Call to help banish jargon or praise plain English
Media release, 29 May 2013
Have you read a document or webpage recently and been outraged at the pure gobbledygook? Or seen something that was clear and easily understood?
The People’s Choice categories of the WriteMark Plan English Awards are now open. You can dob in a bad document for the worst ‘Brainstrain’ award and help to banish jargon. Or you can praise a good document for the Best Communication award.
The national awards are held annually by the WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust. They honour the organisations and people trying to make the world a better place by purging waffle, jargon, and gobbledygook from business and government communications.
Trust chair Gregory Fortuin says the People’s Choice categories are wide open for anyone to make a nomination.
“Nominate a bad document or website that’s caused you frustration or worse. Tell your story — the judges need to know. Organisations that receive a dreaded Brainstrain Award often go on to improve their document and make it a great example of plain English. That means your nomination could help thousands of New Zealanders.”
Students throughout the country were the winners when the Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue rewrote their Student Loan contract in plain English after winning the 2006 Brainstrain Award. The rewrite was so good that it won the Best Plain English Turnaround Award in 2012.
“Praising a great document or website also helps the push for plain English,” says Mr Fortuin. “Organisations that win a People’s Choice Best Communication award are more likely to keep up the good work and often publish their win, putting plain English in the news again. Anyone can help the judging panel find and reward a great document — especially if it’s been sent to, or seen, by many New Zealanders. For example, it might be a really clear letter or a user-friendly web page from a bank, local government organisation, or government department”.
Last year the People’s Choice award for Best Plain English Communication went to BreastScreen Aotearoa for its clear, reader-friendly letter showing mammogram results.
Entries for the People’s Choice awards are open at www.plainenglishawards.org.nz.
Ends
For all media enquiries and further information about the Awards, contact:
- Andrea Bolton, WriteMark Plain English Awards, [email protected], 021 670 564
- Gregory Fortuin, Chair, Plain English Awards Trust, [email protected], 021 465 254.