Visit the Europe SIG’s updated web site regularly

This is the easiest resolution to keep because you’re here already – just  take a look round our brand new site and come back as often as you can. If you’d like to contribute, please contact our web manager, Karen Mardahl (k.mardahl@gmail.com)

Renew your STC membership

Although money is tight for everyone this year, STC membership gives you access to a worldwide community of technical communicators, writers, editors, illustrators, and educators, that you simply can’t get anywhere else. If you want to keep moving forward with your career, can you afford to let your professional affiliation lapse?

Volunteer to help the STC Europe SIG

You can get even more out of your STC membership not only by staying a member of the Europe SIG, but by giving up a little of your own time and effort to help the SIG move forward. We are still STC’s youngest and smallest Special Interest Group, and we need as much help as we can get. Being a SIG volunteer means that you help decide what kinds of activities the SIG promotes, and how we communicate with our members. So please, even if you can only manage a couple of hours a month, do get in touch. If you’d like to help with the SIG elections please contact Derek Torres (derekctorres@gmail.com). If you’d like to help with anything else, please contact me (david@farbey.co.uk) or Jen O Neill (writer@jennifer-oneill.eu).

With sincere good wishes for the coming year,

David

Logo for the Europe SIG

The challenges faced by technical communicators in Europe, which include meeting the imperatives of multi-language publications, ensuring conformity with a changing regulatory environment, and working in diverse cultures and languages (and perhaps different versions of English), are often greater than those felt by their colleagues in other regions. But dealing with Europe-specific issues is also increasingly important for technical communicators outside Europe due to the advancing globalisation of industries, technologies, and marketplaces. The STC Europe SIG is one of the ways in which these challenges can be addressed.

The Europe SIG seeks advance the purposes of the Society by working with individuals and groups across Europe to promote technical communication. The Europe SIG can give STC members who are based in Europe a collective voice in what happens in their region and will seek to establish a dialogue with existing organisations, such as TC-Europe, in a spirit of sharing and co-operation and not as a competitor. Its establishment also creates an enduring framework for trans-European initiatives such as conferences and the Europe-wide technical communications competition. It aims to help share information between members on dealing with the challenges and opportunities of working across Europe. The Europe SIG’s goal is to complement, not compete with, the activities of geographical communities in the region.

If you’re interested in joining a team focussed on European issues related to technical communication, then join the Europe SIG. Membership of the Europe SIG is open to any STC member who is interested in European technical communications issues, irrespective of where they are based.

For further information about the SIG, contact the interim co-managers:
Jennifer O Neill (France Chapter) writer at jennifer-oneill.eu
David Farbey (UK Chapter) david at farbey.co.uk