ESL Instructor, Technical Writer, Editor

Phil K. Carter C: 408-***-****

Georgetown TX **633 H: 512-***-****

Objective

To write and edit documentation, training materials, and marketing materials for private or

public enterprise. To improve readability, comprehension, and formatting. To develop more

effective documents and courses for a global market. To streamline the processes and

completeness of the materials for international audiences. To tailor materials to specific purposes

or particular audiences as the market changes.

Summary of Experience

More than 25 years in technical publications, editing, and training. Wrote, designed, and edited

manuals in architectural CAD, integrated circuit (IC) design, and printed circuit board (PCB)

design, using FrameMaker, MS Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat Pro. Improved

the course development process by designing more efficient templates for courses and

presentations. Improved readability and comprehension in course materials through editing and

mentoring. Taught English as a Second Language to college students and used this language

background to make our courseware more suitable for a global audience with varying levels of

English. Streamlined the course development process with checklists for publishing, editing, and

formatting, as well as tracking the components that go into each course, assuring completeness

and accountability.

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Education Services

Over 25 years in editing and writing in this high-tech firm, contributing in the following areas:

Course Editing

Technical Writing

Training and Mentoring

Template Development

Course Editing

Edited over 150 instructor-led and online courses in all areas of IC and PCB design. Edited all

courses for deployment online and in class so that the writing made sense in both venues without

rewriting. Collaborated with other editors to develop appropriate style guide and writing

guidelines for our courses. Met weekly deadlines to release materials on time.

Incorporated materials from writers around the world and integrated their contributions into our

publishing format and writing style. Checked courses for technical details and clarified difficult

concepts by rewriting overly complex sentences. Suggested alternative wording while

collaborating with the author to convey technical concepts more effectively. This collaboration

with the writer gave them confidence that my editing was not changing their meaning or

distorting their materials.

Built modules that were easy to move between courses without a lot of rework. Made the

modules standalone so that we could easily tailor the subject matter to specific customers with

just the knowledge they wanted to pay for. This modularization helped us streamline the course

development process, saving time and money.

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Phil K. Carter

Edited courses for international audiences to improve readability, clarity, wording, and grammar.

Replaced idiomatic wording, prepared courses for clear translation, and removed cultural

references.

Served as department lead in legal issues of publishing, confidentiality, trademarking, and

branding.

Training and Mentoring

Wrote and taught seminars to instruct technical staff and course developers in our writing style,

templates, and publishing software. Mentored writers on three continents in writing clearly, in

creating effective illustrations, and in applying the basics of curriculum design. Coached and

taught other editors in using the software to format and edit courses. Coached, managed, and

trained contract editors in our style, our templates, and MS Office. Contributed to the editorial

board in the Technical Publications department to set standards in writing style.

Template Development

Designed, improved, and revised templates in Word, PowerPoint, and FrameMaker for the

Education Services department. Developed publishing templates, including page layouts and

paragraph styles tailored to our course development. Made sure all templates worked online as

well as in the classroom.

P-CAD Technical Publications

Wrote the user manual for an architectural CAD product. Also wrote user interface

documentation for the PCB design division.

Education

Earned a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in Linguistics from San Jose State University (SJSU).

Also took courses in instructional design and education. Received an award as the outstanding

graduate linguistics student at SJSU.

Teaching Experience

Taught English as a Second Language (ESL) as a full-time instructor in the Studies in American

Language program at SJSU. Taught writing to ESL students at Evergreen Community College in

San Jose, California. Taught conversation, reading, and writing at the Instituto Cultural in

Guadalajara, Mexico.

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