“ARE YOU INTERESTED TO WORK AS A KNOWLEDGE NAVIGATOR?”- Confused after reading the preceding advertisement catch line. Don’t get fidgety if you can’t get the drift of the sentence. It can baffle even a zombie. A ‘KNOWLEDGE NAVIGATOR’ is nothing but gobbledygook for a ‘TEACHER’. Welcome to the mysterious world of jargons. Jargons are words or expressions with an air of erudition but serve no meaningful purpose other than generating bewilderment.
Fortunately there is an antidote to this menace-plain English i.e. plain language. In a nutshell plain English is an effective writing style which the target audience can understand and act upon the first time they read it. It is simple, straightforward and crystal-clear. There is good number of sites on the Internet dedicated to the cause of plain language. They are relentlessly fighting a linguistic crusade to beat the monster of unintelligible language. The following is an attempt to portray top 5 sites about plain English (clear English).
PLAINENGLISH.CO.UK
The history of Plainenglish.co.uk dates back to 1979 when Chrissie Maher initiated a campaign in favor of plain English by shredding forms at the Parliament Square in London. Today the site is commendably carrying that rich legacy forward. The content on the site is really intriguing. The ‘Resource’ section is simply a knowledge powerhouse on plain English. There is an awesome gobbledygook generator on the site. Currently the site is operating through 12000 members in 80 countries across the globe. It provides ‘Crystal Mark’ to clients’ documents as a seal of approval for a specified fee. The site presents interesting awards each year like the ‘Golden Bull Award’,’Foot In Mouth Award’,’Media Award’ etc. for the best and worst examples of English.
PLAINENGLISHFOUNDATION.COM
This Australian site has an honest-to-goodness approach. It is simple, clutter-free and easily navigable. On its homepage the site proclaims with sheer determination to “improve public communication by helping organizations to use plain English in their writing.” Its services include auditing and evaluation, training and editing and engineering pertaining to plain language. If there is an award for ‘Plain Design’ in the field of plain language websites, the site would have bagged the one hands down.
PLAINLANGUAGENETWORK.ORG
It is the official website of the Canada-based ‘Plain Language Association International’, a nonprofit organization of plain language advocates, professionals and organizations committed to plain language. Its main objective is to promote plain language in writing within Canada. The site is so engrossing that even the grumpiest ‘officialese’ lover will fall for it and might change his or her views regarding plain English. The external links provided on its ‘Resources’ page are truly helpful and captivating. The most interesting feature of this site is that it provides every resource for free.
CENTERFORPLAINLANGUAGE.ORG
The center advocates for clear communication and plain language everywhere. It focuses on tracking plain writing legislations in the USA and around the world. Though it has got entry to our list, it lacks on one count. The site does not offer any direct training rather it maintains a referral list of companies. The unputdownable ‘Plain Language Blog’ section is surely its forte. Each year the center bestows the ‘Clear Mark and Wonder Mark’ awards for the best and worst in plain language.
PLAINLANGUAGE.GOV
This website is actually a platform of US federal employees from many different agencies and specialties who back the use of clear communication in government writing. The community is officially known as the ‘Plain Language Action and Information Network’ (PLAIN). The cornerstone of the site is to help save money and time of federal agencies and provide better service to the American people through the use of plain English in government writing. It provides specific tools and tips to improve the content of government websites in the USA. Plainlanguage.gov has developed a set of useful and trustworthy ‘Plain Language Guidelines’ for government agencies and departments.
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