{"id":2343,"date":"2025-12-04T21:52:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T21:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/?p=2343"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:43:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:43:44","slug":"plain-language-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/2025\/12\/04\/plain-language-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"Plain Language Has No Political Color Because It Supports Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>Plain Language Has No Political Color \u2014 And Europe Is Proving It<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><strong>Today marks an exciting moment in the trajectory of plain language: the European Parliament has officially renamed its translation service the <em>Directorate-General for Translation and Clear Language<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beyond the institutional news, this change reflects something Plainlii has championed from the start: <strong>plain language is not a political stance \u2014 it\u2019s a democratic essential<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Growing Movement Toward Clarity<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Across governments and organizations, plain language is no longer seen as an optional communication style or a kindness reserved for newcomers or vulnerable groups. It is becoming a <strong>pillar of democratic participation<\/strong>, an essential part of public trust, and a practical tool for good governance and effective business.<\/p>\n<p>The European Parliament\u2019s decision to explicitly include <em>Clear Language<\/em> in its official name marks a milestone in this trajectory \u2014 a sign that clarity, accessibility, and transparency are not afterthoughts but core responsibilities.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Plain Language Has No Political Color<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Plain Language has no political color. It\u2019s a tool that serves everyone \u2014 regardless of party affiliation or ideology.<\/p>\n<p>When government agencies, organizations, and businesses communicate clearly, they build trust across the political spectrum. Plain language removes barriers that prevent people from understanding their rights, fulfilling obligations, and taking part in civic life.<\/p>\n<p>In the private sector, clear communication:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>builds customer loyalty<\/li>\n<li>prevents disputes<\/li>\n<li>reduces operational complexity<\/li>\n<li>and saves time and money<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Clarity benefits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Conservatives<\/strong> who want efficient, accountable institutions<\/li>\n<li><strong>Progressives<\/strong> advocating for accessible services<\/li>\n<li><strong>Independents<\/strong> seeking transparency in decision-making<\/li>\n<li><strong>All people<\/strong> who deserve to understand information that affects their lives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Plain language works because it belongs to no one \u2014 and everyone.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why the European Parliament\u2019s Move Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Parliament\u2019s new name signals that plain language is becoming embedded in the very structure of European democracy.<\/p>\n<p>It acknowledges that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>translation and comprehension must go hand in hand<\/li>\n<li>multilingual democracy depends on accessibility<\/li>\n<li>citizens deserve information they can understand immediately<\/li>\n<li>clarity is essential for trust, equity, and democratic legitimacy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This isn\u2019t branding. It\u2019s an institutional shift \u2014 and a powerful example for governments worldwide.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2344\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2344\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2344\" src=\"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pl-all-300x274.jpg\" alt=\"Plain Language benfits all Two speech bubbles in red and blue intersect.\" width=\"300\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pl-all-300x274.jpg 300w, https:\/\/plainlii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pl-all-768x701.jpg 768w, https:\/\/plainlii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pl-all-13x12.jpg 13w, https:\/\/plainlii.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pl-all.jpg 931w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2344\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plain Language has no political color. It&#8217;s a tool that serves everyone\u2014regardless of party affiliation or ideology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Pomp and Gobbledygook Close Doors. Plain Language Opens Them.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pompous and dense writing exclude rather than informs, and at best gives &#8220;the illusion of having learned&#8221; (see a Dr. Fox Experiment, <a href=\"http:\/\/romanfrigg.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/links\/Dr_Fox_Lecture.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">paper<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RcxW6nrWwtc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a>) . Bad writing allows bad actors to hide harmful terms and gives pedants a<\/p>\n<p>space to mask their ignorance. This happens both in public-facing communication and in technical documents in which writing becomes unnecessarily complicated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Technical complexity is not the enemy. Unnecessary opacity is.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Subject-matter experts need precision, and focused fields genuinely require specialized terminology. But too often, technical communication becomes dense by habit, not necessity \u2014 written to impress peers rather than communicate. Internally, this breeds confusion, slows decision-making, and creates silos where only a few people truly understand what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, outside of expert circles, people sometimes use jargon-laden lay language \u2014 not because it\u2019s clearer, but because it <em>sounds<\/em> authoritative. The effect is the same: it shuts people out.<\/p>\n<p>Plain language does the opposite:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>it fosters trust<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>it promotes accountability<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>it strengthens civic participation<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>it empowers both majority and minority voices<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>it supports informed decision-making inside organizations and industries<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>it helps experts communicate accurately <em>and<\/em> accessibly without sacrificing precision<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Good governance and good business both require informed participants \u2014 whether those participants are citizens, customers, colleagues, or technical stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Plain language is how we get there \u2014 together.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Clarity Is the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At Plainlii, we see the European Parliament\u2019s decision as a sign of what\u2019s ahead: a world where clarity is expected, not exceptional \u2014 where people are treated with respect through communication they can understand.<\/p>\n<p>Whether someone is a newcomer or a lifelong resident, multilingual or monolingual, highly educated or learning as they go \u2014 <strong>everyone deserves clarity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Plain language isn\u2019t political. It isn\u2019t ideological. It\u2019s fundamental.<\/p>\n<p>Good communication doesn\u2019t divide; it connects.<\/p>\n<p>Plain language is about thinking clearly and expressing ideas in a fitting style for the audience. Above all, it\u2019s a commitment to <strong>respect and shared understanding in business and civic life<\/strong>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plain Language Has No Political Color \u2014 And Europe Is Proving It Today marks an exciting moment in the trajectory of plain language: the European Parliament has officially renamed its translation service the Directorate-General for Translation and Clear Language. Beyond the institutional news, this change reflects something Plainlii has championed from the start: plain language [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plainlii.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}