There are basically two types of technical writers: on the one hand, there are writers who draw up instruction manuals, catalogues, promotional sales material, informative material, technical reports, newsletters and advertising material, and on the other, those who write technical or scientific articles for specialised paper or digital publications. In the case of the latter, the technical writer's role involves expressing scientific and technical information using a language that is easy to understand, for both experts and people who are not specialists in the subject. Similarly, these professionals tend to experts in a particular subject, and have good writing skills; they may also be journalists who specialised in particular fields (they must have a thorough knowledge of the sources of information and appropriate resources in order to interpret and produce information that is easy to understand and rigorous).

• Search for information related to the article they have to write.
  Consider possible sources of information (experts, professors, professionals, etc.) and contact them if necessary.
  Search for information online.
  Contrast the different sources of information obtained.
• Attend fairs, congresses and specialised conferences, and gather information.
• Interview key figures in the field in question.
• Sometimes, make videos and take photographs to accompany articles.
• Technical writers may also be responsible for the layout of the text and the images.
• Process information gathered and write articles, adapting them to the style of the publication.

• Produce technical documentation relating to the company's products.
• Design product descriptions, in conjunction with the R&D and technical support departments.
• Produce manuals and ensure that they are effective and easy to understand.

Regulated training and graduates

• Grau: Comunicació cultural
• Grau: Comunicació
• Grau: Comunicació audiovisual
• Grau: Informació i documentació
• Grau: Comunicació i periodisme audiovisuals
• Grau: Publicitat i relacions públiques
• Grau: Periodisme
• Grau: Publicitat, màrqueting i relacions públiques
• Grau: Filologia catalana
• Grau: Filologia catalana i estudis occitans
• Grau: Llengua i literatura catalanes
• Grau: Filologia hispànica
• Grau: Llengua i literatura espanyoles
• Grau: Llengua i literatura hispàniques

Complementary training

Other specific skills

Self-confidence: Level 3

Communication: Level 3

Concern for order and quality: Level 2

Customer orientation: Level 2

Conceptual thought: Level 2

Learning and use of knowledge: Level 3

Communication

Those who show a preference for the field of communication are interested in the generation and dissemination of information. This information, however, can have various purposes: provide information on events and occurrences, generate public opinion on a certain topic or promote and publicise a service or product. Carrying out these activities requires knowledge of various techniques aimed at communication, persuasion and marketing.

Humanities

The key interests of people who are interested in the field of humanities are studying the activity of human beings over time as well as their cultural and artistic expressions. Activities that represent this field are the creation of cultural products and the organisation of exhibitions and events, in addition to the promotion of actions for the preservation and dissemination of an artistic group. Significant knowledge of cultural, historical and linguistic heritage is required to carry out these activities.

Community manager

Content manager

Copywriter

Publishing agent

Proofreader

• Work hours

  Full-time, although a certain amount of flexibility is required, since they may sometimes have to do interviews, cover conferences or offer information on a last-minute basis.

• Salary

  Depends on the terms of the contract, experience, and type of company. Can range from 17.888 to 26.014 euros. Median: 21.571 euros annum gross.
  
  Source: Report "Observatory of Jobs and Salaries of the Labour Market. Barcelona Activa", elaborated by ICSA Grupo. April 2015.

• Other features

  Freelance technical writers work from home and have extremely flexible hours, since these depend on the number of jobs they complete per day.

• Professional category

  Technician

• Human resources and equipment

  If you work from home, you will require computer equipment with internet access.