Editing into plain languageWhat is plain language?‘Plain language’ means using language in a straightforward way, to make your writing accessible to a wide audience. It means cutting out verbosity, complex sentences, obscure wording, corporate-speak, legalese, jargon and overly technical language.
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As the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) states, plain language helps readers to find, understand and use the information they need.
It uses the vocabulary and structures that most people are used to. As Sir Ernest Gowers put it in The Complete Plain Words: ‘Be short, be simple, be human.’
It isn’t all about the wording, though. Written material can also be made ‘plainer’ by making sure its layout, formatting and organisation help readers to digest it easily.
It uses the vocabulary and structures that most people are used to. As Sir Ernest Gowers put it in The Complete Plain Words: ‘Be short, be simple, be human.’
It isn’t all about the wording, though. Written material can also be made ‘plainer’ by making sure its layout, formatting and organisation help readers to digest it easily.
Why use plain language?
Plain language can be valuable in many types of written material, such as:
The people who are going to read your writing may well be busy and stressed. Will they want to spend time decoding complex sentences with difficult wording? If you want them to respond positively, it’s worth making the reading process quick and easy for them.
This will be good for customer relations and your organisation’s reputation. You’ll be keeping the readers on your side and showing that you care about them.
It may well save time and money for you. With less risk of confusion and ambiguity, there’ll be less need to clarify things to your customers, your staff and others, or to deal with mistakes caused by misunderstandings.
Accessibility is often crucial. You may need to cater for readers with different educational and linguistic backgrounds, different levels of literacy and various disabilities. Also, if your text is going to be translated into other languages, a plain writing style will help with that process.
This isn’t about ‘dumbing down’ as people sometimes suggest. Even highly intelligent, well-educated readers with a strong command of English may struggle to grasp what something means if it isn’t presented simply, concisely and logically. Have you ever heard anyone complain that something was too easy to read?
Here are some more thoughts on the benefits of plain language:
- customer information
- product and service descriptions
- fact sheets
- research results
- emails and letters
- forms
- customer charters
- public information
- policies
- agreements and contracts.
The people who are going to read your writing may well be busy and stressed. Will they want to spend time decoding complex sentences with difficult wording? If you want them to respond positively, it’s worth making the reading process quick and easy for them.
This will be good for customer relations and your organisation’s reputation. You’ll be keeping the readers on your side and showing that you care about them.
It may well save time and money for you. With less risk of confusion and ambiguity, there’ll be less need to clarify things to your customers, your staff and others, or to deal with mistakes caused by misunderstandings.
Accessibility is often crucial. You may need to cater for readers with different educational and linguistic backgrounds, different levels of literacy and various disabilities. Also, if your text is going to be translated into other languages, a plain writing style will help with that process.
This isn’t about ‘dumbing down’ as people sometimes suggest. Even highly intelligent, well-educated readers with a strong command of English may struggle to grasp what something means if it isn’t presented simply, concisely and logically. Have you ever heard anyone complain that something was too easy to read?
Here are some more thoughts on the benefits of plain language:
- Karin Cather – ‘Plain language is not for dummies’
- NN/g – ‘Plain language is for everyone, even experts’
An example
The paragraph below is based on one from a leaflet published by a medical practice in the UK.
Patients between the ages of 16-74 who have not been seen at the surgery for a period of 3 years, may request a consultation with a GP, at which any appropriate inquiries and investigations will be made. Consultations can also be requested by patients over the age of 75, who have not been seen at the surgery for 12 months or more.
Here’s how I might simplify it into something more patient-friendly:
Here’s how I might simplify it into something more patient-friendly:
You can ask to see a GP if you’re aged 16 to 74 and haven’t visited our surgery for at least 3 years, or if you’re over 75 and haven’t visited for at least a year.
What I’ll do for you
All of my editing work involves improving clarity and readability in some way. If I do a plain language edit for you, it will include everything I normally do when editing that type of material (see the Business editing page).
But I’ll also go further in reviewing the vocabulary and structure, aiming to make the reading process as easy as possible for a wide audience.
After my main edit, there may well be some queries for you to answer. It will often help if I do at least a second edit, so I can take your answers into account and improve the text further. We can discuss this before agreeing on the scope of work, the timeframe and the fee.
But I’ll also go further in reviewing the vocabulary and structure, aiming to make the reading process as easy as possible for a wide audience.
After my main edit, there may well be some queries for you to answer. It will often help if I do at least a second edit, so I can take your answers into account and improve the text further. We can discuss this before agreeing on the scope of work, the timeframe and the fee.
My plain language credentials
I’m experienced in adapting highly technical writing for non-technical readers, and I’ve worked with a plain language remit on several guides to doing business in various countries.
I’ve also completed the Plain English for Editors course provided by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), and I’m currently leading an initiative to help ensure that the CIEP’s own communications are written plainly.
I’m a member of Plain Language Association International (PLAIN), and I regularly read its journal and keep up to date with its activities.
I’ve also completed the Plain English for Editors course provided by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), and I’m currently leading an initiative to help ensure that the CIEP’s own communications are written plainly.
I’m a member of Plain Language Association International (PLAIN), and I regularly read its journal and keep up to date with its activities.
▶️ Do you have some content that could benefit from a plain language makeover? Tell me about it and who’s going to read it (please see the Get a quote page), and I’ll take a look and send you a proposal.
