Plain language: who’s the real expert?

Plain language is important. More and more people don’t fully understand texts from organizations and businesses. Why is that? And why are texts from governments, legal, and healthcare institutions often so complex? Plain language experts around the world have been pondering these questions for years. Fortunately, there are solutions. In fact, this year even saw the birth of an international ISO standard for clear language.

How can you ensure that you communicate in an understandable way, and what is needed to make businesses, governments, and social organizations aware of this? Plain language experts are needed for this. But do we really know them well enough? Lodewijk van Noort of the Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) provides answers and discusses the role that translators and interpreters can play in this.