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Examples: Complicated words clarified
A woman is confused as she reads a document
The goal of the nonprofit Center for Plain Language is to get government and businesses to communicate more clearly to citizens and customers. Take a look at some examples of how complicated documents can get. And offer your own examples of how language can get unnecessarily confusing by commenting below.
Ten examples of phrases simplified
| When the business says... | They really mean... |
|---|---|
| Economically marginalized | Poor |
| Signage indicators | Signs |
| Negative economic growth | Recession |
| Interruption of economic expansion | Recession | Meaningful statistical downturn | Recession |
| Render non-viable | Kill |
| Accidental delivery of ordinance | Bombing your own troops |
| In the event of | If | On the grounds that | Because |
| We obtain information that causes us to believe that | We find that |
Examples of complicated and plain language
1. Medicare letter:
"Investigators at the contractor will review the facts in your case and decide the most appropriate course of action. The first step taken with most Medicare health care providers is to reeducate them about Medicare regulations and policies. If the practice continues, the contractor may conduct special audits of the providers medical records. Often, the contractor recovers overpayments to health care providers this way. If there is sufficient evidence to show that the provider is consistently violating Medicare policies, the contractor will document the violations and ask the Office of the Inspector General to prosecute the case. This can lead to expulsion from the Medicare program, civil monetary penalties, and imprisonment."
Translation: We will take two steps to look at this matter: We will find out if it was an error or fraud. We will let you know the result.
2. National Park Service regulation:
"When the process of freeing a stuck vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area."
Translation: If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away.
3. Arizona Department of Revenue letter:
"The Arizona Department of Revenue has received your Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) license/withholding registration application form and found that insufficient information has been provided to allow us to process your request."
Translation: We cannot process your license application because required information is missing.
4. State Department Notice at foreign embassies: "In order to ensure everyone's safety and to ensure that security screening does not delay entrance in to the Consulate and planned interviews, no electronic devices, including cell telephones, may be brought into the Embassy or Consulate. Large backpacks, suitcases and glass containers are also not permitted. Security personnel will not store items for applicants and will confiscate all weapons. We therefore suggest that all such items be left at home, in a locked car, or with a friend or relative who remains outside the premises.
Documents relevant to the visa and/or passport application are the only items that we encourage applicants to bring with them.
Your cooperation will help to ensure everyone's safety and will help us to ensure that we are able to interview you as quickly as possible."
Translation: To ensure everyone's security and speed processing, you may not bring the following items into the consulate:
• electronic devices, including cell telephones
• large backpacks and suitcases
• glass containers
• weapons of any type
Staff at the gate cannot store any items for you.
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For David Burns and others, I question that “nefarious†is so “excellent.†Using dictionary.com I found some ambiguity in the definition and ambiguity is the enemy of precision.
The most simple one was, “extremely wicked or villainous.†This definition apparently was based on the 2010 Random House Dictionary.
Then the definition sourced from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2009, said, “Infamous by way of being extremely wicked.â€
So is the person or thing being described merely extremely wicked or is the person also infamous and not just extremely wicked.
There are many wonderful words in the English language but many of them have nuances that might just be a slight shading of meaning. Or, sometimes the nuance can make a great difference in understanding from one reader or listener to another.
Simplification, when you do it right, isn't about losing valuable nuance or vocabulary, being curt or less interesting, leaving out key information, or otherwise "dumbing down." Few of us, however bright and inquisitive, have the time or inclination to understand what is meant by every government, financial, medical, and technical communication we receive or are asked to sign. Plain language and sound information design can benefit all of us -- but only if business and government get the message that they need to communicate clearly with us.
This dialogue reminds me of something that I once saw written on an over hood at a fast food restaurant, which read "We, the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful, and have done so much, for so long, with so little, that we are now qualified to do anything with nothing."
Love the examples as well as the comments (haven't heard/read G & S for ages). Is it possible to have some of this wisdom infect a few newsrooms? Newspapers have taken to repaeting entire histories of story lines as if one has never heard of the story; oficials ar repeatedly referred to by their entire title -- at paragraph 15; sentences are turned around and inside out to accomodate some weird 'speech' pattern in print that makes no sense.
Can this wonderful sensibility be put in the water cooler?
I applaud this attempt to increase verbal transparency in our lives through the use of plain english, especially concerning financial statements and federal documents. However, I also recognize that, for the sake of clarity, words that are uncommon or esoteric are necessary; indeed, such terminology is necessary in professions such as government and other pursuits such as philiosophy and theology. While I realize the intent behind this organization's actions, I would hesitate to say that, were it to have greater influence in society, it would be "double-plus good"
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