STC Canada West Coast participated in this year’s Word Vancouver event (formerly Word on the Street), an annual festival celebrating reading, literacy, print, language, and writing of all kinds. Exhibitors included universities, colleges, professional associations, book and magazine publishers, authors, and even comic-book designers.
Equipped with freshly printed signs, information brochures, and a display of technical writing samples, STC volunteers greeted the public and explained what technical writers do. Many visitors were surprised to see that technical communication includes work as diverse as interface design, cookbooks, user manuals, style guides, technical translation, and catching embarrassing bloopers in technical reports.
Volunteers also chatted with recent graduates, students, and career-changers who were interested in learning more about what we do. One visitor in particular was delighted to hear that there was “something she could actually do with a degree in physics and English.” Conversations with newcomers provided a good opportunity to invite them to our upcoming workshops and to our popular monthly networking event, the Tech Comm Café. We also collected contact information from people who wanted to join our mailing list to learn more about the field and receive our event announcements.
Visitors also included potential employers wanting to know how they could hire a technical writer. These were welcomed enthusiastically and referred to our website to check out the Employers page, job bank, and contractors’ directory for advice and help.
When they weren’t on duty in the booth, volunteers browsed the other displays or attended some of the many writing workshops on offer. Though the festival leans more toward popular and academic writing than to technical communication, we were able to network with fellow exhibitors from related groups such as the Editors’ Association of Canada, the Society of Translators and Interpreters of BC, and Community Plain Language Services, as well as the directors of academic writing programs who want to strengthen ties with the STC.
Last year’s high winds and heavy rain, which forced exhibitors into cramped quarters indoors, were nowhere to be seen. We enjoyed a bright fall day with blue skies, comfortable temperatures, and, unfortunately, an abundance of low-flying birds that led several “fowled” volunteers to question whether it’s really good luck when a bird drops something on your head. Next year we’ll remember to insist on a location under an awning.
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped prepare for the event and staffed the booth on the day of the festival. It was a fun and useful way to publicize the STC and make some new contacts for the chapter.
Heather Sommerville is a senior technical writer and editor with over 20 years of experience delivering clear, concise writing for business and technical audiences. She is an STC Associate Fellow and has served in many volunteer positions with the STC Canada West Coast chapter.