Tech talk has become a social requirement because of the scientific community's pervasive influence over society. Since the advent of the space age, science has emerged from isolated laboratories to become the topic of daily conversation. Tech talk describes the type of technological jargon that, in modern times, is used by scientists and non-scientists alike.
Talking tech is based on a dual requirement: speakers must convey knowledge and comprehend it as well.
The ubiquity of scientific headlines in daily newspapers has contributed to the public's knowledge of scientific terminology. Hardly a year passes without some major scientific breakthrough with direct bearing on the lives of individuals: "History itself gave us such surprise science lesson as Hiroshima, thalidomide, and the Skylab crash." Scientific news about personal health discoveries such as new carcinogens or studies related to the health effects of pollution bombard the public on a daily basis. The negative consequences of technological advancement have created an attitude shift in the general public toward the scientific community: "One morning we awoke to the thought that perhaps scientific progress wasn't our most important product after all."
The awe that unbridled technological advancement once inspired in the general public has been supplanted by fear and anxiety. What are the consequences if scientists create a human clone or extend human life indefinitely? The need has arisen to make science socially responsible. Consequently, the general public must participate as a watchdog in the scientific process. The ability to talk tech is the important first step toward this participation.
The ability to talk tech successfully requires adherence to certain fundamentals. As in the acquisition of any language, there are rules, steps, processes, and basics to be learned. Tech talk is a special language of science that seeks to convey and comp...