How many times have you been reduced to a state of confused fatigue trying to comprehend the language of an official form, an application, legislation, bank and insurance documents, instructions, proposals…?

Suffice it to say; very often language that is intended to inform people and let them know their rights and obligations is written in a way that is very precise – and very unclear. What is the point of precision if a lawyer is required to help us understand that official website, or credit card application we are about to sign, or proposal we are trying to make a submission on?Basically, unclear language can be challenging, disempowering and even intimidating for everyday Kiwis and limits our abilities to make informed decisions. This is especially true for the elderly, patients, beneficiaries, students and many others.

Yet, it’s what most of us tend to accept. After all, surely it’s reasonable to expect that official documents should be written in legalese and that it is our basic lack of literacy that is the problem – not the clarity of the language.

However, nothing could be further from the truth as lobbyists for plain English language in New Zealand and throughout the world have long argued. The public has a right to understand information intended to inform them and there does not need to be a conflict between clarity and precision— even legal precision.

And, while our media has not made much of it, these lobbyists are celebrating a major victory right now with the United States House of Representatives having just passed the 2010 Plain Language Act, a new law which will require federal agencies to write government information  in plain, reader-friendly language designed to “make it easy for taxpayers to understand what the federal government is doing and what services it is offering…essentially make a big difference for anyone who’s ever filled out a tax return or received a government document.”

Along with the United States, Sweden has had plain language legislation for 30 years and South Africa's Constitution is in plain language and requires plain language.

In New Zealand too, we are making progress and since 2005 have had the support of a small lobby, Plain English Power, set up solely to promote plain English in New Zealand. And, there have been positive moves including the New Zealand Law Commission endorsing a plainer style of legislative drafting in the 1990s and the Government rewriting the Income Tax Act in plain language around the same time – to save on administrative and compliance costs of dealing with confused people.

So who defines what plain English language is? Is there a standard style that has been set for official use? According to New Zealand’s lobby, while there is no one standard international or even national style, there are general guidelines that are widely known - though details differ. Plain English consultants ‘Write’ in New Zealand and the Plain English Foundation in Sydney use various objective tests to measure and certify the clarity of Government documents. In the United States, standards and examples are widely used and likely to become more so.

Plain English language sounds like a good idea not just for Government but business in general. If what you are saying is clear to people, it will be easier for them to do business with you. This is particularly true for those businesses inherently prone to use ‘technalese’ such as law firms, accountants and patent attorneys - even in their public websites, newsletters and news media.

Many public and private sector organisations are taking up the challenge and adopting plain English as their writing style – a cultural shift which requires an organisational shift to thinking about how you write and what you are trying to communicate to your customers through clear and correct language. 

Just because it’s precise, doesn’t mean it can’t be concise!