by Mark Bloom | May 10, 2013 | Editing
Write in Plain Language; It Helps Everyone
There is a movement gaining traction across America: writing in plain, understandable English. Plain language is, as William DuBay said, “a literary style that is easy to read because it matches the reading skill of the audience.”
Government agencies are adopting the tenets of plain language. Lawyers are hiring editors to “translate” their legalese into English that anyone with an eighth-grade education can understand. And more and more businesses are gradually coming around to the benefits of using plain English in their communications.
A New Wrinkle in Communications
In retrospect, it seems obvious that easily understood writing would help everyone — from those with a message to relay to those trying to read that message. The plain language movement’s goal is to make the written word easier to comprehend. Given that we are all inundated with messages throughout the day, making those messages clearer can make life simpler for many people.
Still, it has taken a surprisingly long time to get everyone to agree that documents should be written in plain English. Detail-oriented lawyers in private and public practice wanted foremost to close loopholes. Business writers assumed their audiences were highly educated. Training in clear communications did not exist.
The Movement Gains Ground
This is not a new phenomenon. Way back in 1972, President Richard Nixon issued a decree that the “Federal Register be written in layman’s terms.” The government — and future Presidents — have mostly continued to push for clearer and simpler written communications.
Like any grassroots democratic cause, the plain language movement has gradually gained momentum. People tired of the confusing status quo and asked for simpler content. They weren’t lazy; they needed to find meaning quickly so that they could make important decisions. Today, we can see the changes… in some places.
Writers still have work to do, but the benefits are becoming clearer as more research is done. For an introduction to plain language, check out the Plain Language Association InterNational (PLAIN) website. You can find cutting-edge information about and examples of plain language in the Wikipedia.
How This Affects You
Ray Access believes in plain language. We apply its principles in all the writing we do, matching our style to the reading skill of the intended audience, as Mr. DuBay recommends. We write for people, not search engines. Our writing is geared to attract more human eyes to your business, which can translate into more sales, greater visibility, and customer satisfaction.
In the process, search engines take note, too, which increases your website’s page rank. It’s truly a win-win scenario.
If you are ignoring your website, it’s likely ignoring you. Get the best value from your online assets. In plain English.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
by Elle Ray | Apr 16, 2013 | Editing
Grammar Matters — No Matter What You Write
Of course we believe that grammar is important; we’re writers, after all. But what if we loosened our standards:
Its time to talk to you about a day-to-day and week-to-week issues. And im not about to talk about the talk every one know does no good. Let me explains that now.
We could go overboard, too, thinking that everyone has a 16-year education:
Inferring the textual concept of proper grammar and punctuation, noun and verb agreement, correct spelling, and all the other tenets of the English language that make it a difficult, yet succinct form of communication among those who have a clear and concise message to deliver and require a medium that appropriately tackles the task at hand, you would think it would be performed accordingly.
Yikes. Please stop us.
The Problem Is Rampant
Since we’re writers, we read a lot. In our research, we have to peruse 100 or more websites a day, so we see it all the time. This kind of writing is rampant. You know it too if you’ve tried to find a quick recipe or picked up a newspaper lately. Sometimes, it’s impossible to get “just the facts.”
Given this dilemma, we’d like to share a bit of good news. There’s a movement afoot called “plain language” that aims to make government documents and legal papers easy to read and understand. But even they get bogged down in trying to look smart by using big words and long, drawn-out sentences. We know — we’ve edited some of their work.
Everyone Loses
One problem may arise from alluringly inexpensive writing services that contract “English language writers” overseas. But we fear most of the errors are due to being either lazy or cheap. Perhaps publishers don’t take the time to read their own copy before going live with it, or maybe they are too tight to pay someone to proofread for them.
As a result, everyone loses. The reader quickly moves on to another webpage or forces herself to read the copy over and over until she understands its meaning. It’s tedious work, and in most cases, unnecessary.
Don’t do that to your customers and your readers. Please stop.
Get Professional Help
Before you publish that article, that press release, or that webpage… contact Ray Access. We’re professionals. We not only do this for a living; it’s our passion as well, so you know we want to do it right the first time.
If you don’t think you can afford us, call for a free estimate. If you want to keep all your work in-house, at least read your copy out loud before you publish it. If you’re not sure, get a second opinion. Give it to a fourth grader to see if she gets it. Sleep on it and then see if it still makes sense in the morning.
Whatever you do, make sure your prose is clear and to the point before you publish it. If it’s wrong or long or poorly edited, it can damage your reputation once it’s published. It may cause your customers, clients or readers to go elsewhere, which is likely the exact opposite reason you wrote it.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
