Alejandro de Lucas · Fotografía
Portfolio of a photographer specializing in family photography and analog photos. A clean website where the pictures are the stars.
- My role
- Design, code and publishing
- Built with
- HTML and CSS, on GitHub Pages
Senior Technical Writer
I turn "wait, what?" into "oh, that was easy."
Hi, I'm Sara. I'm a technical writer and translator, which means I spend my days reading code, manuals and processes and retelling them so a human can follow along. Somewhere in the middle I learned to code, so now I also build websites from scratch: clear, simple and well written.
Technical content, explained
Before
Error 403: Forbidden. The server understood the request but refuses to authorize it. Token scope insufficient for resource /api/v2/identities.After
You don't have permission to view identities. Ask the person who manages the system for access and try again.
Before
const LIMIT = 90 * 86400000;
if (Date.now() - user.lastLogin > LIMIT) {
account.disable();
notify(user.manager);
}After
If someone goes more than 90 days without signing in, their account is disabled automatically and their manager gets a notification.
Before
Prior to the performance of any operation, the user shall proceed to the completion of the request form made available for that purpose on the platform.
After
Before you start, fill in the request form.
This is my day-to-day: reading what the machines say and retelling it so it makes sense the first time, even on a Monday morning.
About me
From translating to documenting software
I started out as a technical translator: manuals, patents and documentation for new technologies. Little by little software became my territory, and today I'm a Senior Technical Writer at Omada, where I document an identity governance platform. Along the way I led the localization of a software product into eight languages, which taught me that "it's just a button" is never just a button.
Learning to read code
To explain a product well you have to understand it from the inside. So I learned to read code,
work with Git and GitHub, VS Code, Azure DevOps and the Microsoft toolset, test APIs and build with
HTML, CSS, JavaScript and React. Turns out a good
website is a lot like a good manual: clear structure, the right words and nothing extra.
Also, Ctrl+Z works in both.
MeetContent Iberia
I'm also a co-founder of MeetContent Iberia, a community for those of us who work in technical communication in Spain and Portugal. We meet, we share what we've learned and we argue (nicely) about the Oxford comma.
What I'm looking for now
I want to combine the two things I enjoy most, writing and building, so that companies and people end up with a website that is clear, useful and easy to use. No "click here to learn more". We both know what you'll find there.
How I can help you
From a single paragraph to a whole website. You tell me what you need, I make sure people get it.
-
I write
Technical documentation, user guides, website copy and articles. Clear from the first line, written for the person who will actually read it (and who has five minutes, tops).
-
I edit
Got a text that's already written but feels like a wall? I make it shorter, clearer and easier to read, without losing what you wanted to say. Marie Kondo for paragraphs.
-
I review
Consistency, terminology, tone and typos. A second pair of eyes before you hit publish, because "it works on my machine" is not a proofreading strategy.
-
I translate
Translation and localization of software and technical documentation. The goal: it sounds like it was born in each language, not run through a machine and left to its fate.
-
I build websites
Simple websites from scratch: your portfolio, your business site or your product docs. I take care of the words and the code, and leave it published and ready to use. Tell me about your project.
Projects
Websites I've worked on. Each one with its own words, its own design and a clear idea of who it's for. No lorem ipsum was left behind.
MeetContent Iberia
The website of a community for those of us who work in technical communication in Spain and Portugal: meetups, articles, an open glossary and a newsletter.
- My role
- Co-founder and coordinator
- It includes
- Meetups, blog, glossary and newsletter
Career
From translating manuals to documenting software and, now, building websites.
-
Now
Senior Technical Writer
Omada
I document an identity governance platform so that technical teams and users understand it and use it without needing to open a ticket. Ideal outcome: fewer "quick questions".
-
Since 2023
Co-founder and coordinator
A community of practice for technical communication professionals in Spain and Portugal: meetups, articles and an open glossary.
-
Before
Technical writer and localization
Software documentation and leading a localization project into eight languages.
-
Early days
Technical translator
Technical manuals, patents and documentation for new technologies.
Education and skills
What I've studied, and what I've taught myself so I can understand the code I document.
Studies
-
In progress
PhD in Education and ICT (e-learning)
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
-
Sept 2024 – present
Master's degree in Education and ICT (e-learning)
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
-
Apr 2024 – present
Natural Language Processing Expert Master's degree, Linguistics
Universidad UDIMA
-
Nov 2019 – Sept 2021
Master's degree in Translation and New Technologies, Language Interpretation and Translation
ISTRAD - Instituto Superior de Estudios Lingüísticos y Traducción
-
2012 – 2017
Modern Languages and Translation
Universidad de Alcalá
Courses
- Learning Git and GitHub
- API Testing Foundations
- Behavior-Driven Development
- Introduction to Web APIs
- Learning GraphQL
- Programming Foundations: Software Testing/QA
- Test Automation Foundations
- React.js Essential Training
- Writing in Plain Language
LinkedIn Learning courses. Homework: done.
What I'm good at
- Plain language
- Cutting what's unnecessary until the text is understood the first time.
- Reading code
- Understanding what a program does so I can explain it without the jargon.
- Translation and localization
- Software and documentation that sound natural in every language.
- Docs as code
- Markdown, Git and GitHub, plus VS Code, Azure DevOps and the Microsoft toolset, to write and publish like a development team.
- Web development
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript and React to build simple, accessible websites.
- APIs and testing
- REST, GraphQL and testing so I can document with full knowledge of the facts.
- Community
- Organizing meetups and creating spaces to share what we learn.
Blog
I write about technical writing, plain language and what I'm learning about code.
-
Hello, World: I'm starting a blog
On this blog |
-
Communication or Technical Writing: what's what?
MeetContent Iberia | | In Spanish
-
Technical Writing has a past
MeetContent Iberia | | In Spanish
Shall we talk about your project?
Whether you need a website from scratch or want me to write, edit, review or translate your texts, tell me what you have in mind and I'll get back to you. No forms, no chatbots, no "your call is important to us": just a good old email, written by a human.
saraortizaviles@gmail.com