Plain English Services India from Chillibreeze

More about Plain English Services India The Plain English Movement

What is Plain English Services India?

Plain English Services India is a set of plain English services from Chillibreeze, tailor-made for an Indian audience. We work on your documents to make them plain English-friendly and suitable for a global audience.

As the first established company in India to offer plain language services, Chillibreeze is devoted to promoting the use of plain English in the country. Plain English Services India combines our commitment to plain language with our extensive experience in editing for a global audience.

Is plain English a new form of writing?

Plain English is simply English written in a clear and direct style.

Pompous writing styles no longer impress people. Convoluted, wordy sentences and jargon get in the way of communicating information. When you write simply and clearly, your readers spend less time and energy absorbing what you have to say. The more they understand, the more successful your intent.

Government and non-government agencies in many countries now insist on plain English in all their documentation.

How is plain English faring in India?

The Plain English Movement is yet to make an impact in India as it has in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. Though not formally endorsed, we have many independent practitioners of plain English in India. Jyoti Sanyal, a respected journalist, did much to champion clear and simple English in his lifetime. His Indlish is an irreverent take on English in India and of the pitfalls we need to avoid.

Read more about The Plain English Movement here

Why do I need to write in plain English?

“English that is clear for its intended audience has become the standard to which most well-run countries aspire,” observes Martin Cutts, a pioneer of the movement.

Most literate Indians are active users of English and are part of the global community. To keep pace with the world, we need to absorb a style of writing that is fast becoming the norm.

By communicating in plain English you can improve the efficiency of your organization and build your credibility among a global audience.

What is the kind of un-plain English that Indians need to avoid?

We deeply regret the inconvenience caused. Please accept our apologies for the same.

How many times have we seen this in a mail or letter? Wouldn’t it make more sense to say Sorry for the trouble or Apologies for the inconvenience?

As with any English speaking nation, India has peculiarities that color our usage of the language. Yann Martel did have a point when he said, “They speak a funny English in India. They like words like ‘bamboozle’.”

The East India Company legacy and Victorian English have left a lasting impression on us. Expressions like for your kind consideration, request you to do the needful, earliest possible convenience, your good name are part of the Indian English idiom. Many of our universities still insist on a bombastic style of writing.

It’s time to break free of the colonial influences and write in plain English!

How do I make my business plain English-friendly?

You can start by getting all your content – policy documents, web content, handbooks, user manuals – written in plain English. A trained editor who understands the principles of plain English can help you rework all existing documents and web pages so they are concise and clear.

How can Chillibreeze help?

Chillibreeze offers plain English editing, rewriting and makeover services in areas like technical, legal, web, medical and business writing. We rework content to make it global and concise in style and clear in presentation. Our editors are trained in plain English techniques in sync with developments in the field.

We edit your documents with your subject matter and target audience in mind. After all, plain English does not imply oversimplifying writing – it is writing that communicates effectively to a specific readership.

We also do makeovers of your content, reworking technical manuals or business documents to cater to a specific readership.

Our biggest advantage – as an Indian company with years of experience working for an international clientele, we understand the nuances of both Indian and global English. This means we can convert your content to plain English without losing sight of your original message or misunderstanding it.

If you would like to make your organization plain English-friendly, Chillibreeze offers courses in plain English, with a choice of offline and online training.

Read more about our plain English editing service.

To reach our team of dedicated plain English editors email us at editors @ chillibreeze dot com

Download our Free Guide to Plain English