Be time-zone inclusive 🌎

Add the time zone name and the UTC offset to help readers who are not familiar with US time zones. It will also avoid confusion over daylight savings.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Avoid cultural references, like "don't be a Karen" or references to songs, films, TV shows, etc.

Your intended readers may not be familiar with this. Consider expressing differently or explaining (in a footnote?).

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Avoid jargon. Use technical terms carefully (make sure your audience knows it).

Jargon is difficult for readers to understand. Please replace with a more concrete word.

How does using this technical term help the intended reader?

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Avoid unfamiliar or irrelevant terms.

Examples:
BIPOC, “person of color”
POTUS
DMV
March Madness

These terms may not be familiar to/relevant for your intended readers in other parts of the world. Use a different word or spell it out and consider including a brief description.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

The "tomatoes in your eyes" one is a German idiom!

🍅 "Tomaten auf den Augen haben." www.omniglot.com/language/art...

If you were confused about what that meant...exactly lol

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Avoid figures of speech that your intended global readers may not be familiar with.

Example:
🪑 We will table the topic.
🐘 Address the elephant in the room.
🍅 Do you have tomatoes on your eyes?

Avoiding figures of speech also ensures that the message is translated correctly.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Be selective of what to include.

Does your intended reader truly need this information at this point? Including it may be distracting and make it harder for your reader to find, understand, and use the information.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Write informative headings!

Concise, accurate headings help readers quickly find and use the information.

Make the heading into a statement so it helps the reader understand the content.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Put the important information where readers can easily find it (at the beginning or where they expect to find it).

For instructions, present steps chronologically.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26 #plainlanguage

Organize info for the reader:

✅ Organizing and breaking up the content helps readers find and understand what they need more quickly.
✅ Group together related or similar content (paragraphs, sections).
✅ Add headings.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Now the fun part! Examples of issues that may affect “global” readers. 👀

Use the structure that intended readers expect or are familiar with or that helps them find, understand and use the info.

Examples: IMRAD/hamburger for scholarly, reverse pyramid for news, FAQ format.

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

How to use plain language principles for #editing

✔️ Ask yourself: How will this edit help the intended reader?
✔️ Comment on wording, structure, and design
✔️ Frame the query in terms of relevance, findability, understandability, and usability

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Editing starts with knowing who the intended readers are. Are your readers...

👥 Potential clients or customers
👥 Staff in different countries
👥 People your client organization serves
👥 Donors or partners
👥 Professionals in a specific field
👥 The “general” public

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

#PlainLanguage 4 guiding principles: document must be

✅ Relevant: Readers get what they need
✅ Findable: Readers can easily find what they need
✅ Understandable: Readers can easily understand what they find
✅ Useable: Readers can easily use the information

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

#PlainLanguage is all about centering the reader!

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

What is #plainlanguage?

Plain language is communication in which structure and design are so clear that intended readers can easily find what they need, understand it, and use it.

ISO 24495-1:2023 establishes its governing principles and guidelines: www.iso.org/standard/789...

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

Who is your "global audience"?

✔️ Culture, race, ethnicity
✔️ Age
✔️ Disabilities
✔️ Educational levels
✔️ IT literacy and access to tech
✔️ English skill level, languages
✔️ Many other factors!

#ACESVCON26 #VCON26

First session of Day 2 of #ACESVCON26: Beyond Borders: Plain Language and Editing for Global Audiences by Ema Naito, @theclarityeditor.bsky.social!

#vcon26 #amediting #plainlanguage #editing #editorsky

We're speaking @ #ACESVCON26 ✨ TOMORROW ✨ at 3:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 18.

Join @carolinavonkampen.com, @editrix-rachel.bsky.social, @raqueledits.bsky.social for our #VCON26 panel “Red Flag Roulette Live! Navigating Difficult Conversations With Authors and Clients.”

stetchat.com/aces-vcon26/

If you're attending ACES #VCON26, which sessions are you excited to attend?

If you're #NotAtACES, which sessions do you wish you could attend?

carolinavonkampen.com/aces-vcon26-... #amediting #edibuddies #editing #freelanceeditor #acesvcon26