History of Plain Language – starting with the UK

Here’s an example from the plainlanguage.gov website:

BEFORE: Disaster Unemployment Assistance provides financial assistance to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States. Before an individual can be determined eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, it must be established that the individual is not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits (under any state or federal law).

PROPOSED CHANGE: You can get financial help from Disaster Unemployment Assistance if your job was lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United States. To be eligible, you must show that you are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits (under any state or federal law).

No writer should feel put out by having to give up the words shall, pursuant, promulgated, thereunder, commencing, in accordance with, herein, precluded, heretofore, evidenced, and practicable, as banned by the government. Nor will I bemoan the fact that “we” replaces the “the government,” that “you” replaces “citizens,” and that “please” replaces “it is requested.” In fact, I wouldn’t mind if we had to give us words like incarcerated, in order to, initiated – what’s wrong with jailed, to, and started as simpler terms?

Though Canada hasn’t officially adopted Plain Language for government communications, there is a long history Plain Language in various areas of citizen-facing communications. In British Columbia, the movement was particularly active in the legal area, making contracts and public legal education more understandable.

Plain Language resources for writers

Using comics to explain legal proceedings

Creating translation-ready content is useful, whether the translation happens or not, because there are sure to be plenty of ESL readers who will need to decipher the English version. Localized content draws on guidelines from the Plain Language movement, from Controlled Language (or Controlled English or Controlled Technical English), and from the field of translation. There are visual elements to consider, as well as design elements. No matter how small the localization or internationalization initiative, there are sure to be unexpected considerations. Here are some resources that make that point:

You Talking to Me?: Usability for Global Audiences on a Shoestring Budget

Reaching Global Audiences: Doing More with Less

Following the Road Untraveled: From Source Language to Translation to Localization

Yours Truly International

High-Quality Content that Communicates Across Language Barriers

Case studies in Controlled Authoring