The State of Technical Communication in the Former Ussr: A Review of Literature

Abstract

Over the last 2 decades, the nations that once comprised the Soviet Union have begun to play an increasingly important role in the global economy. As a result, today's technical and professional communicators could find themselves interacting with co-workers, colleagues, and clients in these nations. Being successful in such contexts, however, requires an understanding of the cultural, historic, educational, and economic factors that have affected and continue to shape technical and professional communication practices in these countries. This article provides an overview of the literature that has been published on technical and professional communication practices in the former USSR as well as reviews educational factors that have contributed to such practices. Through such an examination, the article provides readers with a foundation they can use to engage in future research relating to technical and professional communication practices in post-Soviet states.

What Do We Learn About Technical Communication in Hungary Through My Students and My Hungarian Colleagues

“…The requirement for students to function competently in oral communication suggests that orality is an important part of communication in Hungary. Actually, literature has established that in many other Eastern European countries, communication is more focused on oral practices (Harootunian, 2007; Mikelonis, 2000; Zemliansky & St.Ament, 2013).…”

“…In other words, the audiences for the documents do not exist. In this respect, Zemliansky and St. Amant (2013) have pointed out that in some former Soviet-bloc countries, oral communication often “carries more weight” than written communication (p. 249). They argue that in these countries, written documents are created only at the end of a communication process to “represent the conclusion” of the process (p. 249).…”

“…In the field of technical communication, researchers and practitioners have also studied Eastern European countries, either collectively (as a cluster) or individually. Generally speaking, technical communication is a new area of study in Eastern European colleges, as Zemliansky and St. Amant (2013) suggest. Thus, these countries have little idea what to teach and how to teach it; they have invited many Western instructors, particularly U.S. instructors, to teach technical writing at college and vocational school levels.…”

“…Thus, these countries have little idea what to teach and how to teach it; they have invited many Western instructors, particularly U.S. instructors, to teach technical writing at college and vocational school levels. In short, as Zemliansky and St. Amant (2013) point out, they are looking toward the West, especially United States, for support and guidance. These Western instructors with very little experiences of teaching in these countries often employ the same pedagogy as they do in their home institutions, but due to political, cultural, and historical circumstances, their pedagogy often does not work as effectively.…”

“…Some researchers draw our attention to the oral nature of communication in some Eastern European countries. Zemliansky and St. Amant (2013), for example, while reviewing literature on professional communication practices and pedagogy in Russia and other former Soviet republics, note a lack of literature on teaching professional and technical writing in these countries. They also highlight the oral nature of communication practices in these countries, noting that written communication occurs only to conclude the communication process.…”