Plain English The magazine of Plain English Campaign - Issue 59 (August 2004) The letter of the law

Last issue we told you about plans to tighten the laws on credit advertising. ”Every credit Not only have the Department of Trade and Industry now outlawed advertisement or hire gobbledygook in adverts for credit and hire agreements, advertisement shall: but they did it in a refreshingly clear fashion (see right). The change is part of a series of regulations aimed at tightening (1) use plain and up the credit laws, including the following measures. intelligible language; • All firms must use the same method of calculating the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), allowing a true and fair comparison. (2) be easily legible (or, • The APR must now be the most prominent financial in the case of any information in an advert. • Any products or services other than the loan itself information given (such as payment protection plans) must have a separate orally, clearly signature box. This will stop people signing up to these extra services without audible) and realising they are 'bundled' with the loan. Our founder-director Chrissie Maher said the battle wasn’t over. “We’d like to see the credit (3) specify the name of agreements themselves be clear and fair, as well as the adverts. the advertiser.” But this is a tremendous first step.”

European Union 25th anniversary

In this Neil Kinnock warns A reader’s personal Chrissie Maher recalls officials to keep it clear article explains why he the day Plain English and concise — or face “will never be a regular Campaign became issue chaos. guy”. official. Page 2 Page 5 Pages 6-7 2 Issue 59 Europe Keep it clear and concise, Europe’s translators plead

