Center for Plain Language

Excitement grows about Canada’s new accessible plain language standard

Center for Plain Language — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:39:14 +0000

Canada published its first accessible plain language standard on International Plain Language Day, October 13, 2025. The standard is called CAN-ASC-3.1:2025 – Plain Language. It is the product of more than 5 years of hard work by Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) and its Technical Committee for Plain Language.

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What Does AI Mean for Plain Language Writing?

Center for Plain Language — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:02:10 +0000

Writers are increasingly exploring AI out of curiosity or necessity, but many aren’t sure how tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help make their writing clearer and easier to understand. That hesitation makes sense, especially in work where clarity, accuracy, and accountability are core values. AI doesn’t change the goals of plain-language communication. Used thoughtfully, it can support the work writers already do, such as avoiding jargon, making sure information flows logically, and identifying places where readers might get stuck.

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Stop the Scroll: Why Government Social Media Needs Plain Language – Shuly Babitz

Center for Plain Language — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 22:23:53 +0000

There’s a classic Friends episode where Ross, Rachel, and Chandler try to move a couch up a narrow staircase. Ross keeps yelling, “Pivot!” but Rachel and Chandler freeze. They don’t know what he means. Chandler finally snaps: “What does pivot mean anyway?”

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The Federal Plain Language Guidelines Are Missing

Center for Plain Language — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:39:06 +0000

For more than 20 years, you could find the Federal Plain Language Guidelines (FPLG) on plainlanguage.gov. But when that site was recently taken down, the guidelines quietly disappeared.

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Members-only opportunity to advertise with purpose

Center for Plain Language — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 19:35:32 +0000

How listing your company on our Consultant List page boosts your visibility and supports our mission If your organization helps others communicate clearly—whether through plain language, UX writing, accessibility, or content design—there’s one place your company should be seen: the Consultant List page of the Center for Plain Language. As a nonprofit organization championing clear […]

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Honoring Karen Sokohl: Advocate, Colleague, and Friend

Center for Plain Language — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:45:08 +0000

Karen Sokohl joined the Center for Plain Language Board in 2021, eager to serve a three-year term. Her passion for plain language was immediately clear—as was her creative and generous spirit. She was bright, enthusiastic, witty, and always ready to jump in and help.

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Plain Language: Connecting Us Through Good and Bad Times

Center for Plain Language — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 20:55:50 +0000

A year ago, my fellow employees and I officially launched the Town of Chapel Hill’s Plain Language program with an online center of excellence, a style guide, and an ambitious plan to train as many of our staff as possible in plain language basics.

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Clear Language, Fair Justice: Simplifying Debt Processes in Minnesota

Center for Plain Language — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 16:10:41 +0000

At the urging of Ian Lewenstein, a Center for Plain Language Board Member, the Center helped support a medical-debt bill in the Minnesota Legislature. The bill—passed in May—addressed the harmful impact of medical debt on people's lives.

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What is readability and why should content editors care about it?

Center for Plain Language — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 15:17:05 +0000

For an organization, going digital with its communication often reduces cost. Self-service, chatbots, and FAQ sections are increasingly popular to reduce face-to-face or phone interactions.

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Adapting to experts

Center for Plain Language — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 12:05:32 +0000

When it comes to plain language, every subject matter expert has an opinion. They may worry the methods oversimplify their work and will lower their professional reputation. Or they may feel the word choices are less precise or too general and will cause doubt about their research results.

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