Plain Language Activists Seek Clarity; Modern Storytelling
04 June 2012
Qiao Ming picks out the necessary tax forms he will need to fill out to file the 2007 income tax returns at the Illinois Department of Revenue in Springfield, Illinois
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Christopher Cruise.
JUNE SIMMS: And I’m June Simms. This week on our program, we learn about the international movement for plain language. The aim is to make information easier to understand. And, later, we look at storytelling in the modern age.
(MUSIC)
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Have you ever received an important notice or other document that you could not understand because it was poorly written? Plain language activists around the world know all about that problem. They say people deserve to have materials like tax forms, legal documents and financial statements written clearly and understandably.
JUNE SIMMS: Last month, some of the world’s leading experts on plain language gathered in Washington for the Clarity2012 conference. Clarity is an international group of lawyers and other professionals. Their common goal is removing needlessly complex language from legal writing.
This was Clarity's fifth international conference. The association began about thirty years ago and now has six hundred fifty members in fifty countries.
Clarity focuses on legal writing. But there are other organizations that provide tools and guidance for plain language in business and government. Among them is the Center for Plain Language in Washington. Annetta Cheek is chairwoman of the center.
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