Six Shibboleths About Plain Language

("myths" was already taken)

Cheryl Stephens

Myth #1: There is only one plain language. Plain is plain.

Wrong. Plain language is language that is easily understood by the intended reader. It will change with different audiences. If you write for insurance agents, you can make some assumptions about their awareness of industry technology. If you write for first-time auto-insurance buyers, you need to offer more definitions of insurance jargon. If you write for people for whom English is their second language, you need to avoid folk sayings. But if you are writing to lawyers, you do them no favor by making your language overly formal and your sentences highly complex.

Plain language is always language targeted to the needs and abilities of a particular reader. There is range of plain language.

Myth#2: Plain language documents are shorter.

Maybe not. To make information understandable, you may have to include more facts. You will probably need to define industry-specific terms. You may have to repeat some basic information in different sections of the document in order to ensure comprehension. Plain language documents are as long as necessary to provide the needed information, explain the unusual terms or concepts, and fit the user's needs.

Plain language is more about giving all the necessary information and explanation than it is about brevity.

Myth#3: Plain language is only about language.

Plain language has come to mean a modern communications process involving these stages: advance planning, writing, editing, testing on potential readers, and revising. The process requires research of subject, research on readers' interests and abilities, brainstorming the purpose and message of the communication, planning the best forms and format for the subject, drafting by committee or an individual, editing by a second person, lay-out and design to serve the purpose and message, subjecting the document to try-outs by readers who represent the target audience, making revisions to text and design.

Plain language is both a writing style and a communications process.

Myth#4: There are no plain language experts.

Really? Even where there are no training programs available, with experience people will develop skill at any task. But there is a wealth of research available to support best practices standards for the plain language communcations process. For plain language writers, there are many courses available in general writing, technical writing, and even legal writing. Training is available in conducting evaluations and in doing audience research.

Sweden has trained over 150 graduates of a two year college certificate program in plain Swedish. The Law Faculty of the University of Sydney, Australia operates the Centre for Plain Legal Language. Several other centres have operated in other countries.

The Plain Language Consultants Network provides an exchange of professional informaion, publishes a newsletter, holds conferences, and generally upholds professional standards for its members. Rapport: News about Plain Language keeps practitioners up-to-date on current practices and research. Plain Language Online Centre provide professional outreach.

Myth #5: Plain legal language is impossible. The law has inherent complexities.

Legal language, or language regulating legal rights and duties, can be comprehensible. It can be made plain enough for its intended audience. A three year project by the British Columbia Continuing Legal Education Society provided ample evidence that plain legal language is possible. The Sydney Centre for Plain Legal Language continues to conduct research into the benefits of plain legal language and to deliver it to its clients. Clarity is an international organization of over 400 lawyers, academics, and others interested in simplifying legal language.

Plain legal language is being written every day. Those who defend out-dated, poorly-written gibberish on the grounds of its complexity should be embarrased.

Myth #6: Anybody can write a plain language legal document.

Anybody can excise a snakebite in an emergency, but, given the choice, would you have it done by your mechanic or your doctor? Many organizations have their own staff write material according to prior precedents, and assume it will be satisfactory. Some try to do their own plain language revisions of legal documents. Anybody can rewrite a legal document, but then there is no guarantee that it will be legally effective. If you don't want to pay a lawyer to revise your documents, don't. But do send the documents to the lawyers for a legal review.