It continues to shock me that in the year 2014 I still hear people say, “Oh, you want to dumb down my writing” when the subject of plain language comes up.
My reaction is…
In an op ed originally published in Government Executive, Congressman Bruce Braley, the author of the Plain Writing Act of 2010, writes about the problems and costs of confusing government language, and about the role of the Center’s report card in addressing the issue.
Reposted from www.healthwise.org Karen Baker, MHS, Senior Vice President, 11/25/2013 Plain language has been making headlines—in the world beyond health care! Last week was report card time for federal agencies. The Center for Plain Language, a nonprofit volunteer organization based in Washington, D.C., graded 20 agencies and departments for compliance with the Plain Writing Act. President […]
Heading back from the biennial conference of the Plain Language Association International (which was absolutely fantastic, by the way), I found my thoughts coming back to one presentation more than any other: Neil James’s look ahead at what the next 5 years may hold for plain language. James’s thesis is that a host of […]
In his newest column in the Legal Writing Editor (legalwritingeditor.com) Professor Joseph Kimble asks if there are any writers out there who think that the “mere style” of official and legal documents doesn’t matter much to readers. Are there any writers who think that attitudes toward style are all subjective and that no hard evidence […]
Matthew Salzwedel offers some great tips and persuasive advocacy in his online column, most recently Simple Legal Writing Isn’t Baby-Talk. One answer to Matthew’s question, Can Legalese Tank Business Deals?, came from management consultant, Lyn Boxall. Read her full response at the end of Matthew’s column. In Asia, Boxall says, US-style legal documents can mar good business […]