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clip_image002Technical Documentation has been around for several centuries. Especially with the continuous launch and upgrade of technically advanced products and services, user guides and technical descriptions are needed.

Who was the first technical writer? Quite likely Cro-Magnon man when was drawing on his cave walls. However, most experts would agree that technical documentation appeared as early as the 14th century.

Geoffrey Chaucer detailed the purpose and operation of a navigation device. Copernicus, Hippocrates, Newton and Leonardo da Vinci wrote explanatory notes to demonstrate the use of their inventions. All these publications can be seen as technical documentation.

But the golden age of technical writing started with the invention of the computer and the need for mass technical documentation. It started during World War II with the major technological upgrade manufacturing weapons and the creation of nuclear technologies.

Modern day technical documentation is linked to computer science in general and internet in particular. Needless to say, the growth in technology users has sparked the need for technical documentation.

The growth in technical products and services has created the demand for professional documentation. This has created a new profession: technical writing. A good technical writer is an honest mediator between people who create technology and who use technology.

The domain of technical writers has recently expanded to a more interactive (Web 2.0, wikis) one. Technical writing has evolved from pure technical writing into technical communicating.

Want to learn more? Want to join the technical writing evolution? Contact Our Best Words at info@ourbestwords.com or call us at (972) 02-656-3369 or 1-786-507-8206

One of our students at Our Best Words, clip_image001Yehudit Rouzaud, wrote a great blog post: “Cleaning My Head While Cleaning for Pesach”. Not only is the blog post nicely crafted, it is also entertaining, and fits our upcoming Chag.

The Our Best Words team wishes you and your loved ones a wonderful Pesach. Enjoy reading Yehudit’s blog post below!

Cleaning My Head While Cleaning for Pesach

“Moving from room to room, drawer to drawer, shelf to shelf turning over each, wiping down every area in the yearly hunt for chometz, I only find some token stashes of candy in the boys’ room. The days of cereal poked into the air conditioner vents by tiny hands to spray across the Seder table when the air conditioner timer turned on, generating pandemonium, sheilot and memories are gone, at least until the grandchildren come. Nevertheless, I marvel at how much stuff I find that seemed very important to keep “just in case” that I haven’t put a hand on or given a single thought to since I put it away. It doesn’t take care of me now and isn’t likely to do in the future, but I spend all kinds of time and effort taking care of it. When I made Aliyah, I jettisoned so much to make my way light; but I seem to have replaced it all. Yet the idea of redistributing what might be useful to others or plain throwing it away lot of true garbage makes me feel amazingly insecure. It’ not just that it’s easier not to bother to throw away the empty bag or outgrown shirt; it actually hurts.

Apparently I’ve absorbed more than I thought of my mother’s worldview, formed from growing up poor in the middle of the Great Depression that made a first-degree felony from discarding anything that might have a potential use at any possible future time. We laughed at her when she saved hundreds of egg crates and strung them together to make a bathroom partition around the basement toilet and made fun of her as she saved every rubber band, twist-tie, slightly used aluminum foil (separated by chalavi and basari of course) or bit of string in several kitchen drawers (while helping ourselves whenever we needed to without thinking twice. There were always rubber bands. I was 40 before I went into a store and bought a bag of rubber bands (which I still have….), but at least you could see a point and admire her creativity.

The reflex amused us less when she filled a two- car garage floor to ceiling with 50 years of old school supplies left when she retired from a half-century of teaching plus box upon box of yarn and crafts supplies picked up because “they were such good bargains”, that made splendid nests for generations of rats that we heard scrabbling, scratching and squeaking on the shelves through the walls when we sat in the family room at night, but mostly never found their way into any project. Her solution to running out of space? Build another 2-car garage, which I understand, is well on its way to being filled with junk as well. At 75, unable to permit herself to escape to the comfort of a smaller and more appropriate home because she can’t bear to part with a single cabinet full of curios and artwork or the moldering piles of rotting crafts supplies, arthritic, and unable to keep up with the chores demanded to maintain all that, the house owns her.

No surprise – after all, 80% of the Jews couldn’t manage to free themselves from life as they knew it enough to leave Egypt. And the rest were ready to run back if they could just get onions. Things, especially familiar things, have a powerful pull, better than chains.

