The Plain English Campaign (PEC) is a commercial editing and training family-run firm based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1974 by Martin Cutts and Chrissie Maher,[1] , the company positions itself as a leader in plain-language advocacy, working to persuade organisations in the UK and abroad to communicate with the public in plain language.
In 1990, the Plain English Campaign created the Crystal Mark, its commercial seal of approval sold to some of its customers. This is a symbol printed on documents which it considers to be as clear as possible for the intended audience. According to the Plain English Campaign, the symbol appears on over 18,300 documents worldwide. They also give out the annual Foot in Mouth Award for "a baffling comment by a public figure"[2] and the Golden Bull Award for "the worst examples of written tripe"[3]. Notable winners of the Foot in Mouth Award include George W. Bush, Gordon Brown, Richard Gere, and Donald Rumsfeld.
The Plain English Campaign has worked all over the world for companies and organisations including British Gas,[4] British Telecom,[5] Irish Life,[6] Telefónica O2[7] and the World Bowls association.[8] It has also worked with the majority of UK council and government departments. Many UK forms and bills carry the Crystal Mark, including the British Passport application form.[9]
Although it is a commercial company, the Plain English Campaign is often described in the media as a pressure group,[10] and regularly makes public comment about language-related news stories, particularly jargon.[11] In 2008 it criticised a consultation document sent to residents living near Heathrow Airport.[12] The year before, it mocked signs put up by police in Hertfordshire that warned the public not to commit crime.[13]
In 2006 its supporters voted Bill Shankly the author of the greatest footballing quotation of all time.[14] A 2004 survey revealed that ‘At the end of the day’ was considered the most irritating cliché.[15]
Chrissie Maher was awarded the OBE in 1994 for her services to plain communication.
Famous supporters of PEC include Margaret Thatcher [1]and broadcaster John Humphrys.[16]
But the Plain English Campaign has frequently been criticized by journalists, professional copy editors and language teachers trainers for giving poor advice and for frequent mistakes in its own use of English. For example Oliver Kamm wrote in the Times[17]
| “ | The joke - not that it's funny - is that a body ostensibly concerned with clarity of language is both incompetent in its own use of English and heedless of the task it sets itself. | ” |
| — Oliver Kamm, Plain English Baloney II: The Times March 24th 2004 | ||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b D E Ager "Ideology and Image" "Ideology and Image", May 2003
- ^ "Bush leaves White House with Lifetime Achievement Award from Plain English Campaign". Plain English Campaign. www.plainenglish.co.uk. 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-15. [dead link]
- ^ "PEC Awards". Plain English Campaign. www.plainenglish.co.uk. 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ British Gas, "Our commitments to you" "British Gas website",,
- ^ BT Today, "Help site is crystal clear" "Bttoday newslist", January 18, 2008.
- ^ Irish Life, "Irish Life case study" "Case study", December 2006.
- ^ Laurence Wardle, "Ofcom review of alternative dispute resolution schemes" "Report and draft recommendations", 4 October 2005
- ^ World Bowls, "Laws of the sport of bowls" "World Bowls", 2006.
- ^ Cabinet Office, "The Six Service Standards for Central Government", "The Six Service Standards for Central Government", July 2001
- ^ Paul Majendie, "George Bush loses close run for Foot in Mouth" "Reuters", December 11, 2007.
- ^ Anna Lagerkvist, "ID theft special: is jargon confusing computer users?" "Digital Home", October 21 , 2006
- ^ UK Airport News,"MP and Plain English Campaign back calls to extend Heathrow consultation" "Heathrow Airport news",January 23, 2008
- ^ BBC News "Police mocked for 'obvious' signs" "BBC News website", September 13, 2007
- ^ Sky News, "Best Footie Quote Ever?" "Sky News website", July 07, 2006
- ^ BBC News, "Campaign's call to ditch cliches" "BBC News website", March 24, 2004,
- ^ BBC Press Office, "John Humphrys" "Biographies", December 2004
- ^ See permalink article here [1]
External links edit
- "Plain English Campaign". Retrieved 2008-02-05.
{{cite web}}: Text "Homepage" ignored (help)