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Three dictionaries in a row with letters A - Z on cover.

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Plain Language Resistance: Is “Plain” the Problem?

Thursday November 6, 2025

As a writer and editor who also teaches academic and business writing, I get asked a lot of language questions; it’s a regular and expected part of the job. One recent question, though, caught me by surprise: “How can I justify using plain language to my boss, who’s resistant to it?” The persistence of resistance […]

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plain language Tracey Anderson

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Dwain Richardson

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

Tuesday January 19, 2016

“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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Illustration of a person typing. A text-based document is on the screen, and letters, numbers and symbols float outside the monitor.

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Aaron Dalton

What Is Plain Language? Part 1: A Definition

Tuesday June 22, 2021

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 communications plain language

Illustration of four people chatting around two laptops with blank speech bubbles and a light bulb representing ideas in the air around them.

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Alex Benarzi Holly Vestad

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

Thursday August 15, 2024

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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Alex Benarzi conscious style diversity editor advice equity free tools freelancing Holly Vestad inclusion Indigenous style plain language

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Aaron Dalton

The Ethical Imperative for Plain Language

Tuesday September 10, 2019

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 ethical editing ethics ethics of editing in-house editor plain language plain language editing

Illustration of a text document with a rosette adorned with a star at the bottom of the page.

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Merel Elsinga

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

Tuesday October 26, 2021

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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communications editing standards Gael Spivak interview Merel Elsinga plain language writing

Illustration of three people on different sizes of blocks. Each reaches back to help the next up another level

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Tracey Anderson

Plain Language Is Not “Dumbing Down” Writing

Thursday March 6, 2025

“I want a refresher on my writing.” “I want to improve my grammar.” “My company sent me here.” These are the consistently similar answers I get in every writing class I teach to professionals when I ask what brought them to the course. During some recent clear, concise writing sessions I delivered to a large […]

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plain language Tracey Anderson

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Tali Ijack

What Role Can Editors Play in the Conscious Language Debate?

Thursday June 8, 2023

Conscious language (also known as inclusive language) is a topic that is gaining a lot of attention on a global scale. Recently, there has been some heated debate over some publishers’ decisions to edit the works of Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie to align with current language standards. These debates highlight the divide that exists […]

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cultural sensitivity editor's role evolution of language inclusive language language change Tali Ijack

A computer icon showing a wrench and screwdriver on the screen is surrounded by icons representing accessibility and EDI: an ear, an eye, a lightbulb with a brain inside, and two hands forming a heart as they shake.

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Tali Ijack

Editing for Accessibility: Basic Best Practices

Thursday August 10, 2023

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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accessibility design equity and inclusion plain language Tali Ijack

Illustration of four people collaborating over two computers on a desk. Abstract images representing ideas and success appear in the background.

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Aaron Dalton

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

Tuesday February 15, 2022

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 communications literacy plain language writing