From an interview given to Gary Smith Lawson in PLAIN’s journal:
How did you get introduced to plain language?
I’m a translator (from Spanish and Catalan to English), and many of my clients are academics and lawyers. Translators read a text more closely than almost anybody in order to make sure we are capturing all the possible nuances, ambiguities (intended or not) and of course the precise meaning of every phrase, and how to make it perfectly understandable in the target language and culture. On thinking of how to express a text in another language, you often discover that the original text could also be expressed far better. At first, the author doesn’t like to hear that! When PLAIN was sponsoring a conference by the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters (IAPTI), Lodewijk van Noort told me about it, which sounded very relevant and interesting in my line of work.
What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned about plain language in your career?
That so many people who need to write for a living do it so poorly! That includes lawyers, public service notifications, medical professionals, people dealing with the public in general, and academics trying to get their papers published.
What has been the most powerful example of culture change that you’ve come across in your career?
There are many, but in terms of plain language, I would say that in Latin-based languages people often feel they need to use twenty words instead of five when they are writing in formal texts (legal, academic, public notices etc.). Also, there are cultures like Spain (where I live) which like to multi-task, and others like the UK (where I come from) which like to do one thing at a time (like queueing). In terms of writing, this can mean they structure texts differently. For example, Hispanic people use instructions manuals as a reference to fall back on, whereas the British tend to read them step-by-step from start to finish. I need to keep this in mind when writing for them.
What exploration of culture do you think is still needed in plain language?
Basically, we need to take into account cultural norms that may seem odd to us. For example, using plain language can seem blunt and rude in some cultures, whereas being too polite and formal can seem long-winded and superfluous in others. There are cultures that are confrontational, meaning you can argue with your boss, and others that avoid confrontation at all costs. If a British person says your project is “not bad”, perhaps they are just being polite. Then there is the matter of hierarchy in societies and companies; some are very horizontal, others vertical (so you can’t talk directly to the managing director). Some cultures also like to see the “big picture”, while others pay attention to detail, which means some readers will get a general idea of a message whereas others will take note of specific points. They can come across as either evasive or condescendingly obvious, depending on the culture receiving the message. There are cultures that take a theory-based approach to problem-solving, thinking of all possibilities before acting (or before giving the essential information in a text), and others that are empirical, practice-based, meaning that they prefer trial-and-error approaches. So as you can see, culture can play a big part in how readers from a different culture may understand our text. And this can include a professional culture with its jargon and generally ingrained way of doing things such as writing.
What is your advice for someone who wants to change their company’s, industry’s, or even country’s culture related to plain language?
In my job, I often have to “teach” my clients that using plain language isn’t impolite. In fact, I think being unclear is very impolite! A good example is the GOV.UK site, which was overhauled some years ago to use plain language. This was partly due to changes in the law that obliged them to write clearly. Not everyone has a high level of literacy (children, immigrants and even many native adults), so we must take them into account in public notices.
If you could give a plain language makeover to any text in the world, what would it be?
Most countries’ constitutions and legal texts in general. People need to know their rights. Emergency procedures and warnings, too. Some people think that “good writing doesn’t matter in technical texts”, but poor grammar can actually be catastrophic in such texts (“No danger” or “No, danger”). And of course, medical texts for the general public. The COVID-19 pandemic was a real test of authorities’ ability to communicate essential information clearly.