Plain Language is for Everything

Tiara Whitlock
1 day ago
2 min read

Here at the Clear Language Lab we seize every opportunity to talk about and uplift plain language. We know the importance of making information accessible and understandable for everyone.

We’ve shared how plain language can help in healthcare, government and education. To show that plain language works everywhere, we want to highlight some other spaces you may not have thought of that are utilizing plain language.

Sports and language access

With athletics moving to a more globalized experience where nations are coming together to compete, language accessibility is now a key component of major sport event planning. Interpretation and translation services both on site and over the air waves are still in the growth stage. However, language inclusivity is being recognized as a key way to keep the industry thriving.

Fitness without jargon

Fitness professionals have recognized the value in eliminating jargon in order to help people better understand how to stay healthy. Using everyday language helps a broader audience stay active.

Plain Language at the polls

When it comes to elections, plain language can help low literacy voters understand important information when they vote. When information is hard to understand, these people can skip words, lose focus, or stop reading altogether. In some cases, confusing language can make it unclear whether a voter is choosing for or against an issue. Plain language helps make sure the right information connects with voters, so they can take informed action at the polls.

Food Service Certification

When taking food safety trainings, low literacy participants had more of a challenge understanding the materials and staying compliant with the required learning. When asked, the food service workers stated that they would prefer to have “fewer words and more pictures” with both online and hands-on training. These are things that are characteristic of plain language materials.

Gaming with alternative communication

Yes, even the gaming industry benefits from plain language! Helping users with alternate ways to communicate in games whether it’s their native language, speech-to-text, or using visual symbols helps to increase access to games. This way gaming can be enjoyed by an even wider audience.

Conclusion

As you can see, plain language is for everything! It is good to see more sectors recognizing and embracing the value of making things easy to find, understand, and use for those they serve. No matter the industry, plain language helps everyone participate fully. That’s why we believe it should be the standard, not the exception.