Birgitta Meex

TecCOMFrame: A competence framework for technical communication

The role of technical communicators is expanding due to technology. However, many individuals throughout Europe gain employment as technical communicators without undergoing specialized training. TecCOMFrame, a three-year project funded by the European Union, aims to develop: 1) a common academic qualification and competence framework for technical communication; 2) prototypes of technical communication curricula; 3) a competence and qualification profiling tool and an update of the TecDocNet Guideline, which describes professional education and training of technical communicators in Europe. TecCOMFrame is coordinated by tekom Europe and involves academic partners from eight European countries. The project started in September 2015. Partners have worked on the development of the qualification and competence framework, which was finalized and published at the beginning of 2017. Partners are now developing prototype curricula. Throughout the project, partners collect feedback from academics, practitioners and employers in technical communication to ensure that the project results meet the needs of all stakeholders. This paper discusses the background to the project and the process of developing the framework and curricula.

TecCOMFrame: Building bridges between technical communication and translation studies through a prototype specialisation curriculum

Abstract Technical communication is a new field of work compared to other professions, and therefore it does not have a standardised curriculum. In Europe, many technical communicators do not have qualifications in the area. TecCOMFrame, a project funded by the European Union, aims to develop an academic competence framework and higher education prototype curricula at various levels that correspond to the European Framework of Qualifications. The project team has developed the competence framework, comprising six dimensions and 22 subjects. The team is currently developing prototype curricula, including one curriculum which is a focus of this paper, a specialisation stream in technical communication in a Master’s in Translation Studies.

Constructions of purpose: A corpus-based analysis of corporate mission statements

Abstract The various incarnations of cognitive linguistics can be characterized by a common contextualized view on linguistic structure. Emerging from this philosophical cornerstone of the cognitive-linguistic enterprise is a growing body of research that systematically inquires into the intricate interplay of the cognitive, social and situational dimensions determining grammatical and lexical choice. The present paper ties in with current explorations of the interface between cognition, pragmatics and grammar through a corpus-based study of the grammatical and discursive construction of purpose. We argue that constructions marking such goal-oriented actions provide a valuable resource for the study of the grammar-discourse interface, because they (implicitly or explicitly) involve a positioning on various axes, including modal, temporal, force-dynamic and interpersonal. In order to answer the onomasiological question of how purpose is expressed in discourse, and how the above axes interact in motivating the choice for a specific grammatical construction, we conducted an exploratory corpus study, based on authentic German data. The specific text genre that we selected for our analysis is that of corporate mission statements (Leitbilder), which provide an interesting locus for investigating purposivity, since they contain a concise statement of an organization’s chief purpose for existence. A qualitative analysis reveals that this genre makes use of specific grammatical patterns that profile positions and developments along different conceptual dimensions. This conceptual multidimensionality provides the possibility to simultaneously highlight or background different aspects associated with constructions of purpose.