HISTORIAS Manuel Espejo
Plain Language and Democracy
Plain Language, also known as Plain English in Anglo-Saxon countries, is a clear and efficient style of communication that ensures people can easily grasp the intended message, whether it's conveyed in writing or orally. Essentially, Plain Language is synonymous with understandable language.
At its core, Plain Language is founded on the principle that documents should adapt to their target audience, rather than expecting the audience to adapt to them. The responsibility lies with the document to be comprehensible to most people, not the other way around.
Plain Language is characterized by two fundamental components:
• A Philosophical Approach: This philosophy advocates that documents created for broad audiences should be readily understood by the majority of citizens.
• Practical Techniques: It encompasses a set of techniques aimed at enhancing the comprehensibility of written texts for most readers.
The efficacy of these techniques is well-established and goes beyond question.
Plain Language represents another stride in humanity's journey toward democracy, individual rights, and freedom. It empowers people from various backgrounds to achieve a level of understanding of written content that might be unattainable with technical or convoluted language. In essence, Plain Language is a leveling and democratizing force, an unprecedented social phenomenon in the history of mankind. As a social movement, it propels humanity toward greater knowledge and democracy, elevating the intellectual capabilities of the population while nurturing a critical mindset. This, in turn, fosters democracy, protects individual rights, upholds citizens' freedom, and encourages participation in public life.
The primary objective of Plain Language is profoundly practical: to make life easier for the majority. It hinges on the notion that all individuals should be able to comprehend texts addressed to a broad audience on the first reading.
In many countries, Plain Language has been embraced as a means to democratize governmental structures. By rendering official and public documents more user-friendly, it enhances their acceptance and utility. The advantages of Plain Language are undeniable. Numerous public and private institutions have adopted these techniques to transform complex and verbose language into reader-friendly and useful content.
While Plain Language has historical antecedents, it primarily comprises linguistic techniques developed in recent decades. It is a living trend, with its influence expanding globally. A quick online search for Plain English or Plain Language yields hundreds of documents from various countries.
Plain Language is a philosophy poised to experience exponential growth in all free societies worldwide. In the coming decades, it will be a dynamic force in society, intrinsically linked to the democratization of state structures.
This practical utility of Plain Language stands in stark contrast to being a theoretical or academic construct with dubious practicality. It serves as a conduit for many to access higher levels of knowledge about reality, which might otherwise remain beyond their reach.
Moreover, Plain Language delivers significant resource savings for society. Enhanced understanding of written or spoken content diminishes the need for clarification and rectification. The benefits of Plain Language extend beyond the realm of public administration; businesses can reduce costs simply by adopting Plain Language in their communications. All of this is accomplished without sacrificing legal certainty; on the contrary, Plain Language bolsters clarity in contracts, reinforcing their legal enforceability.
Plain Language and Democracy, by Manuel Espejo