European Union (EU) writers are on the lookout Waffle a threat to for wasted words as part of a scheme to cope with the the EU’s future addition of eight new Ireland’s minister for languages. Europe has warned that a Neil Kinnock, the European lack of plain English could commissioner responsible for seriously damage the administration, has ordered European Union (EU). writers to keep documents brief and to the point, to reduce the Speaking at a conference to workload for translators. discuss communication in Europe, Dick Roche said: “If According to spokesman Eric citizens are not better informed Mamer, “We want, under normal suggestion that a meeting was about, and engaged in, the EU, circumstances, our political progressing at the pace of a the future of the union itself documents to be 15 pages long, hedgehog was once translated could be threatened.” but obviously if a document has as, “This meeting is slow, According to Mr Roche, the EU to be longer, it will have to be ponderous and full of pricks.” longer. This is a sort of target, needs to: After the expansion of the not a legal constraint... but then introduce and European Union this year, the • again, everybody wants officials anti- measures; to be short and to the point, so number of official languages it’s an objective you cannot say used by politicians and civil • simplify and improve forms; no to.” servants originally rose to 20. • set up an agency to audit This took the number of At the moment, the average forms (which, for example, potential combinations of would identify any document is 32 pages long. The languages to 190. In practice, backlog of documents to duplicated or otherwise the translators use a relay unnecessary forms); translate is 60,000 pages and, system to cover all possibilities. without this crackdown, the A speech in English may be dealt • simplify legal texts; and backlog could rise to around with first by a translator who develop a code of 300,000 pages within three • speaks English and German, and administrative practice. years after the number of official then passed on by a second languages rose from 11 to 19. translator who speaks German patent valid across the EU. We have often written about our and Swedish. The expansion led Some countries have called for admiration and sympathy for the to a particularly memorable the proposed system to use just translators working for the quote in the Guardian: English, while others have various organisations in the EU. “If you know anybody who can argued that English, German and Documents produced by a translate from Maltese to French is the best compromise. political and administrative Finnish,” said [translation] head And Spain says each patent system are often far from clear, Karl-Johann Loennroth, “please should be written in all the and trying to convey the same let us know.” official languages. meaning in another language is Our spokesman John Lister told surely a challenge. In fact the The plea was unsuccessful, and Maltese was suspended as an the BBC World Service that now European Commission’s was a particularly important translators have their own official language for three years because of a lack of translators. time for such measures. “EU informal campaign, ‘Fight the translators estimate they will Fog’, which urges writers and Following the expansion, reports work on around two million speakers to be as clear as said some legislation may be pages this year. Documents possible in the original language delayed for up to six months need to be clear in the original and avoid using too many similes while a translation backlog is language to allow the and metaphors. cleared. translators to work to their full We don’t know how true the Language difficulties have also potential and give every EU story is, but apparently a led to the collapse of plans to citizen the clear information they German commissioner’s allow inventors to get a single deserve.” News Issue 59 3 Tax and benefit MPs get three minute chaos hampers warning MPs may need to brush up clarity efforts on their plain English skills. Following a report by the House of Commons procedure We’ve often noted the way committee, the Government has that attempts to clarify agreed to try a scheme to allow government forms are more people to speak during a debate. This will involve lengthy hampered by the sheer debates having a half-hour or complexity of the tax and hour-long period during which benefits system. speeches will be restricted to as Further proof comes from a little as three minutes. recent report by Parliament’s At an average speaking speed, Public Accounts Committee this will only allow around 500 to which revealed that mistakes 600 words — though this is still are made in processing about enough to read the Gettysburg 20% of benefit claims. The cost Address twice! of these problems (including genuine mistakes and fraud) is somewhere between three and It’s that seven billion pounds a year. The report also says that the error rate for one benefit, man again Disability Living Allowance, is Edward Leigh MP We couldn’t resist bringing almost 50%. You may remember you these words from a that five years ago the Government admitted that six previous returns to identify Prime Minister’s Question billion pounds a year was not people suitable for the Time where John Prescott being claimed by people who shortened form. stood in for Tony Blair. were legally entitled to the And it seems the Inland Revenue Mr. Peter Luff: What are the benefit. has another reason to promote Government planning to do to Edward Leigh, chair of the plain English. They’ve found a help the Plain English Campaign committee, said that there was new problem with tax-avoidance celebrate its 25th anniversary only one real solution: “Unless schemes (unlike tax-evasion this year? What will the Deputy someone gets a grip and schemes, these are legal ways Prime Minister do personally to simplifies the system, nothing of reducing tax bills): tax help it wage its war on will improve.” advisors are baffling them with gobbledygook? complicated language and legal The Deputy Prime Minister: The There is some good news, jargon. though. Self-assessment tax Honourable Gentleman, from forms will, for most users, be A spokesman said “A small time to time, may get his getting shorter. Rather than number of promoters will, we grammar right, but his thinking giving everybody the full expect, expend time and money on politics and his common 12-page form (which contains in trying to disguise the scheme sense are often missing. And to questions irrelevant to most under layers of detail — so that we can add the sketch users), the Inland Revenue will promoters will be expected to writers as well. But I will not be send a simplified four-page form comply by providing a plain addressing the conference. to people with simpler tax English description of the (Fortunately, we aren’t planning affairs. Tax officials will look at scheme.” to hold a conference!) Builders have been warned to take care The advice, described as “common sense aimed at using slang when they have colleagues keeping workers safe”, gives particular emphasis from overseas. to avoiding irony, and explaining common safety warnings. A building consultant quoted in the The Construction and Industry Training Board Scotsman newspaper said, “At the moment, if you issued the guidance after finding that up to 20% shout ‘Duck!’ on a building site in London, half of of builders in the UK speak English as a second the workers would throw themselves to the floor language. and the other half would look up at the sky.” 4Issue 59 News Finance watchdog One name — adds bite to bark one problem The railway system has always had its own curious use of English: customers We have previously the advert must include have to “alight” or “detrain reported that the Financial details going back as far as the unit”. But now a train Services Authority were possible. If less than 12 company’s name has planning to tighten the rules months’ worth of information caused communication on reference to past is available, the advert cannot refer to past problems. performance in financial performance. advertising. The changes Four organisations in London have now come into force • Firms cannot make past and the East of the country and include the following. performance the most merged to form London prominent feature of their Eastern Railways, a logical • If there is any mention of past advert. enough name. But consultants performance, the advert A warning that past then advised the new company must include a standardised • performance doesn’t to use the trendier brand name table showing annual returns guarantee future results ‘One’. (as a percentage) for the must appear as part of the past five years. The problem comes with main body of the advert platform announcements. • If less than five years’ worth rather than being buried in Passengers have been of information is available, the small print. confronted with messages such as, “The next train to depart platform 4 is the 7.20 Clearer contracts come One service.” Water mouthful to Caribbean consumers A reader in the United States was delighted to Barbados has followed the The Barbados Advocate reports hear some words of European Union’s lead by that some of the contracts most expertise on a university forcing companies to use likely to be affected are those radio station. plain English in consumer for mobile phones, health and fitness clubs, credit card As it was monsoon season in contracts. agreements and banking his area, our reader had As with the European rules, the documents. assumed the heavy rain was to blame for flooding incidents. country’s new Consumer The Act “clearly states that all Protection Act also bans certain But according to the station’s terms in consumer contracts expert the cause was types of unreasonable terms and must be in intelligible language limits the situations where firms “repeated rain precipitation and not contain onerous events”. can disclaim liability. cross-references”. Verwaltungsvereinfachungsmassnahmen

