Tag: plain language

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Alex Benarzi Holly Vestad

Free (or Cheap) Tools for Freelance Editors: Part 3

August 15, 2024 by Alex Benarzi | 2 Comments on Free (or Cheap) Tools for Freelance Editors: Part 3

Back in April, Editors Canada released the revised edition of Professional Editorial Standards, and we noticed the addition of IDEA (inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility) concepts. Understanding how language can be biased, coded, inaccessible, harmful or careless is foundational to the work we do as editors.  In this final article of our series on free […]

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Rees Storm

Crafting Our Message: Academic Editing and the Public

May 23, 2024 by Rees Storm | Leave a Comment

As populism and funding priorities threaten the existence of post-secondary and research institutions, academic writing persists. So, too, does academic editing. In early April, I was part of a group of four panelists who converged at the ACES conference in San Diego, California, to talk about the challenges facing academic editing.  Whether you are an […]

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Tali Ijack

Editing for Accessibility: Basic Best Practices

August 10, 2023 by Tali Ijack | 2 Comments on Editing for Accessibility: Basic Best Practices

Accessibility is the lack of obstacles to obtaining, attaining or retaining something. The Accessible Canada Act, established in 2019, aims to identify, remove and prevent barriers that cause the exclusion of all persons, especially disabled persons, from various necessary aspects of life. Information and communication technologies have been identified as areas that need to meet […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty

February 15, 2022 by Aaron Dalton | 3 Comments on What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty

This is the fifth and last in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. I offer two half-day workshops: the first is all about the why and then we look at some document-level issues like tone. This is the workshop that I am most passionate about and try to get […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

November 16, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 1 Comment on What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

This is the fourth in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. Most of the writing that happens in an office is stream-of-consciousness. We fire off dozens of quick emails and texts a day with little thought. But the writing we do for external readers requires more care. Effective writing […]

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Merel Elsinga

Update on the International Plain Language Standard: An Interview with Gael Spivak

October 26, 2021 by Merel Elsinga | Leave a Comment

Gael Spivak, a previous president of Editors Canada, works in-house for the federal government as a writer and editor. Part of her job is her involvement in creating an international plain language standard for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). At the Editors Canada conference on June 13, 2021, Gael gave us an update on […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 3: When You Assume …

October 12, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 5 Comments on What is Plain Language? Part 3: When You Assume …

This is the third in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. You’re preparing a speech for a community association. You disagree with a particular policy, but you moderate your language because you “know” that most people disagree with you. What nobody realizes, though, is that actually, most people disagree […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 2: Reading is a Skill

August 31, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 3 Comments on What is Plain Language? Part 2: Reading is a Skill

This is the second in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. Defining literacy Literacy is not just about being able to read and write; it’s also about being able to understand and use what you read. In an earlier blog post, I mentioned a standardized measure called […]

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Aaron Dalton

What Is Plain Language? Part 1: A Definition

June 22, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 6 Comments on What Is Plain Language? Part 1: A Definition

This is the first in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language that I’ve found successful in my teaching. These principles may not be new to my fellow editors. Perhaps some material here will be useful in your own educational efforts. My experience is with non-fiction, mostly technical, writing. I would […]

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Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Fluency

June 9, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | 4 Comments on Empirical Editors: Fluency

This article is part of a series that looks at lessons one can draw from some of the research collected in Aaron Dalton’s “Empirical Research for Editors” list.  “Fluency” refers to how easy or difficult it is to do or process something. I interpret the science in this area through the lens of plain language, […]

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Gael Spivak

Gael Spivak: An Editor’s Top 3

May 5, 2020 by Gael Spivak | Leave a Comment

In this series, experienced editors reflect on their Top 3 tools, rules and suggestions for clients and colleagues. Gael Spivak works in communications for the Government of Canada, where she specializes in plain language writing and editing. An editor for 13 years, Gael has worked on topics that include food safety and food labelling, biotechnology, […]

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Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Curse of Knowledge

March 17, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | 1 Comment on Empirical Editors: Curse of Knowledge

This article is part of a series that draws lessons from some of the research collected in Aaron Dalton’s “Empirical Research for Editors” list. Do you have the curse of knowledge? The “curse of knowledge” is a type of cognitive bias where someone unknowingly assumes, while communicating, that their audience has the same background knowledge […]

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Aaron Dalton

The Ethical Imperative for Plain Language

September 10, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 9 Comments on The Ethical Imperative for Plain Language

I used to speak of plain language in terms of it being “the right thing to do” and also the most effective thing to do from a utilitarian perspective (i.e., it gets results). But then I came across Russell Willerton’s book Plain Language and Ethical Action: A Dialogic Approach to Technical Content in the 21st […]

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Aaron Dalton

Language Resources for Non-Native English Speakers

May 7, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 3 Comments on Language Resources for Non-Native English Speakers

I teach plain language workshops, and I was recently approached by a non-native English speaker. His language skills were excellent. He said he learned English mostly through standardized exams, and he felt there was a gap between the mode of English he was taught and the plain language approach I was preaching. His question was […]

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Marianne Grier

Comfort Zones

November 14, 2017 by Marianne Grier | 7 Comments on Comfort Zones

This past August, the much-anticipated arrival of my Chicago Manual of Style v. 17 was overshadowed by the arrival of my first child. My due-in-September baby decided she was more Leo than Virgo, and made her appearance in the world a month early. Her little body wasn’t quite prepared for the outside world, and we […]

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Dwain Richardson

English Editing in Quebec: Avoiding Wordiness

March 22, 2016 by Dwain Richardson | 2 Comments on English Editing in Quebec: Avoiding Wordiness

Plain language communicates written messages clearly and concisely. This is true whether you’re editing stand-alone English copy or translating from other languages. In my experience as an editor and translator, I have had to work with a number of stiff and wordy texts. I usually start by asking, “What needs to be improved?” Should I focus on […]

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Dwain Richardson

English Editing in Quebec: Has Quebec Caught on to Plain Language?

January 19, 2016 by Dwain Richardson | 2 Comments on English Editing in Quebec: Has Quebec Caught on to Plain Language?

“What is plain language?” you may ask. In a nutshell, plain language communicates concepts and ideas clearly, concisely and effectively. This is done by thinking about the projected target audience: the readers. When you write clearly, you avoid using jargon that only select people know. You also avoid verbiage and overly complex ideas. Contrary to […]

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