“You have a writing assignment due for next week.” There was a collective moan of disappointment across my fifth grade classroom, but my mind was already racing through possible topics. I loved writing assignments!
Our French teacher, Mr. Ouellette, wanted us to elevate and hone our writing skills. He directed us to go above and beyond and replace plain words we used every day with more worldly ones. He wrote a few examples on the board—the rarer the word, the better. I gathered my French dictionary and my dictionary of antonyms and synonyms. I sharpened my pencil and got to work with my reference material sprawled across the kitchen table. I confidently handed in my assignment.
A few weeks later, Mr. Ouellette announced that he had reviewed our assignments and that there was one in particular he wanted to read to the class. He put on his glasses, cleared his throat, and started to read. I instantly recognized my writing. I was flattered that he thought my work was good enough to share with the class; but at the same time, I’m an introvert, and I could feel my face turning crimson red. It only got worse.
Amongst the many synonyms I’d looked up was the term obscurité totale (total darkness or complete obscurity), which I’d inserted somewhere in my paper. I remember that term for two reasons: my teacher put a lot of emphasis on it, and it also gave birth to my new nickname. From that day up until I graduated high school, humorous classmates would periodically call me “Obscurité totale”!
My introduction to plain language
Fast-forward many decades: I began my career at Service Canada as a benefits officer. I witnessed first-hand how many of my clients felt intimidated and confused by governmental correspondence, and I often found myself explaining processes, forms, letters and legislation in plain language.
I’m now part of the Content Chapter for the Service Experience Delivery and Design (SEDD) workstream within the Benefits Delivery Modernization Programme. I’m learning techniques on how to review and create online content for the public. The use of lengthy, sophisticated, rare words is not only frowned upon but downright condemned. I'm sure my Grade 5 teacher would be disappointed.
The importance of plain language and how I use it
According to the International Dyslexia Association (opens in new tab), 15% to 20% of the population has a language-based learning disability. According to the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (opens in new tab), nearly half of adult Canadians have literacy challenges. In fact, many Canadians struggle with completing ordinary tasks such as filling out forms or reading a newspaper article. The lowest-scoring groups include not only new Canadians with a native language other than English or French but also English and French speakers born in Canada! This is why public-facing content must be at a reading level of Grade 8 or lower.
That’s where my team comes in. As SEDD creates and improves digital products to better serve Canadians, one of my team’s mandates is to review and write content in plain language. To prevent readers from feeling overwhelmed, we make critical information accessible and easy to read for everyone. We do this by:
- using common and well-known terms
- using words with two syllables or less
- writing shorter sentences and paragraphs
- eliminating acronyms, initialisms, jargon, idioms and expressions
- using bullet points to break up blocks of words and sentences
In addition to using these techniques, we use readability tools to evaluate English and French content. Finally, we keep the tone informal and informative but also professional. It’s a balancing act that’s worth every effort.
How do we initiate lasting change within an organization as large and diverse as ours? We create legislation.
The summary of the Accessible Canada Act (opens in new tab) describes the Act’s purpose, which is to make Canada a barrier-free country by January 1, 2040. And one of the principles on which the Act rests is that “everyone must be able to participate fully and equally in society.” The future is looking bright!
From obscure to plain and simple
As for me, I still use a synonym dictionary, except it’s now online. Instead of taking simple words and replacing them with more lengthy, complex ones, like I did back in my Grade 5 class, I take those lengthy, complex words and search for shorter, more common words to replace them with. The power of language cannot be underestimated, and I’m sure Mr. Ouellette would appreciate that the time and place for big, obscure words is not in documents intended for the public.