Austria is the latest country used — and often very specific There is also a telephone line for to promote plain language. terms that you don’t normally making complaints against Six departments of the use in everyday life,” he said. excessive legalese. country’s government have “It’s been a tradition in Austria The campaign has even created launched a campaign titled since the emperor’s time. They a new word for the process of ‘Vienna Speaks Plainly’. loved to create an exclusive clarifying documents, which fraternity that shut out appears as the headline of this Businessman Roland Machek everyone else. It’s ridiculous, article. told the Associated Press that and it has to be changed.” unclear language was very It’s not as much of a mouthful as The campaign has involved it seems. It simply means common among public officials. asking 100 citizens to make “They use very old-fashioned ‘simplified administrative suggestions for improving a set procedures’. words that our grandfathers of standard letters and forms. Opinion Issue 59 5 Why I’ll never be a regular guy A personal viewpoint by reader John King

‘Take a few moments to overviews and emerging data. course. I experienced a read the following’, opened Our English idioms are momentary irritation — what is the patient information disappearing as we speak, it with these announcers? But I sheet from the University of vanishing faster than species in must think positive. Hey, no Oxford. ‘Take time to reach the rain forest. They are being worries! The replaced by their cuter just got smarter. And at least your decision’, it continued, transatlantic counterparts, as they’re not saying, “labor-tory” and ‘thank you for taking swiftly as American grey or “appendectomy”. That’s the time to read this’, it squirrels are replacing our native down for tomorrow’s broadcast. concluded. All of us now use red. “Patient did not attend” these catchphrases Mostly, I notice the changes becomes “patient did not show”, within my own field, medicine. obliviously, and it takes an drug names in the British But I suspect the trends are old-fashioned codger like National Formulary have given pretty much universal. To object myself to pick them out and way to those used across the is to be considered reactionary, register a pedantic pond, and it is only a matter of a dinosaur. On the positive side, objection. time before all patients get sick, the new speak can be catchy, rather than falling ill. Our mother tongue is getting a expressive, a neat intuitive way linguistic makeover, big time. At And when they get sick, they of communication. Cool down, its heart is the awesome speed will likely be “diagnosed with” a chill out, get a life, is what my of global communication. No disease. That expression is friends advise me. In plain sooner have catchphrases ubiquitous, yet when I was at English, if you can’t beat ‘em, caught on in California, than medical school you diagnosed join ‘em. Sensible advice, which they are rolled out worldwide. patients with a stethoscope and is why for over a year now I’ve On the internet, we check out tests, as suffering from a been practising turning my voice upcoming events (where before disease. But then, a disease — a up mid-sentence, as if I’m asking we just looked to see what was disorder of communication — is a question. The trouble is, I can’t happening), we check boxes almost what it amounts to in get it right. I’m a resistant case, (where before we ticked them), some cases. The memo on my that’s my problem. No matter and much, much more. A phrase desk reads, “During the building how hard I try, I’ll never get to such as “Mrs Smith called work, the psychologists will be sound like a ‘regular guy’. That’s yesterday” used to mean that working out of their usual why I remain, as I say, a pedantic she visited your house, but now offices.” Well if they are out of old codger, taking the time to it means that she telephoned. their usual offices, where are register these words of protest. Nobody rings any more, and they, I wonder? Nobody knows, (Dr John King is a consultant phones are never engaged — but nobody is exactly sure what psychiatrist who has written they are just busy. month of the year we are in at several plain English articles my hospital either, since half of A recently broadcast period about the scientific basis of us are writing the date aromatherapy. His clear style drama, ‘The Gathering Storm’, backwards, 9/11 style. had Winston Churchill’s has led to appearances on manservant call out, “On my Another sign of the disorder is Medicine Now and Tomorrow’s way”, an expression straight out changed intonation. A musical World.) of Star Trek. In the 1930s he “uh-oh” is beginning to be heard, would have said “I’m coming”, if things are not quite as they but history distorts the past. It should be. Like the cuckoo, it We’d be interested in our is because the Americans won has displaced the indigenous “oh readers’ response to this two world wars that BBC dear” from the nest. Many of us personal article. Do you share commentators now talk about now speak as if we are asking a Dr King’s dismay at the “the Military” instead of the series of questions, the influence of American English Armed Forces. It is also no doubt constantly upturned voice on the written and spoken why in Germany, a new hybrid echoing the accents on word? Or do you feel that the language called “New Deutsch” innumerable imported television style of language used in the has taken over, which is half shows. Not long ago I heard a United States should be German and half American voice on the radio, delivering defended? English. what is now called “breaking Our contact details are on the news”, talking about about back page. We’ll print a At international conferences, something called “Severe Acute summaries and recent findings selection of responses in our Resper-tory Syndrome”. next issue. have gone, replaced by Respiratory they meant, of 6 Issue 59 Anniversary “I still wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. I nearly called it off.”

