What is plain language and why is it so important?

In this article:

·         What is plain language?

·         Where and how to use plain language

·         How plain language can improve translation quality

What is plain language?

The principle behind plain language (sometimes called ‘plain English’) is to communicate using clear, concise and easy-to-understand language that avoids overly complex words, phrasing and jargon. Its purpose is to make content accessible without “dumbing down”.

“A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended audience can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.”

Source: International Plain Language Federation

 

Structure and design

Plain language is about more than just the words you use—it also concerns other aspects of a text including its structure and design. Your text needs to follow a logical structure that is easy to navigate and is also typical for the text type, so your readers are familiar with it. Think about user manuals and operating instructions—they tend to follow roughly the same structure of product description, safety warnings, operating instructions, troubleshooting and FAQs. Following this general order helps users quickly flick through the booklet to the section they need.

You also need to think about the layout, typography and use of images. The font and text size you use should be easy to read, and the colour should be well contrasted against the background.

Where to use plain language

In an ideal world, every published text would be written in plain language. Even highly specialised texts such as academic or legal texts should be easy for their target audience to understand—it is simply about changing the ‘degree’ of plain language used. For example, while industry-specific terms and specialist language are essential, they still need to be used in a clear way that avoids ambiguity and prevents misunderstanding.

“Research shows that 80% of people prefer sentences written in plain language.”

Source: Office for National Statistics

How to use plain language in specialised texts

Specialised texts are perhaps the most important area to use plain language. For example, patient leaflets and other medical documents that will be read by unqualified individuals need to be explicitly clear, especially when it comes to instructions and advice. Likewise, safety-critical documents such as operating instructions for consumer electronics must be clear and direct to ensure user safety.

So how can you ensure clarity while using the necessary specialist terminology?

Technical terms

Specialist language is unavoidable in some types of text, such as legal, medical or highly technical texts. If you cannot avoid using technical terms, make sure you explain them in the text or provide a glossary.

Acronyms and abbreviations

Acronyms and abbreviations should always be written out in full with the acronym/abbreviation in brackets the first time they are used in each numbered section. You can then just use the acronym/abbreviation for the rest of that section.

Plain language in translation

If the original text is clear and easy to understand, the translated text is likely to be of a much better quality. This is because the translator has to spend less time trying to decode the source text and is able to understand and convey the meaning of the text right away, and the editor only needs to polish the final text rather than also having to take time decoding the source text first.

Pivot translations

If the translated text is being used as a pivot text, i.e. it will be translated into another language and will not be published itself, plain language is extremely important in ensuring that the final translated text accurately reflects the original meaning.

Things to consider

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help decide whether you are successfully using plain language:

• Is the language used suitable for your audience?

• Does your document use accessible design?

• Is the structure logical and easy to follow?

• Have specialist terms and acronyms been clearly explained?

If your text doesn’t pass the plain language test, you can choose to edit it rather than having to start again from scratch. The scope of plain language editing can range from checking phrasing and terminology to document design. There are various online guides for writing in plain English, or you can find an experienced editor who offers this service.

Need help with plain language editing? Use the contact form on my services page or send me an email to discuss your project.