Engineering has characteristic terminology, syntax and ways of arranging an explanation. Historians without that background can struggle to interpret technical documents even when they understand the language in which they were written. Familiarity with engineering can also help a reader approach a report in a less familiar language by recognizing formulas and the relationships between technical details. That can reveal the methodology and what the engineers were doing. It does not necessarily make the report's written analysis understandable.
Notable Point · 1:12:59-1:14:36
Reading historical engineering reports through technical knowledge
Technical knowledge can reveal an engineering report's methods across a language barrier, while leaving its written analysis uncertain.