TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
arroxaneullman -at- aol -dot- com drew our attention to:
> There has been a Plain English movement in state and federal
> government in the US for some time, so I presumed that Great
> Britain also had a similar policy. Apparently, it's
> relatively new for them to disapprove of unclear legalese.
> Nonetheless, I give them credit for taking these steps:
>
>http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE52H3OH20090318
>
> The flip side, though, is a problem with "banned words." The
> moment we star banning words, we infringe on freedom of
> speech. And, as anyone know knows me knows, that's
> intolerable--in the US, Britain, or anywhere.
>
> Arroxane
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I despise bafflegab as much as anyone, but upon reading the story, I
found that many (most) of the listed usage was just wrong, according to
the quoted plain-English translation of each.
In fact, most of those words, like "best practices", "benchmarking",
etc. are useful when used in their proper context. The problem is almost
always that PHBs and PHWBs think it makes them appear more important or
informed if they just sprinkle such terms with liberal abandon. And then
journalists slavishly follow along, and another wave of sludge washes
over the language.
- Kevin
PHB = Pointy-Haired Boss
PHWB = Pointy-Haired WannaBe
You're doing it again, aren't you?
Scrolling down when the message is over and there's nothing to see.
Don't do it.
Restrain yourself.
Your punishment will be swift and gruesome...
See? Told you:
The information contained in this electronic mail transmission
may be privileged and confidential, and therefore, protected
from disclosure. If you have received this communication in
error, please notify us immediately by replying to this
message and deleting it from your computer without copying
or disclosing it.
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing
solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. http://www.doctohelp.com
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
