Plain Language -- Multilanguage--
Profile of a Pan-European Project
Presentation by Kate Harrison
Reported by Bill DuBay
Kate Harrison, one of the founders of the Plain Language Consultants Network, told of how she moved from Calgary, Canada, to a small northwest town in England in 1998 to set up her own plain-language business. Within a month, she had a contract with Lancaster University to provide plain-language editing and online content guidance to ACROSS, a multinational project sponsored by the Leonardo Da Vinci Program of the European Commission.
The purpose of the project was to develop a Web site in English devoted to the training of program managers in small-to-medium European companies responsible for the training and education of subject-matter experts (SMEs). Its purpose was to look for challenges and solutions that would be common to all participating countries. "With the new European Economic Union," Ms. Harrison said, "many countries, companies, and colleagues are sharing resources, information, and ideas. This project proved to me that plain language crosses borders with ease, and it moves through other languages very successfully."
The ACROSS project was always destined for publication on the Web. As Ms. Harrison explained, "Due to shortages of natural resources and the expenses associated with printed products, the majority of communications and publishing takes place online."
Input for the project came in English from training experts in the participating countries, many of whom used English as a second language.
"I was surprised," Ms. Harrison commented, "to see the similarity of needs as expressed by representatives from eight countries--such diversity of economies and cultures, such commonality of issues! Regardless of whether training was in a business, union, or government environment, the program manager seemed to face similar challenges. Authors drew common conclusions, which were easily identified."
The Web page came to consist of two major sections, the first a description of a program manager's role in each of the eight European countries, and the second an actual course for the training and development of program managers. The course features:
- Training Modules
- Case Studies
- Pilot programs in four countries
- Reference materials
Ms. Harrison's task was to put these all in plain English.
She recognized early on the importance of paying attention to the cultural differences in each country. She said, "Words like educator, trainer, tutor, and teacher all held very different profiles--based on language, politics, culture, economy. We debated at length until we could confidently say we'd chosen terms that would best communicate the meaning to the majority of readers. Our debating was strengthened by the initial agreement on how plain language would be used throughout and a strong commitment to it from the beginning. I did not have to work hard to persuade them to use it, but it was hard work picking apart each term and choosing the best one. It took days, but was a good investment of time."
Her editing strategy focused on problems like acronyms, wordiness, phrases, awkward wording, and idioms. "Second-language editing," she said, "requires careful assessment of terms with double, hidden, or situational meanings."
She also noted how "the same writing style problems continue to get in the way of plain language, regardless of the primary language of the author. This further proved to me why plain language is an internationally recognized need and tool of the communication trade."
In conclusion, Ms. Harrison said, "I encourage you to access the ACROSS project site, as the information is as universal as the plain language process used to edit the final document. Such a broad-based research project on our roles as project or program managers--which many of us do on a daily basis in some form or another--completed with such depth, can only be a useful tool. It moves across borders, languages, and jobs smoothly."
To see the results of Ms. Harrison's efforts, go to the ACROSS Web site at: http://apaja.helsinki.fi/across/