Finnish Defence Language Centre Aiming your words right: using plain language in the office Laura Murto-Lindén Language Specialist Finnish Defence Forces BILC Conference 2013 Tblisi, Georgia

Finnish Defence Language Centre Something needs to change English language skills Administrative procedures

Finnish Defence Language Centre Readability = an interplay between text and reader Those features of the reader that make reading easy are: Prior knowledge Reading skill Interest Motivation Those features of the text that make reading easy are: Content Style Design Organization

Finnish Defence Language Centre

And what they’re actually saying is…

Finnish Defence Language Centre Example from US Army Regulations: the original version Methods of Transmission or Transportation: Secret Information. Administrative procedures shall be established by each DoD Component for controlling Secret information and material originated or received by an activity; distributed or routed to a sub-element of such activity; and disposed of by the activity by transfer of custody or destruction. The control system for Secret information must be determined by a practical balance of security and operating efficiency and must meet the following minimum requirements: It must provide a means to ensure that Secret material sent outside a major subordinate element (the activity) of the DoD Component concerned has been delivered to the intended recipient... It must provide a record of receipt and dispatch of Secret material by each major subordinate element. The dispatch record requirement may be satisfied when the distribution of Secret material is evident and addressees or distribution lists for classified documentation... Records of receipt and dispatch for Secret material shall be retained for a minimum of 2 years...

Finnish Defence Language Centre The “simplified” version Transmission, Methods: Secret. You may send secret information by US Registered Postal Service mail within and between the United States and its Territories. You may use Federal Express and U.S. Post Service Express Mail for transmitting secret mail within the United States and between the United States and its Territories under the following STRICT condition security: –Mail should meet the weight and size limits of the carrier used. –You should follow the inner wrappings and receipt requirements in this handbook. –You should ensure delivery by Friday so that the carrier is not in possession of the package over the weekend.

Finnish Defence Language Centre The NATO job description

Finnish Defence Language Centre Readability ScoreAverage age of reader Approx. school grade 0.0 – 30 Best understood by university graduates Tertiary degree Easily understood by 13- to 15- year-old students 7th or 8th grade 90 – 100 Easily understood by an average 11- year-old student 4th grade Interpreting the readability score

Finnish Defence Language Centre This is how you make Microsoft Word display readability statistics Tools → Options → Spelling & Grammar tab →  Show readability statistics (left-hand corner) Word will display the readability statistics of your document after you have run it through spell check.

Finnish Defence Language Centre If your audience can… find what they need understand what they find use what they find you have written in plain language.

Finnish Defence Language Centre First example, part 1

Finnish Defence Language Centre First example, part 2

Finnish Defence Language Centre A letter addressed to boys under 18 with dual FIN-US citizenship

Finnish Defence Language Centre Reading “ease”: best understood by university graduates Grade level: university

Finnish Defence Language Centre A “simplified” version of the same letter

Finnish Defence Language Centre Reading ease:fairly difficult Grade level:some high school

Finnish Defence Language Centre In the classroom Ask your students to consider WHY they are writing. Do they want to: -Inform -Impress -Intimidate -Convince -Conform -Sound like a native speaker -Show authority?

Finnish Defence Language Centre Plain language in the office: a question of attitude Describing problems in NATO communication as “language proficiency shortfalls” is not helpful. Successful communication is a two-way process. Just what sort of language should our students be proficient in?

NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY FINNISH DEFENCE LANGUAGE CENTRE THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Finnish Defence Language Centre References Smart Language, Readers, Readability, and the Grading of Text, William H. DuBay © 2007 (slide 5) (slide 10-11) (slide 13) (slide 14) (slide 15) Talouskasvua? Ensin pitää osata lukea. Annamari Sipilä Helsingin Sanomat 29 NOV 2012 The cartoons on slides 4 and 12 have been reproduced free of charge. The one on slide 12 requires a small licence fee: Please do not copy the cartoon.

Finnish Defence Language Centre