She offers one piece of advice for people who receive long, unclear documents.

ANNETTA CHEEK: “If you don’t understand something, don’t sign it.”

This year, the Center for Plain Language is holding its first contest for best and worst language use. The best entry receives a ClearMark award. Confusing language gets a WonderMark award.

One of the WonderMark entries comes from the communications company, Blackberry. Annetta Cheek says the terms of use for a Blackberry are impossible to understand.

Miz Cheek says the health care and finance industries are known for using language that is hard to understand. Health care has made progress. Several industries are competing for this year’s ClearMark award. But the financial industry remains a problem.

ANNETTA CHEEK: “Part of the issue with the finance stuff, I think, is if people really understood it, they wouldn’t buy it.”

Miz Cheek says, since the nineteen nineties, the Securities and Exchange Commission has tried to get financial companies to give clearer product descriptions. This has helped sales.

ANNETTA CHEEK: “As they move more and more of their product descriptions into a plainer format, the ones with the plainer and easier to understand description sold better.”

She says government has to be involved in requiring clear language because the marketplace has not dealt with the problem.