Focus Group on Computer Tools Used for Professional Writing and Preliminary Evaluation of LinguisTech

This paper focuses on computer writing tools used during the production of documents in a professional setting. Computer writing tools include language technologies, for example electronic dictionaries and text correction software, as well as information and communication technologies, for example collaborative platforms and search engines. As we will see, professional writing has become an entirely computerised activity. First, we report on a focus group with professional writers, during which they discussed their experience using computer tools to write documents. We will describe their practices, point out the most important problems they encounter, and analyse their needs. Second, we describe LinguisTech, a reference web site for language professionals (translators, writers, language instructors, etc.) that was launched in Canada in September, 2011. We comment on a preliminary evaluation that we conducted to determine if this new platform meets professional writers’ needs.