Effective Communication in Technical/Scientific Writing in English

conference paper

English

The project entitled Writing Professional English is addressed to professional writers in the fields of science and technology and provides them with guidance and support in their needs to write more effectively in English in order to become more competitive and flexible in the job market. This is of particular importance for the end users from pre accession countries where the development of writing skills has been neglected for a long time The final product of the project will be designed in the form of 11 self study training modules for professional writers in English, from which any end user, or national group of end users, can select what is appropriate for them. The core materials will be developed in the following directions: Reference modules offer short explanatory notes on problem areas followed by authentic examples of texts related to pharmacy, materials engineering, electrical engineering, informatics, chemistry, chemistry related disciplines, and medical engineering. The following problem areas of technical/scientific writing in English have been identified: types of technical/scientific writing, composition of a piece of writing, style, language functions, grammar, and vocabulary. Each national version is provided with a glossary of the most frequent terms used in technical/scientific writing (English and national language). Instructional modules will contain task based exercises consolidating the referential information given in reference modules. Optional exercises will be targeted at relevant national groups (CZ, SI, ISK, and I) with the aim to highlight specific writing problems stemming from different mother tongues. This would enable professionals to use the materials as a self study resource while teachers will be provided with materials for taught courses. A methodological module for material developers would provide guidelines on how to extend/modify the material offered. All the materials will be available in IT versions (CD-ROM and on line, in addition to the original handbook format). An open on line version will provide an appropriate model material for further adaptations tailored to the needs of the target audiences from different countries and working sectors. The project group consists of professionals from Austria, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and United Kingdom. This project is sponsored and cofinanced by the European Commission Leonardo da Vinci programme.

professional English, self study training modules, reference modules, instructional modules, methodological module

SVOBODOVÁ, Z.; GÁLOVÁ, D.

1. 1. 2004

Brno

80-7204-341-2

RAAD 04 13th International Workshop on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region

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