Technical communication is a relatively new occupational
field in
the Republic of Ireland,
which has grown in response to the location of software and hardware companies
in the country. Because it is also a new area of academic study, with just one
academic programme in technical communication in Ireland, no research to date
has examined the Irish technical communication context. This study seeks to
begin addressing this research gap by examining practitioners’ perspectives of
technical communication in Ireland, specifically exploring four key themes
which emerge from the literature on communities of practice and
professionalisation: practice, education and training, status and value, and
professional and community structures. The study also acknowledges the impact
of technology, on technical communication specifically, and on professional work
generally.
The data gathered in the study are largely qualitative, in
line with the exploratory nature of the approach.
The study’s findings indicate that Irish technical
communicators exhibit traits of communities of practice (such as joint
enterprise and shared repertoires). They also identify with their job title and
practice. A key finding is that many Irish technical communicators, especially
freelancers and lone writers, have a keen appetite for community involvement.
This enthusiasm notwithstanding, many barriers impede
professionalization specifically, and community development more generally, not
least the low visibility of the role in Ireland, limited evidence of
professionalising activity, and the potential for career stagnation.