4.2 Plain Language around the World

• United States. The consumer movement of the 1970s forced plain language into law: New York's 1978 law required plain English in consumer contracts. Business adopted it after proof: Citibank had its promissory note rewritten in plain English (with Siegel & Gale) — the new note was a fraction of the length, and the bank reported savings in processing, queries and disputes. In 1998 the SEC adopted the plain-English rule for prospectuses and issued the Plain English Handbook — its preface by Warren Buffett: "Write the prospectus in plain English… as if you were telling a friend." The US federal government's plain-writing initiatives culminated in the Plain Writing Act 2010. • United Kingdom. The Plain English Campaign (founded by Chrissie Maher, 1979 — famously shredded official gobbledygook in Parliament Square) awards the Crystal Mark to documents that meet its standard; UK consumer and insurance regulations now require fair, plain and intelligible communication. • Australia & New Zealand. Led the world in plain-language legislation and legal education — law reform reports and drafting manuals mandate plain drafting; Australia's drafting manual is studied internationally. (Asprey's Plain Language for Lawyers — on your reference list — is Australian.) • Canada. Plain-language drafting in federal statutes; the Canadian Legal Information Institute plain-language projects. • International organisations. The EU's "Clear Writing" campaign; ISO's plain-language standard…