Technical Communication
Communication at the interface between humans and technology is by no means a new idea: Leonardo da Vinci, for example, wrote precise descriptions of his mechanical inventions way back in the 15th century.
In recent years, there has been an enormous increase in product documentation and, correspondingly, in the demands facing technical communicators when it comes to conveying technical content.
New communication technologies, changing processes and innovative products have brought about new challenges for documentation specialists. Nowadays, they are not only responsible for creating documents for various purposes and diverse target groups; they also have to deal with multimedia applications and data/content management.
At the Centre for Technical Communication, we take this development into account in our research, business services and teaching. We see the Centre as a hub for knowledge transfer between science and industry.
Research
Here you will find selected past and current research projects.
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Cognitive Load in Interpreting and Translation (CLINT)
English has become the first truly global lingua franca. Even in multilingual Switzerland, English as a lingua franca (ELF) is replacing the four Swiss languages not only in international but also in intra-national communication. What appears at first glance to be a practical solution to communication problems in ...
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Informed Consent and Comprehensibility Issues
Informed Consent and Comprehensibility Issues Research involving humans as subjects can be problematic from an ethical standpoint, because people’s welfare and personal sphere should be protected. For this reason, legislation regulates that potential participants must be informed about research procedures and any ...
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Cognitive and Physical Ergonomics of Translation
Like many other knowledge workers, professional translators spend much of their day making decisions at a computer: reading texts in one language, searching for background information in many languages, referring to terminology databanks to ensure consistency and appropriacy of lexical choices, checking parallel ...
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Usability study in the area of radiation therapy
Teaching
The increasing challenges involved in technical communication mean that it is no longer possible to rely solely on experts from specific technical disciplines: nowadays, specialists with an interdisciplinary education, i.e. including both technical and communicative expertise, have become essential. This is reflected in our range of undergraduate and continuing education courses, which are designed to give people from different backgrounds and with different goals the opportunity to study for a degree or pursue professional development in this exciting field.
Jobs and internships
Visit our job platform to see current advertisements for jobs and internships in the field of technical communication.
Specialisation in Technical Communication in the BA in Applied Languages
Combining aspects from technology, media studies and communication, the specialisation in Technical Communication in the BA in Applied Languages is an innovation in the Swiss educational landscape.
Continuing education
In our CAS in Technical Writing, participants acquire application-related knowledge which enables them to edit technical documentation taking into account the purpose and audience. The programme is designed for university graduates and for practitioners who are keen to extend and systematise their knowledge.
Business services
We conduct research and consulting projects to help you optimise your product documentation and ensure its effectiveness as the interface between your product and your target group. With their combination of competences from the field of engineering and the field of language and communication, our team can offer you consultancy services that are both scientifically-based and practice-focussed.