This summer marked the 25th anniversary of the official launch of Plain English Campaign, when protestors shredded “official gobbledygook” on Parliament Square. But, as our founder-director Chrissie Maher reveals, the launch caused a few nervous moments... before a stroke of luck made the stunt a huge success. The launch in 1979 (Chrissie is on the right of the picture)

When we arrived would see us coming a That night was one of round the back of Big the night before the mile off. I’d never seen the worst I’ve ever Ben. I took a peek into launch, we found a so many police. They had. There was so the Square . . . and spot where we were everywhere. much at stake for me there were camera personally and the crews! By now I was in could park the van The problems seemed campaign I believed in. a panic. I could see too great. There were without getting Mixed with the fear, them and they could two zebra crossings to towed and went to though, was see me; the only navigate with a have a look at the excitement and question was, were the shredder, countless Square itself. I’d anticipation. I had to police watching us boxes, and a been there during build myself up into the both? flat-folding wallpaper same brass-necked the lobbying of the pasting table - all this in We started moving. All Chrissie who’d sat for past couple of years one of the most the boxes were ferried hours outside the but I’d never noticed security-conscious across the road with offices of public officials exactly how areas on mainland little regard for the just to get a chance to imposing the place Britain. cars. I dragged the have my voice heard. paste table across the was. Big Ben It seemed a big risk, I still wasn’t sure I was road and then someone seemed huge. just to give the British doing the right thing. I banged down the public an image of The major problem nearly called it off. Then shredder. I looked over shredded paper seemed to be how to I thought of the press; towards the big standing on a rickety get the boxes and the if they did turn up and Parliamentary gates table. And the press shredder from the van we didn’t, there would and sure enough, the mightn’t even be to the grass. It involved never again be a police were talking into interested. We drove crossing the main road chance to let the whole their radios. away from the Square and, although the country hear our plea. boxes were light, they in silence. It just didn’t We arranged the boxes were bulky and seem as if it was The next morning we in a nice photogenic obvious. The police meant to be. found a parking place wall behind the table Anniversary Issue 59 7

