Extended Abstract: The State of the Art of Technical Communication in China

Being one of the most important markets in the world, China now has a growing need for technical communication talents, especially in international companies and local ones that are expanding their global business. Global enterprises like Microsoft and Apple have tailored their documentations and products for the Chinese market, and Chinese local giants including Huawei, Alibaba, and Baidu have launched their own independent teams for better technical documentation. Because of the shortage of people educated as technical communicators and the huge market demand, an increasing number of colleges and universities in China have realized the need to educate more excellent technical communicators, including a pioneer in this field - Peking University, which has launched the first technical communication program in the school of Software and Microelectronics in 2017.Because most studies are outdated, and the universities in China are in great need of a curricula guidance, an up-to-date overview and analysis of the current status of technical communication in China is of great necessity. Therefore, this extended abstract is aiming to provide brief answers to the following questions: 1. What is the status of technical communication in China nowadays? 2. What has China achieved in technical communication education? 3. What competencies should technical communicators in China have. 4. What are the future trends in technical communication in China?