I am reminded of a story about a mixed group of construction workers, white and Indian, employed to build the Hoover Dam nearly a century ago. An accident resulted in a breech in the dam turning loose a torrential wall of water that oddly enough, only the Indians workers escaped. When asked what happened, the Indians said that when they saw the flood bearing down on them, they ran and survived. Their white co-workers ran back to save their belongings and drowned. Thinking about the weight of things and who actually owns whom, I brought an armload of trash bags into the bedrooms and began to fill them.”

(Image courtesy of www.ohr.edu)

Course participants can now apply for a grant from the Misrad HaKlita

Jerusalem – March 30, 2011 – Our Best Words (OBW), a Jerusalem-based company providing technical writing services and training, announced today that it has received approval from the Ministry of Absorption (Misrad HaKlita). This means that students who want to attend any of OBW’s technical writing, marketing writing, as well as MarCom courses at the Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel (AACI www.aaci.org.il) could be eligible for special training grants (“vouchers”) from the Ministry of Absorption.

“Immigrants who have been in Israel for less than 10 years have now the opportunity to attend our courses to enhance their careers,” said Ephraim King, CEO of Our Best Words. “This recognition follows the official approval we already received from Betuach Leumi (The National Insurance Institute – www.btl.gov.il ).”

The Ministry of Absorption provides assistance through grants (“vouchers”) in order to facilitate vocational absorption for new immigrants/returning residents, to expand the range of choices available to eligible candidates for placement in the job market, and to allow them to maximize their skills based on their education, experience and abilities.

(For more information, please visit: http://www.moia.gov.il/Moia_en/Employment/VoucherProject.htm

About Our Best Words
Our Best Words (OBW) specializes in providing quality technical communications to customers worldwide. The Company enjoys close relationships with a broad range of businesses – from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Offerings include corporate technical documentation, localization, technical communication, and technical marketing services worldwide. The Our Best Words team is comprised of experienced and dedicated professionals with years of experience in technical and marketing communications.

For more information or to sign up for a course, please contact:

Our Best Words Main Office: 02-656-3369
US & Canada: 1-786-507-8206
Ephraim King, CEO: 050-529-0775
Tracey Shipley, Marketing Coordinator: 054-810-8918
Email: info@ourbestwords.com
Website: www.ourbestwords.com

All courses are conducted in English and
are open for Olim as well as veterans.

Jerusalem, March 27 2011 – Our Best Words (OBW), a Jerusalem-based company providing technical writing services and training, announced today that it is launching new technical and marketing writing, as well as MarCom courses at the premises of the Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel (AACI) in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya, Beer Sheva, and the Galilee. (For more information about the AACI, please visit the AACI website at: www.aaci.org.il)

The course “Introduction to Marketing Communications (MarCom)” will start on May 4, 2011. This course will consist of four sessions on Wednesdays from 5:00pm-9:00pm at AACI Jerusalem and will also include the professional use of Power Point by Marketing Communicators. After completion, graduates can proceed to an advanced MarCom course that will be offered later this summer.

Upon successful completion of this advanced course, our students will have the skill set to handle the aspects of marketing communications and marketing writing,” said Ephraim King, CEO of Our Best Words. “They will be able to leverage their skills in all kinds of companies and organizations, including Business to Business (B2B), Business to Customers (B2C), and non-profits.”

Financial details:

Introductory Course (four sessions of 4 hours each):
₪ 990 (10% discount for AACI members)
Advanced Course (twelve sessions of 4 hours each):
₪ 2,900 (10% discount for AACI members)

Immigrants who have been in Israel for less than 10 years could be eligible for special training grants (“vouchers”) from the Ministry of Absorption. (For more information, please visit: http://www.moia.gov.il/Moia_en/Employment/VoucherProject.htm

About Our Best Words
Our Best Words (OBW) specializes in providing quality technical communications to customers worldwide. The Company enjoys close relationships with a broad range of businesses – from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Offerings include corporate technical documentation, localization, technical communication, and technical marketing services worldwide. The Our Best Words team is comprised of experienced and dedicated professionals with years of experience in technical and marketing communications.

For more information or to sign up for a course, please contact:

Our Best Words Main Office: 02-656-3369
US & Canada: 1-786-507-8206
Ephraim King, CEO: 050-529-0775
Tracey Shipley, Marketing Coordinator: 054-810-8918
Email: info@ourbestwords.com
Website: www.ourbestwords.com

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