Manager’s Column, Q1 2024

By Maralee Sautter, IDL SIG Manager

Hello IDL SIG members,

Spring has sprung in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m enjoying a day of sunshine after weeks of cold, rainy weather. The colorful flowers, brilliant sunshine, nesting birds, and budding trees all bring hope into view.   

With hope on the horizon, I’m looking forward to May and the 2024 Summit in Bloomington, Minnesota, May 17–19. The conference is conveniently located near the Mall of America and close to the airport. The Mall boasts many fun activities for kids of all ages, special events, food & drink, and shopping. I plan to check out the SEALIFE Aquarium and Nickelodeon© Theme Park to catch a roller coaster ride.

Incidentally, the STC Summit is the premier educational experience and a place to network with folks who love, promote, and share technical communication

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Cultural Considerations in Technical Communication Training: Navigating a Globalized World

By Megan Khotko

Editor’s note: This article is the winner of the 2023 IDL SIG Student Outreach Article-writing Competition. Megan Khotko  is a graduate student at Minnesota’s  Metropolitan State University, where she is working towards earning her master’s degree in Technical Communication and a graduate certificate in Learner Design. Congratulations, Megan!

In an age of unprecedented globalization, the interconnectedness of people and organizations across borders has become a defining feature of our world. This remarkable shift highlights the immediate need for technical writing that is not only effective but also culturally sensitive. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach to teaching technical communication is now woefully insufficient in meeting the demands of our diverse and interconnected society. The intricate web of cultural nuances and preferences in written publications emerges as a striking challenge for educators. It becomes ever more apparent that a more adaptable and culturally sensitive approach to technical writing is now imperative. Here are three fundamental pillars for instilling effective cross-cultural technical communication practices.

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Announcing the 2023 CAA Platinum & Pacesetter Awards

We are jumping for joy because the IDL SIG has received a Platinum Community Achievement Award (CAA) for the second year in a row. Additionally, a Pacesetter award is coming our way for our wonderful “Website Makeover” plan. Thank you, team, for “making it so.”

See our awards on the right sidebar of the IDL SIG homepage ➡ .

Platinum Award

The citation reads:
For consistently developing the IDL SIG to serve both your community’s members and the Society, and for providing a variety of virtual sessions to share ideas and knowledge.

Check out all the 2023 CAA recipients on the STC Awards page.

Pacesetter Award

The citation reads:
For your “Website Refresh” workshop series including several virtual sessions to share ideas and knowledge, and building on a strong foundation to serve your members.

Check out all the 2023 Pacesetter recipients on the STC Awards page.

STC 2023 Election: Slate of Candidates

STC's 2023 preliminary slate of candidatesThe 2022-2023 STC Nominating Committee announced the preliminary slate of candidates for the 2023 STC election!

Here are the candidates on the election slate:

    • President (Automatically succeeds from the office of Vice-President) Timothy Esposito
    • Vice President (1 candidate for one position; three-year commitment) Elizabeth (Liz) Herman
    • Secretary (2 candidates for one position; two-year term) No elections for Secretary this year
    • Treasurer (Two-year term) Roberta (Bobbi) Werner

Director (4 candidates for two positions; two-year term)

    • Guiseppe Getto
    • Jennifer Goode
    • Sree Pattabiraman
    • Jamye Sagan

Nominating Committee (3 candidates for two positions; two-year term)

    • Rachel Houghton
    • Zohra Mutabanna
    • Sean Stevenson

The 2023 STC election is scheduled to open in March. 

2022 SIG award recipients!

By Maralee Sautter, IDL SIG Manager

It gives me great pleasure to announce the recipients of IDL SIG awards for 2022. These are SIG-specific awards to celebrate the contributions of our great volunteers and make recognition within the reach of more SIG members. Awards are given to outstanding volunteers who work hard to make our SIG the amazing community that it is.

There are two awards that may be given for the calendar year:

  • SIG Volunteer Achievement Award recognizes the services of a SIG volunteer over time. To be eligible, the recipient demonstrates consistent service to the SIG over a period of two or more years, either as a volunteer in a recurring role, or as a volunteer who has served in many ways without having held an elected office or appointed position.
  • SIG New Volunteer Award recognizes a SIG member who demonstrates consistent service in a short period of time. To be eligible, the recipient needs to be a SIG member for longer than one year, but who has offered significant volunteer activity for the first time in the history of their membership.

This year’s winners are…

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