11 WORDS · Language people can use
Find it. Understand it. Use it.
You will learn what plain language means in the ISO standard, and how to make writing people can find, understand and use. It takes 4 minutes.
What is plain language?
It's writing that readers can find, understand and use the first time they read it. That's the definition in ISO 24495-1, the international standard for plain language. This page is organized around those three words.
What does the clip show?
A dosing label, rewritten twice. The first rewrite fails. The second one works. Watch what happens to the numbers.
What is it called?
THE NAME FOR IT
ISO 24495-1 Plain language
ISO 24495-1:2023 · Plain language: governing principles and guidelines
Communication is plain when readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.
Is plain language the same as simple language?
No. Here's a label written by an expert:
EXAMPLE LABEL · NOT MEDICAL ADVICE
Administer 5 mg/kg PO q8h PRN pyrexia. Max 3 doses/24 h.
Here's a "simple" version:
Give your kid some medicine when they feel hot.
Simpler. And now nobody knows how much.
Plain language keeps every fact. It changes only what the reader has to decode:
| Expert | Plain |
|---|---|
| Administer | Give |
| 5 mg/kg | 5 mg for each kg of body weight, number kept |
| PO | by mouth, |
| q8h | every 8 hours, number kept |
| PRN pyrexia. | only if there is a fever. |
| Max 3 doses/24 h. | Never more than 3 doses in 24 hours. number kept |
Every number stayed. Only the code words went.
How do I help people find what they need?
Here is the whole leaflet as one paragraph. How often can you give the medicine?
EXAMPLE LABEL · NOT MEDICAL ADVICE
This medicine is used for the relief of mild to moderate pain and fever. Keep out of reach of children. Store below 25°C. Shake well before use. Give 5 mg for each kg of body weight, by mouth, every 8 hours, only if there is a fever. Do not use if the seal is broken. Ask a pharmacist if you are unsure. Never more than 3 doses in 24 hours. See a doctor if the fever lasts more than 3 days.
The answer is in there, in the middle. Now the same words with headings:
EXAMPLE LABEL · NOT MEDICAL ADVICE
- When
- Only if there is a fever.
- How much
- 5 mg for each kg of body weight, by mouth.
- How often
- Every 8 hours. Never more than 3 doses in 24 hours.
- Get help
- See a doctor if the fever lasts more than 3 days.
- Storage
- Below 25°C, out of reach of children.
The headings are the questions people bring to the leaflet: when, how much, how often. Readers scan for their question and stop there. (This page's headings work the same way.)
How do I help people understand it?
- Use the words your readers use. "Fever," not "pyrexia."
- Keep sentences short. Put one idea in each.
- Keep the numbers. Write them as numerals with their units.
- Put the action first: "Give 5 mg," not "A dose of 5 mg should be administered."
How do I make it usable?
Do the work the reader would have to do. Instead of "5 mg for each kg," give the answer for common weights:
| Child's weight | Give |
|---|---|
| 10 kg | 50 mg |
| 15 kg | 75 mg |
| 20 kg | 100 mg |
| 25 kg | 125 mg |
And give them a place to keep track, so they don't have to remember when the last dose was:
| Time given | |
|---|---|
| Dose 1 | |
| Dose 2 | |
| Dose 3 |
TAKEAWAY
Plain isn't childish.
Plain is usable.
How do I check my own writing?
- Find. Can a reader locate the answer to their main question in a few seconds? Do the headings say what's under them?
- Understand. Would they know what every word means? Is each sentence about one thing?
- Use. Can they act on it right away? Is there any math, lookup or remembering you could do for them?
How can my agent help?
Rewrite the text below in plain language, following ISO 24495-1: readers must be able to find, understand and use it. - Keep every fact and number. Don't simplify by leaving things out. - Replace jargon and abbreviations with the words readers use. - Add headings that match the questions readers bring to this text. - Put actions first and write them as instructions. - Where readers would have to calculate or look something up, do it for them (a table, a checklist, a worked number). Then list any fact you could not keep, and why. Text: [paste here]
What good output looks like: headings phrased as reader questions, every original number still there, and at least one table or checklist that saves the reader a step.
Sources
- ISO 24495-1:2023, Plain language, Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines.
- The dosing label is an invented example and is not medical advice.