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| December, 2007 |
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In this issue:
Raised in a small German village on the river Weser, it didn't take Hanne long to recognize her first fascination—the water. "I was placed in a canoe before I could walk!" she says, though she credits elder family members for manning the paddles. Hanne and her family spent countless weekends and holidays exploring local waterways on canoes. Though her natural curiosity about the world would eventually take her away from her village roots, she would always remain connected to water and waterborne activities. The world opened up for Hanne as a young teen during visits to her sister, who lived in London at the time. "It was the late 1960s; I was 12 years old; we were right near Abbey Road!" she recalls. Hanne's exposure to different people, each from different backgrounds, fueled a curiosity that would later become her livelihood. As a native German speaker in London, Hanne found herself increasingly focused on language and communications. Whereas most learn enough of a local language to get by, Hanne found more value in language than using it to just order food or find a train station. "Language can be weapon as well as a piece of art," she says, underscoring the importance she places on it. Her university studies focused on German, English and education, and she confesses today to being a "language addict." Armed with little more than a strong desire to explore the power of communications, Hanne first started writing for a grade school newspaper. At the time, she dreamt about being a journalist. Her expanding talents enabled her to earn a living as a freelance writer throughout college. Post graduation, she accepted a position in Berlin as a technical writer with computer manufacturer Nixdorf. "I thought it would be exciting to work for such a company," she says, though being one not impressed by bits and bytes, Hanne feared the technical aspect of technical writing might bore her. Not long after taking the position, Hanne realized that her role as a technical writer was less about technology and more about the people using the technology. "I write for people who want to use technical stuff to make things easier," she says. "Technical writers should be the advocates of the end users." Hanne takes her role as user advocate seriously, keeping it mind each time she finds herself arguing with engineers over product design or usability. "What drives me crazy," she says, "is when someone argues how something is technically possible, but no one can tell me how the user benefits from it!" And therein lies the heart and soul of the world's best technical communicators. As a resident of Berlin when The Wall came down, Hanne recalls a time of explosive celebration and reunification with her many "GDR" friends she could now visit for more than short periods at time. "It was like one big party in the entire city. People were in such a good mood, celebrating 24 hours a day!" But an additional benefit to the crumbling Wall, was that water-loving Hanne was now free to explore gorgeous pastoral areas just outside Berlin, formerly gated by fire power and politics. She bought a place in the former East Berlin—not surprisingly on a river—and she bought canoes. Her friends, no longer separated by walls, visit, and they help Hanne with the upkeep on the 100-year old house. She reads biographies and novels while relaxing, and she takes to the river in her powerboat every chance she gets, riding waterways she describes as both "cozily warm and refreshing cold." On Monday mornings, she returns to Canto, where she has worked since 1998. Rejuvenated by the peace and tranquility of her country home, Hanne can tackle the task of explaining Cumulus to the world—in English and German—managing translations into other languages, and staring down a rooms full of engineers: "Yes, this is possible, but how does it benefit the user?" This cycle continues until Friday afternoon, when Hanne packs her bag, heads off to her country escape—and her roots as a little girl—and prepares for Monday morning.
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