and the press were descending on us from all corners. So were the police. With scores of pressmen crowding in to hear the conversation, one of the policemen spoke. “I must ask you to leave.” Cameras clicked, and the hand shredder churned away. I just stood there and said nothing, so he repeated the order. “Under what law are we being asked to go?” I was amazed at the amount of fuss that was being caused. Even in my wildest fantasies I hadn’t expected so many pressmen. I could hear the radio on the policeman’s Chrissie pictured this summer (Photograph courtesy of Andrew Yates) shoulder. A nervous voice was saying, The policeman was everything up and, “What’s going on over television interviews gracious enough to help after the help they had there? I repeat: what’s hooked in and press the broadcasters get a given us, we tended to going on over there?” clear recording by interviews by the agree. Both policemen score. The constable at his running through it a wished us luck and side took off his radio second time. I could started to move away. We arrived home that and replied, have kissed him, but Then one of them night an exhausted “Demonstration, I’m sure he would have turned back and told us group of peaceful. I’m moving locked me up then! I there were plenty of demonstrators. The them along.” Then he think he knew that we documents in his force next morning, though, told me he was were sincere in our that needed a good it hit us. How on earth ordering us to disperse campaign and had a going over! were we going to live by his powers under little sympathy with us. up to all this and how We told the reporters the Metropolitan Police He really did us a great were we going to keep that all we’d wanted to Act 1839. favour. the momentum going? do was come to What happened next When he had finished Parliament Square and There was still no was a stroke of luck reading it for the bring their attention to money and no political that couldn’t have been second time, there was the everyday problems support, but we didn’t any more helpful for the a short pause. I looked of language, and now care. The ball had Campaign if we’d set it him in the eye and said, we were on our way! started rolling and we up ourselves. It turned “So, in plain English, The press went wild. were sure the out that for the order you mean we’ve got to By the time we had got Campaign would grow. shove off!” It was a to be effective, he had the last of the boxes I thought to myself, to read the relevant historic moment for and the table and Plain English Campaign. “Look out forms, we’re passage from the Act. shredder to the van, I coming to get you!” It was filled with legal There were many more was shaking. It had jargon, and it was so to come. gone far better than If only I’d known what a long-winded that The police were now even I had hoped. We long battle it was going reading it took about trying to wrap had many radio and to be... five minutes. The press were delighted and so was I. They were all shoving microphones “So, in plain English, you mean under his nose and cameras were clicking we’ve got to shove off!” like mad. Welcome aboard Kettering Borough Council Training diary Leeds North West Homes All dates are for our Leeds South East Homes standard ‘Plain English’ Legal and General Retail course unless we have said Investments otherwise. Macmillan Cancer Relief Malvern Hill District Council Belfast Medicines Healthcare products • Wednesday 3 November Regulatory Agency (MRHA) Mendip Housing Limited Birmingham The following organisations Muir Group Housing Association Limited • Wednesday 15 September have earned their first (Grammarcheck) Munro and Forster Crystal Mark since our last • Thursday 16 September issue. Communications Nash Partnership ACE Dental Surgery and Implant National Deaf Childrens’ Society Edinburgh Centre National Screening Committee • Wednesday 20 October Advanced Medical Optics (AMO (Grammarcheck) United Kingdom Limited) Network Q • Thursday 21 October Airparks Services Limited Northamptonshire PCT Alliance Pharmaceuticals Limited Office of Government Commerce London Athena Medical PR Office of the Refugee • Thursday 9 September Applications Commissioner Audiences London (Dublin) • Wednesday 22 September AWE plc (Writing for websites in plain Praxis Community Projects English) Bedford Borough Council PromoCon Disabled Living • Tuesday 5 October Big Lottery Fund Ribble Valley Borough Council (Grammarcheck) Blaenau Gwent County Borough Richmond upon Thames • Wednesday 6 October Council Churches Housing Trust • Tuesday 12 October (Report writing) Brent Teaching Primary Care Richmondshire District Council Trust • Tuesday 2 November (Writing RMC Group plc Brick-Tie Limited medical information in plain Roche Products Limited English) Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust Rosebery Housing Association • Friday 5 November (Plain English in legal agreements) Bromford Housing Group Sedgemoor District Council • Thursday 18 November Central Suffolk Primary Care Simon Miller and Company Estate Agents • Tuesday 23 November (Plain Trust English and forms design) Somerfield and Kwik-Save Children are Unbeatable • Wednesday 24 November (Northern Ireland) South Central Connexions (Advanced Grammar) City of Wakefield Metropolitan Partnership Limited • Wednesday 8 December District Council Sport England Commission for Patient and StepForward Public Involvement in Health Manchester Sutherland Housing Association Wednesday 13 October Corporation of Lloyd’s (Lloyd’s of • (Grammarcheck) London) TF Sampson Limited • Thursday 14 October Council for the Regulation of The DIPEx Charity Healthcare Professionals (CRHP) Tiscali UK Limited • Tuesday 7 December Derbyshire Dales District Council Ultralase Limited Employment Tribunals Service University Hospital of North Plain English Campaign Fastbucks UK Limited Staffordshire PO Box 3 New Mills Forest of Dean Housing Warranty Direct Limited Watford Borough Council High Peak Freeth Cartwright LLP SK22 4QP Genesis Housing Group West Devon Borough Council Govanhill Housing Association Wight Cable (and Wight Cable Phone 01663 744409 North) Human Fertilisation and Fax 01663 747038 Embryology Authority Worcestershire Royal Hospital [email protected] IBM UK Pensions Trust Limited Wychavon District Councll www.plainenglish.co.uk