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THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD make more of an effort to provide all public information in plain English, according to the National Adult Literacy Agency.
NALA said that a recent survey it conducted found that 95% of respondents approve of such a move, noting that almost half (48%) find official documents, including information from the Government, difficult to understand.
Respondents also said that they sometimes find jargon, terms and conditions, and financial information challenging.
The NALA petition had been signed by over 550 people at the time of publication. The organisation is hoping to reach 5,000 signatures.
The document calls for public information such as letters, forms and information leaflets to be written in 'plain English'. This means:
Using everyday words where possible
Explaining specialised terms if they can’t be avoided
Keeping sentences to about 15-20 words
Using a readable font type and size
Example
Here's an example of a standard hire purchase contract term before and after its content has been changed into 'plain English':
Before: Title to property in the goods shall remain vested in the Company (notwithstanding the delivery of the same to the Customer) until the price of the Goods comprised in the contract and all other money due from the Customer to the Company on any other account has been paid in full.
After:We will own the goods until you have finished paying for them.
NALA Director, Inez Bailey, said that "both citizens and governments benefit from clear information, written in plain English".
"Citizens are more likely to understand their rights and governments are more likely to make better use of their resources.
Using plain English can also save the public sector time, money and possible frustration by having to take repeated requests for information.
Last year Britain’s civil servants were banned from using certain jargon, such as: 'slimming down'; 'foster' and 'deploy'.
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A jocose comment but a serious point all the same. Legal documentation in particular has to be very exact and this can often lead to very tortuous wording. It’s to ensure that there is minimal room for misinterpretation. Such documentation aside however it makes perfect sense for the vast bulk of public information to be in plain English.
I agree, Tertullian but it’s also true that lawyers are engaged to draw up documentation that is deliberately confusing to the man in the street. This is often included in Ts&Cs and fine print, the latter being another thing that should be outlawed.
It’s more to the point that our education system should be castigated for producing illiterate school leavers.
This is the proverbial tail trying to wag the dog!
Although, to a degree, I support the ‘dead language’ – the cost is enormous and perverse. Insisting on the useless translation of EU documents into Irish is madness….
Seriously? This is the stupidest thing I’ve seen on here we shouldn’t have to pander to the lazy and less intelligent. Like every thing else if you don’t understand then go find out what it means heaven forbid that people do a bit of work or learn something
Also both those statements are not the same the “jargon” one also covers delivery and any other debts secured on the goods
It’s not pandering to lazy and less intelligent. By making forms complicated we have to guess, fill them in wrong or hire people to fill them in for us.
Try registering a business in CRO. It’s possible but a lot of the questions need you to ask for help. Obviously registering a business shouldn’t be done lightly but some of the questions are obtuse.
I wonder if they deliberately make the wording complicated ? These forms are obviously drawn up by the legal department and should be translated into English-as- she-is-spoken so we don’t all need law degrees to understand them.
They should just have less forms in this country full stop. I just returned after a couple of years abroad and tried opening a bank account in the same AIB branch (convienance) that I had an account in since they came into school in 6th class and gave us all one to put our confirmation money in. I got asked all sorts of shite, same with the Driving License, Tax Office, Car Insurance. Q1 provide a utility bill dated in the last 3 months. A. I dont have one R. Tough Rant Over
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