse and communicate with the rest of the world. Since most of the technical writing done in China is done by people with no formal technical communication training, the country is in need of trained writers.

The Director of the Department of Science Dissemination of the China Association for Science and Technology Zhang Daoyi states that there are more than 160 periodicals and 70 newspapers related to technology published in China. There are even services that deliver technology to people living in distant, isolated villages. Therefore, it is imperative for China to produce or hire more trained, professional technical writers who can communicate in a way that the audience can understand.[7]

Technical Communication and Education
Due to these factors, China has slowly begun to add elements of technical communication into its educational systems. In 1999, Professor Peiya Gu constructed a course on business writing in technical communication at Suzhou University. The following year, the university asked Dr. Daniel Ding and Dr. John Jablonski to teach a two week course on the topic. Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, more and more western and foreign products and technology are being introduced to the Chinese economy and communities, creating the need for more technical writers and translators.[10]

China's first technical writing program was a master's program at Peking University called Technical Communication and Translation in 2007 which had a partnership with the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Since then, other universities such as Nakai University and Xidian University have added programs to their college catalogs.[8] China's first undergraduate technical communication program commenced at Peking University in 2014.[4]

The Need for English
Since English is the first language of technology in China, it is important for educators to teach their students English in a way that will help them practice technical communication and translation efficiently as opposed to teaching English just for the purpose of conversation.[3]

The Open Door Policy in 1978 brought in foreign investments and companies to China, and this drastically increased the need for Chinese workers to learn and master English so that they can perform technical writing tasks. However, most English learners in China stop studying English at the high school level.[11] This makes it hard for Chinese products to compete with global businesses as "Chinese-made products coming with hard-to-follow technical documents are likely to be less competitive in the market."[10]



Image: Example of technical writing in Chinese products.[17]

Rhetorical Language
However, learning and studying English and technical jargon is not enough to produce effective technical writing pieces. "Technical writing is highly rhetorical because it embodies human values and judgment, and simply knowing technical terms does not enable a student to competently address the rhetorical issues in technical communication." This is an area that is lacking in the Chinese curriculum because students aren't taught rhetorical language that caters to their audience. It is essential for documents to be clear and concise so that users can understand them, and this ultimately plays a huge role in keeping the product competitive in the market.[5]

Ping Duan and Weiping Gu, during their research, studied Chinese textbooks written in English and found that none of the books contained any rhetorical elements. The books only focused on grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary, and they didn't address any topics regarding users. Furthermore, the study revealed that Chinese students, even if their English papers were grammatically and structurally correct, couldn't write a research paper because they lacked the ability to use rhetorical language and produce a clear thesis.[10] Due to this, it is important for China to add rhetorical features to their English programs.

Technical Communication Business between China and the United States
Since China opened it's doors for foreign relations in 1978 after the Mao Zedong era, many countries have raced to invest in China to sell products and build partners with Chinese companies. The United States was one of the front runners and continues to be till this day. However, there are many issues that prevent the two countries from having a smooth partnership.

Cultural Differences
One of the main differences between the two nations is culture. When American and Chinese technical communication companies try to do business, they often fall into a misunderstanding because they are not familiar with each other's backgrounds and formalities. The United States posses a low-context culture in which words are transparent in meaning. Chinese people are more high-context, and the meaning of their words depends on the situation or scenario. This can cause confusion when people from the two countries collaborate as Americans may view Chinese as being unfriendly or even rude and the Chinese may think that Americans lack the ability to act professional in a business context.

Technical Communication Styles
In the United States, technical communication developed as a discipline during World War II, and, after the war, when the technology created for battle was converted to industrial materials, they needed technical communicators to explain the technical functions. The technical writers during this period were typically engineers or military personnel. China is currently experiencing a similar trend because they need to supplement their technological and economic growth with technical communication and writing,[12]

However, China practices technical communication differently from how the United States does. "Chinese technical communication is more inductive than deductive." This indirect technique is argued to be influenced by Confucianism. Ding signified that ren (human heartedness), yi (righteousness) and li (proper conduct code) are the three philosophies in document design within Chinese culture that influence this circular style.[8] These elements can cause problems and issues when the two nations attempt joint projects.

Technical Communication as Education
Much like the their technical communication styles, China and the United States have different histories when it comes to technical communication education. In the United States, the first technical writing courses were taught by engineers. As technology began to grow and products such as computers began to circle the population, there was a need for technical communicators who could add rhetoric and user-friendly elements to the documents that came with these devices. Even so, technical communication programs originally had a hard time finding its home in universities. They were mostly placed within the English department, which treated technical communication as a lowly subject. However, as time passed and the profession grew as more and more technical writers were needed, "the argument for respectability has now basically been won for technical communication faculty."

Conversely, in China, technical communication is still trying to find its respect as a discipline. The average Chinese citizen does not have the English skills to produce technical writing documents or study foreign works. Even those who can read English have very few materials to draw from. Therefore, it is hard for professors and teachers to correctly prepare their students to practice technical communication that caters to a global and multifaceted market.[12]

Technical Communication Communities
The first government approved technical communication association in China was founded in 1995, and its first conference was hosted by five science and engineering colleges in Beijing. A representative from the STC, Fred Klein, was present. By 1999, the association held their 3rd annual conference, which was hosted by the Department of Information Sciences at the University of Science and Technology of China, and there were 50 professionals and scholars in attendance. The title of the meeting was "technical communication makes the country prosper," and the members decided to create the Society of Chinese Technical Communication. In 2002, the group joined forces with the Society of Chinese Scientific Journalism, and they continue to have annual conferences.[12]



Image: The logo of the University of Science and Technology of China.[18]

Although China doesn't have an STC, these other groups and elements are causing technical communication to develop both as a profession and as an academic field in China. Technical communicators have also established networks online through platforms such as social media and discussion boards. These groups encourage education, and some of the members give lectures at colleges. People who are interested in becoming technical writers or communicators can also join discussion sessions held by educators. These collaborations and group activities have played a major part in the growth of China's technical communication community and job market.[8]

The Future of Technical Communication in China
All of these elements and the fact that China's economy is rising is contributing to the growth of technical communication in the nation. Additionally, technical translation and localization will bring about new job opportunities for technical writers, and experts believe that this will result in the field gaining more respect. As technology continues to grow and change, China may have to invest in and educate their technical communicators if they wish to compete in the global market. Some scholars state that if technical communicators, technical communication societies, and Chinese technology companies can work together, "then the common banner of the knowledge structure will surely open new career paths in Chinese society, reshape the knowledge construction, and reshape the distributions of social and economic resources."13]

Furthermore, international trade and investment will bring about the need for more technical writers. Studies have revealed that some technical communication programs in China may change the way they teach English so that the subject is taught in way that is more specific to technical writing. As the need for technical communicators grows, there will be more competition for jobs, which will result in more technical communication programs in universities.[9]