Avoid buzzwords in favour of plain English
By
Tim North
info@betterwritingskills.com
http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
Become a member of TranslationDirectory.com at just
$12 per month (paid per year)
buzzword
(noun): A word or phrase ... that usually
sounds important or technical and is used primarily
to impress laypersons.
www.dictionary.com
I'm
a big believer in keeping writing simple. Long winded
or pompous writing is harder for readers to understand.
Also, it usually leaves them with a poor impression
of the writer. So who benefits from it? No one.
Deloitte
Consulting’s "Bullfighter" web site provides
many examples of buzzword-laden nonsense taken from
actual publications. Can you decipher any of these
monstrosities?
A future-proof asset that seamlessly empowers your
mission critical enterprise communications.
A value-added, leverageable, global knowledge repository.
Repurposeable, leading-edge thoughtware that delivers
results driven value.
This assumes an even greater importance when we
repurpose global value to jump-start scoping and
visioning.
We excel at the dissemination of scalable, extensive,
global initiatives and their socialisation throughout
an entire enterprise.
Would
you buy a used car from someone who wrote like that?
:-)
Good
writing isn't about demonstrating your vocabulary.
It’s about communicating your message. The examples
above don't do this. So instead of writing that's
filled with buzzwords, aim for plain English instead.
But
just what is plain English?
The
term "plain English" isn't defined on a
stone tablet anywhere, so it comes down to finding
a definition that seems clear and comes from a credible
source. Here are a few that I found. See what you
think of them:
We define plain English as something that the intended
audience can read, understand and act upon the first
time they read it. Plain English takes into account
design and layout as well as language.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/introduction.html
A
plain English document uses words economically and
at a level the audience can understand. Its sentence
structure is tight. Its tone is welcoming and direct.
Its design is visually appealing. A plain English
document is easy to read and looks like it's meant
to be read.
http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf
(p. 5)
Let's
get rid of some myths first. It's not baby-language,
and it's not language that is abrupt, rude or ugly.
Nor is it language that puts grammatical perfection
ahead of clarity.
It doesn't involve over-simplifying or 'dumbing
down' the message so that it loses precision, force
or effect.
It's any message, written with the reader in mind,
that gets its meaning across clearly and concisely.
http://www.wordcentre.co.uk/page8.htm
Following
any of these links will provide you with lots of additional
information about plain English.
You'll
find many more helpful tips like these in Tim North's
much applauded range of e-books. More information
is available on his web site, and all books come with
a money-back guarantee. http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
Submit your article!
Read more articles - free!
Read sense of life articles!
E-mail
this article to your colleague!
Need
more translation jobs? Click here!
Translation
agencies are welcome to register here - Free!
Freelance
translators are welcome to register here - Free!
|