Showing results: sharing plain language work from around the world
Sharing your work is a step that’s easy to overlook. It might feel like boasting, or simply stating the obvious. But sharing results matters — it helps personal growth, builds the body of expertise and research on plain language, and helps a growing international network learn from one another.
This issue invited members to show their work, proudly.
Kim Van Den Heede details how a systematic approach to streamlining documentation decreased maintenance and training costs and improved customer satisfaction for clients in the pharmaceutical and mobile gaming fields. Marie-Elise Georgelin shares results proving the invaluable role of plain language in translation — findings that make a strong case for closer collaboration between translators and plain language practitioners.
For those working to start a plain language network or grow awareness, Eyitayo Ogunyemi outlines an approachable way to engage with the community — educating the public while promoting your work.
Two regional perspectives follow. Christina Maria Müller researches easy language rules in Portuguese and German, exploring how easy language and plain language work toward the same goal of clear communication. Heloisa Fischer profiles the progress of plain language in Brazil, an encouraging example of the field gaining widespread momentum.
This issue also introduces a new regular feature: Ask the Experts. Inaugural contributors Christopher Trudeau and Ginny Redish share their experience and insights on plain language. And Neil James, chair of the International Plain Language Federation, details the latest developments from the Federation.
