Authoring teams become more geographically dispersed

Working with people from around the globe has become common practice for both authoring teams and technical documentation professionals. A recent survey conducted by SDL investigated the development of global authoring. The results were compared to surveys from 2007 and 2006. They reveal trends in working methods and shed light on the effects of globalization on global authoring.

Text by Sophie Hurst

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Authoring teams become more geographically dispersed
The survey was conducted with technical documentation professionals from different industries including IT, telecommunication and manufacturing. Among the key findings are:
  • The market leaders in authoring tools seem to be consistent over the years
  • There has been an increase in the number of companies moving to XML
  • Geographical locations of authoring teams seem to be changing
  • Interest levels relating to quality are also changing

Trends of market leaders in authoring tools

The results of the survey give interesting insights as to who the leaders are in the authoring tools market. The leading software products are Microsoft Word with nearly 60 percent of authors working with it and Adobe FrameMaker which is used by nearly 40 percent. Next comes Adobe RoboHelp with 23 percent. Arbortext Editor, AuthorIT, DreamWeaver, Flare, InDesign and XMetaL fall below the ten-percent-mark. If authors plan to ...