{"id":2152,"date":"2018-12-14T16:31:01","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T16:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/?p=2152"},"modified":"2024-08-22T14:28:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T14:28:52","slug":"just-to-be-clear-plain-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/just-to-be-clear-plain-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Just to be clear: why Devspeak needs to adopt Plain Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If the aid sector is to communicate more effectively, we must do more than tame the rampant devspeak<\/g> that Duncan highlighted in his recent blog<\/a>. Instead<\/g> we should focus on presenting a clear and consistent message using plain language principles, which cover so much more than the individual words that we choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kate<\/a>
Kate Murphy, Plain Language Editor for Translators without Borders.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m the Plain Language Editor for Translators without Borders so devspeak<\/g> is my constant companion. Much of my working day is spent deciphering terms and encouraging writers to use simpler alternatives. I\u2019m aware of the chaos and confusion that devspeak<\/g> can cause. But I think the bigger communication challenge facing our sector is a general lack of clarity and focus in our writing,<\/g> and an inexplicable resistance to plain-language writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All aid workers should write in plain language<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether we write for colleagues, government ministers, or refugees, plain language makes exchanging information a more efficient process. We operate in a multilingual environment that is full of linguistic tripwires and pitfalls. Native and non-native English writers of varying competencies communicate with native and non-native English readers of varying competencies. All of us face conflicting demands on our limited writing and reading time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellie Kemp oversees Translators without Borders’ humanitarian work in Nigeria<\/a> and in the Rohingya refugee response<\/a> in Bangladesh. She believes that plain language is an overlooked factor in many humanitarian responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHumanitarians can\u2019t promote two-way engagement, empower affected people, or stimulate informed debate if we write in a convoluted way,\u201d she says. \u201cIn Bangladesh, the response uses five languages; if the original English is unclear, the consequences are amplified across the other four.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, Translators without Borders interviewed 52 humanitarian field workers responsible for surveying internally displaced people in north-east Nigeria. The findings<\/a> highlight potential data quality issues stemming from a failure to use plain language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe tested the field workers\u2019 comprehension of 27 terms that they regularly use in survey questions and responses,\u201d Ellie explains. \u201cWe identified misunderstandings and misinterpretations at every stage of the data collection process.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A Translators without Borders trainer conducts comprehension research. Monguno, Borno State, Nigeria. Photo by: Eric DeLuca, Translators without Borders.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Plain-language writing can help navigate our multilingual environment, yet native-English writers in particular<\/a> are oblivious to the confusion we cause as we extrude our un-plain language onto the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what are the characteristics of plain-language writing? <\/strong>Here are the ones that I think have the biggest impact on readability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Define your peak message and state it early<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Plain language requires writers to define the most critical aspect of their content and to communicate that consistently. Before I edit any content, I ask the writer to define the \u201cpeak message,\u201d or the message that must stand out. In a move that makes me one of the most annoying people in our organization I insist that the peak message is fewer than 20 words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to win back the affections of my colleagues, I apply the same rule to myself. So before I drafted this blog, I defined my 16-word peak message as, \u201cPlain-language writing is not only about avoiding devspeak; it\u2019s about presenting a clear and consistent point.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a logical structure and layout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The inverted pyramid model helps to arrange content logically and keep the reader focused on the peak message. It requires writers to arrange paragraphs in order of importance, and to arrange the sentences within them in order of importance too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The inverted pyramid writing model<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The next step in plain-language writing is to make the content physically clear. Four basic formatting principles that improve clarity are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n