Technical Savvy

I recently commented on someone's facebook post about technical language and how and when to use it. A family member jotted off about C++ computer programming, .find and such and such commands, and finding the last occurance. This family member also commented that most people don't understand when he talks computers..and I responded, "Don't be so hot on yourself. Doctors, lawyers and scientists use technical terms with others to make themselves look smart all the time, when actually they're just lazy. They also leave out information to confuse others. For example, the last occurance of what? It actually takes brains to translate technical language into common language and it's also courteous to think about your audience."
Many people do not pay attention to their audience(s). A class I took on Teaching Biology taught me something about technical language and directing audiences. We use technical language for perhaps two reasons, it's faster to say or it makes us sound more intelligent than others. The word tachycardia has five syllables and means rapid heart rate, which has only 4 syllables. The word Tachycardia is an example of a word that doctors use to make themselves sound smarter than their patients, it certainly is not faster to say.
So the question is when is it apropriate to use technical language? My answer is consider your audience. It may be faster to speak technically with your colleagues, but it certainly should not be used to lose your audience out of laziness or pride. Human Beings want to make connections. Facilitate those connections. Live in harmony.
My husband has been reading a book, "Revising Pros", that teaches a several step process to simplify or turn technical language into common language that everyone can understand. My point is it is not always easy to translate our technical terms into common language. It takes brains, but it's the polite thing to do. Now that's what I call technical savvy 101.