STC Rochester Chapter

A Bridge Between Cultures: Culturally Sensitive Document Design and Audience Analysis

Over the past 60 years technical communication “has grown significantly in North America and western Europe, but it has only begun to make inroads in Asia and eastern Europe in the past two decades” (Hayhoe, 2006). In this age of globalization, just translating documents into another language isn’t enough to satisfy localization. Current assumptions about document design cannot be presumed to also apply to “cultures whose characters are not the Roman alphabet, whose reading orientation is not left-to-right and top-to-bottom, and whose design principles and graphics are based on different aesthetic systems”. This presentation addresses the cultural differences and similarities in document design and communication that should be considered, and how the design decisions should accommodate the target audience.

Agenda:
5:30 Meet and Greet
6:00 – 7:00 Dinner
7:00 - 8:00 Presentation

Dinner: Monroe’s will be serving the following buffet dinner in the Vintage Room:

• Chicken French
• Rolls and Butter
• House Salad
• Pasta with Marinara Sauce
• Roasted Potatoes
• Steamed Veggies
• Dessert
• Coffee & Tea

When:
Wednesday May 9, 2012
5:30 – 8:00 pm

Where:
Monroe’s (in the Spring House)
Vintage Room
3001 Monroe Avenue
Pittsford, NY 14534
http://www.monroes3001.com/

How to Register Online:

1. Register at http://stcrochestermayprogram2012.eventbrite.com/
2. Determine your ticket type (e.g. STC Rochester member or non-member).
3. Select the number of tickets you want to order.
   Important: Only use the Enter amount ($) field for entering a contribution to the Kepner Awards.
4. If you want to pay online: Click the “Order Now” button to go to the credit card section. Complete the Ticket Buyer and Credit Card information, and then click the “Pay Now” button.
5. If you want to pay at the door: Click the “Show other payment options” link below the credit cards, and then click the “Pay Offline” button.

RSVP: Reservations are appreciated by May 7th (Monday). After that, please contact Jackie Paterson at programs@stc-rochester.org.

Meet the Presenter:

Merridith Brennan works as a Technical Communication Specialist for Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. in Rochester, NY. Merridith graduated from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication, and a concentration in Information Systems. She recently obtained a Master of Science in Communication and Media Technologies from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where she focused her studies on intercultural communication.
——————————————————————–

Contact Lori Meyer at membership@stc-rochester.org to get on the STC Rochester e-mail list. Members and non-members welcome!

To renew your membership or to join Rochester STC, go to http://www.stc.org/membership/join-or-renew-now.

Grants4Good

 Announces…

“Researching Grants and Approaching Funders”

Saturday, May 12, 2012

9:00 a.m. – noon

Rochester Institute of Technology –Room 3435 Golisano Hall

Once you’ve identified a project in need of funding, it’s time to find the right foundations, corporations, or government grants that are the best fit for your organization. The most important thing — even before submitting a well-written grant application — is approaching and establishing a partnership with a grantmaker.

This workshop will explain how to first research and find grantmakers, then how to introduce your organization and its needs to the grantmaker, and how to ask for their guidance before applying.

Topics include:

• Sources and methods of researching grantmakers
• Preparing and submitting letters of introduction and inquiry
• Approaching grantmakers by telephone and email
• Meeting with a grantmaker and successful site visits

Grants4Good helps not-for-profit organizations seek and write grants and bids for work contracts and projects. Customers of Grants4Good obtain the funds and resources they need to provide quality programs, services, and products.  Grants4Good is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Grant Professionals Association.

Grants4Good Owner and Instructor:

Margit Brazda Poirier, brings over 17 years of nonprofit management and grants experience to the company she created — Grants4Good. She has written and received numerous grants from federal, state, foundation and corporate sources – and she has the unique perspective of knowing “both sides” of the funding world given her experience leading a prominent foundation that issued over 100 grants annually.  Margit’s interests include working with organizations to help them develop a sustainable and manageable grant seeking plan that ensures their long-term operational and programmatic success.

Margit is a published journal author and frequent speaker on all aspects of grant writing with a presentation style that is both instructional and interactive.

Register on Eventbrite at http://grants4good-rit-workshop.eventbrite.com/

The workshop will also be offered as a webinar with slides and audio. For more information, contact Rita Cronise (organizer) at rmcronise@aol.com or 585-797-4641

Thanks to our STC Rochester 2012 Sponsors for your support! You’re making it possible for us to deliver quality programming, especially with our 2012 Spectrum conference.

Adobe

RIT Department of Communications

Front Runner Training

Vasont

Webworks

ThirtySix Software

Xerox

LavaCon Conference

TechWhirl

TechSmith

Madcap Software

RIT Venture Creations

Related articles

• Spectrum 2012 Opportunities for Support (stc-rochester.org)
• Spectrum 2012 (spectrum.stc-rochester.org)

We’ve opened up registration to this April 4th webinar to everyone. It’s free for Spectrum registrants, $15 for STC members, and $20 for non members. Sign up today at http://stcrochspectrum2012webinar.eventbrite.com/

Abstract

Technical communicators are highly skilled in translating the language of one group into something another group can understand. However, few think of themselves as knowledge specialists—people who can capture, preserve, and present the cognitive content of an organization as no one else can.  Few take business, management, or leadership courses that would provide a better understanding of the roles they can play in helping organizations achieve their goals. When it comes to writing a resume and cover letter, those who pride themselves in being great communicators often fall short when it comes to stating what they offer in terms that hiring managers and recruiters can appreciate.

These are just a few of the reasons we are offering this webinar. Come learn how to translate your skills, knowledge, and competencies into a value proposition that makes clear to an organization what you can offer that can help it achieve its business goals. Learn how to find and use available resources to speak to an organization using language it understands, how to find its pressure points and offer relief, and how to align yourself with its mission and values. Learn how to liberate yourself from a narrow definition of what you can do and expand your expertise into roles and capacities that enable you to step up to the plate and offer solutions when leadership doesn’t know who to ask, what to ask for, or how to ask for it.

Conference Chair Notes:

Bettie’s topic is the perfect introduction to Spectrum 2012’s conference theme Knowledge, Expertise, Leadership. Our conference format and presenters are dedicated to empowering techcomm professionals with the necessary skills to be change leaders in their companies and in their lives. Join us to learn business skills, technical skills, and soft skills that will help you create opportunities and enhance your career.