Plain Language

Plain language is a communication approach that prioritises clarity, simplicity, and accessibility, ensuring that content can be understood by the widest possible audience on first reading. In translation, plain language principles are applied to ensure that translated content is accessible to audiences with varying literacy levels, education backgrounds, and familiarity with the subject matter.

Plain language in translation involves several practices: using common, everyday words rather than technical jargon or bureaucratic language; writing in short, clear sentences with simple grammatical structures; organising information logically with the most important points first; avoiding acronyms, abbreviations, and cultural references that may not be understood; using active voice rather than passive constructions; and providing context for technical terms that cannot be avoided.

Plain language is particularly important when translating content for CALD communities in Australia, where the target audience may include people with limited formal education in their heritage language, people who are literate in their spoken language but more comfortable with simpler written forms, older community members whose literacy may differ from younger generations, and people from refugee backgrounds who may have experienced interrupted education.

Health literacy research consistently demonstrates that plain language improves comprehension, recall, and the likelihood that people will act on information — making it a critical approach for health, safety, and government communications.

LEXIGO applies plain language principles to translations where accessibility is a priority, ensuring that translated content communicates effectively to the full diversity of the target audience, not just the most educated segment.

Content that is technically correct but written at a reading level beyond the audience's comfortable comprehension fails to communicate. This is particularly problematic for health information, safety instructions, government forms, and legal rights — content where understanding has direct consequences for the reader.

Applying plain language principles to translation is not about dumbing down content. It is about removing unnecessary barriers to comprehension so that the message reaches everyone it is intended for.