What first inspired you to get involved with plain language?

The pioneer of plain language in India, Jyoti Sanyal, was my entry point to this fascinating field. He hired me to work for him at his organization, which Martin Cutts had generously funded.

How did you become a plain language ambassador?

Heloisa Fischer, who I think was heading the regional development committee of PLAIN then, got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to become ambassador. And I agreed!

Why is plain language important to you personally or professionally?

India is a vast land with diverse languages and people with varying levels of language proficiencies. Yet, we are yet to recognize that we need a clearer way of communicating, especially in public, non-specialist domains. The absence of plain language can mean that scores of people lack access to the legal system and are unaware of their rights as a consumer or a patient. This is why I chose to work for plain language in India.

My bio

Vijayalaxmi Hegde is a plain language practitioner and trainer. She is PLAIN’s ambassador for India and runs a LinkedIn group with PLAIN. She also blogs at Plain Language India and publishes a monthly newsletter, Clear Enough. She has worked on making legalese more human and is currently pushing for adoption of the ISO standards in India.

She lives on a farm in south India with her family and two dogs. They enjoy the process of growing their food sustainably (and the results as well)!

What have I been doing for PLAIN?

As PLAIN ambassador, I have been trying to raise awareness about plain language and connect with people who stand for clarity. I also talk about PLAIN’s work globally and how we in India can benefit from it.