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 […]
Plain Language Blog Articles
There’s no ease in legalese
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 […]
Hawkeye Pierce pierces barriers between scientists and the rest of us
Earlier this year, CBS Sunday Morning interviewed actor and professor Alan Alda about his efforts to help science students learn to speak to people in language they can understand. After he hosted “Scientific American Frontiers” on PBS, he heard from policy makers, including Congressmembers, who keeping saying that they can’t understand the scientists who come to talk […]
New Resource: We ❤ Health Literacy
Our friends at CommunicateHealth just announced the launch of We ❤ Health Literacy, a new weekly email full of health literacy-related tips and tricks. Their goal is to spread the word about health literacy and get people excited about making health information accessible. The posts will range from getting around tricky jargon terms to enhancing […]
Join a host of Plain Language experts at the 20th Anniversary of PLAIN
Join a group of inspiring presenters and committed plain language advocates by attending the PLAIN2013 conference in Vancouver, October 10-13. http://www.plain2013.org/ Plain Language Association InterNational (PLAIN) is the leading international organization devoted to plain-language and information design. We are celebrating 20 years of advocacy around the world. Our speaker list includes presenters from Spain, Portugal, […]
Center for Plain Language honors March of Dimes with the Grand ClearMark Award; Charles Schwab captures the Grand WonderMark Award
Washington, DC – A March of Dimes brochure that effectively reaches its target audience with clear, concise writing and excellent graphics was honored with the Center for Plain Language’s Grand ClearMark Award as the best example of clear, concise communication. ACharles Schwab magazine ad captured the overall WonderMark Award for the most confusing and complex language. The awards were […]