The Making of the International Standard for Writing in Plain Language ISO 24495-1: Its Usefulness, Content, and How It Came into Existence

Abstract

There is ample evidence across many domains that writing in plain language saves time or money or both for readers and organizations. Communication in plain language is generally more effective and produces better outcomes than traditional writing. In many contexts, readers prefer plain language over traditional writing styles, and use of plain language fosters the building of trust. Finally, the process of translating is usually more efficient for plain language documents.

In July 2023, after many years of development, discussion, and alignment, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published a standard for plain language. This publication makes an internationally developed and agreed-upon standard available to all people interested in the use of plain language. It is an authoritative source developed by plain language practitioners, linguists, technical writers, designers, and text creators from many different countries. The standard will help all writers (authors) to make their texts (documents, web pages, etc.) most useful for the intended audiences (readers, users). It applies to most written languages and reflects the most recent research on plain language and the experience of plain language experts.