FAQs (Frequently asked questions)Here are some of the most common questions about Plain English Campaign. If you have any questions about this website, please visit the About this site section.
What is Plain English Campaign?We are an independent organisation fighting against jargon, gobbledygook and other confusing language, while promoting crystal-clear language. We are based in New Mills, Derbyshire, in England. back to top What is plain English?We define plain English as writing that the intended audience can read, understand and act upon the first time they read it. Plain English takes into account design and layout as well as language. back to top Where should plain English be used?Plain English is needed in all kinds of public information, such as forms, leaflets, agreements and contracts. The golden rule is that plain English should be used in any information the public rely on when they make decisions. back to top What's wrong with gobbledygook?We can't put it better than a nurse who wrote to us about a baffling memo. She said that receiving information in this form 'makes us feel hoodwinked, inferior, definitely frustrated and angry, and it causes a divide between us and the writer.' back to top Who funds Plain English Campaign?We are entirely self-funded, which allows us to stay totally independent. We raise our funds through our commercial services, which include editing documents and training courses. back to top Can I join the campaign?If you would like to register as a supporter of Plain English Campaign, click on the words 'Sign up' on the menubar at the top of this page. We will then send you our weekly newsletter and occasional updates about our work.
So far, more than 11,000 people have signed up as supporters. back to top How can I learn to write in plain English?A good first step is our free guide 'How to write in plain English'. We also have a range of guides with advice on writing in specific situations. You may be interested in our training courses. back to top What is the Crystal Mark?The Crystal Mark is our internationally recognised symbol of clarity. It applies to a particular document, and shows that it is in plain English. It appears on nearly 16,000 documents worldwide. back to top Can I get the Crystal Mark for a website?We have a special Internet Crystal Mark scheme for websites. back to top Do you recommend the FOG index or the Flesch test?The FOG index was a very rough measure of readability, created in the 1940s by a man named Robert Gunning. We used it in our first report, 'Small Print', in the early 1980s. However, we do not recommend it, or any other mathematical formula for measuring readability. You cannot give a document a score for plain English - either it is crystal-clear or it isn't. There is no substitute for testing a document on real people. If you use Microsoft Word, you may have seen the 'Flesch reading ease' score. This is based on sentence length and how many syllables there are in the words used. Rudolf Flesch, who created the system, warned that "Some readers, I am afraid, will expect a magic formula for good writing and will be disappointed with my simple yardstick. Others, with a passion for accuracy, will wallow in the little rules and computations but lose sight of the principles of plain English. What I hope for are readers who won't take the formula too seriously and won't expect from it more than a rough estimate." back to top Do you have any examples of gobbledygook?Yes - click here for our examples page. This includes classic gobbledygook from our 20 years of campaigning, some plain English translations, and our new gobbledygook generator. back to top Why did the campaign start?Our founder director Chrissie Maher took up the battle for crystal-clear language after hearing about how two elderly ladies, who had been baffled by a benefits form, died of hypothermia. After fighting for plain English on her own for 10 years, she launched Plain English Campaign as a full-time movement in 1979, infamously shredding forms in Parliament Square. back to top Who are the worst offenders for gobbledygook?In our experience, the legal profession and finance industries cause the most concern. Many companies have worked extremely hard to use plain English, but these industries will always be our main targets. Plain English is about language affecting ordinary people's lives, and people have the right to get the information they need to make informed decisions about money and the law. back to top Are you having any success?We believe we have won the first stage of a two-stage battle. In many cases, we have won the battle to persuade people that plain English is good news for customers, companies and government. We are still working on the second stage - the hard slog of redrafting the gobbledygook, and making sure that writers start to get it in plain English first time. back to top Are there any laws against gobbledygook?Many states in the US require insurance contracts to be in plain English. In Canada and Australia, many new laws must actually be drafted in plain English. back to top |
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© 2006 Plain English Campaign ||| This page was last updated on 7 January, 2008
© 2006 Plain English Campaign ||| This page was last updated on 7 January, 2008