NALA's plain English service
What does NALA's work in plain English involve?
Our work involves:
- editing documents for organisations, offering advice on writing style and training staff in the main plain English techniques;
- promoting plain English through the media and at conference presentations and workshops;
- reviewing our own publications;
- working with the Department of Social and Family Affairs to revise their social welfare booklets and application forms; and
- exploring opportunities for projects on plain English with other organisations.
We also produce booklets and other resources for organisations so they may use plainer language to communicate with their customers and other members of the public. These include plain English guides to legal, financial, citizenship and political terms and Simply put, an interactive CD-ROM for organisations, which features plain English tips, exercises, glossaries and sample documents to illustrate plain English at work.
What organisations have used the service so far?
A range of organisations have used the service, including:
- Equality Tribunal;
- Communications Regulator;
- EBS Building Society;
- Dublin City Council;
- Financial Regulator; and
- Health Service Executive.
Plain English Mark
In June 2005, we launched the Plain English Mark, the aim of which is to reward organisations for using plain English in their letters and publications. Organisations that receive the mark for their documents make a strong statement to their customers that they are committed to using clear language and design.
To get the mark, organisations can choose to:
- submit the final version of their letters and publications for a review; or
- have us edit their material and then review it to check that the version ready for print meets plain English standards.
In either case, we use a checklist to help us review the final version of a document and decide whether to award the mark. We have one checklist for documents such as letters, reports, information guides and leaflets and another for application forms.
For more information, contact Clodagh McCarthy at cmccarthy@nala.ie or on 01 850 9115.
