NALA welcomes Irish consultation on the regulation of small print in consumer contracts

NALA welcomes the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation’s consultation paper on the regulation of small print in consumer contracts (February 2013). This paper outlines laws and rules on small print and other presentation matters in Ireland and elsewhere. NALA is mentioned on pages 9 and 14. It also sets out options for the future statutory regulation of small print and seeks views on these options. NALA is preparing a response to this consultation. The deadline for submitting views is Monday 18 March.

First Plain Numbers Workshop a great success

On January 23 2013 NALA held its first plain numbers event in the National College of Ireland. The workshop was hosted by Daniel Sellers, Numeracy Consultant and Claire O’Riordan, NALA Plain English Coordinator. Participants were shown how to present numbers in a clear, understandable way and took part in exercises that showed how difficult it can be to identify the meaning of numbers. There was also a lively discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of using graphs to display numerical information.

Some helpful tips from the day included writing numbers from one to nine in letters and from 10 on in numbers, for example 12 or 250 and to spell numbers when they appear at the start of a sentence. Another useful tip for presenting numbers in spreadsheets is to align the numbers to the right, as this is the easiest way to read them.

Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please: The Case for Plain English in Business, Government and Law by legal professor Joseph Kimble

We would like to draw your attention to a recent publication on the proven benefits of plain English. Written by Professor Joseph Kimble, this book includes summaries of 50 cases where plain English has benefited organisations by saving them time and money. Fifteen of these cases involve legal documents so this book is a real 'must' for anyone looking to make their legal documents more accessible.
You can find out more information about the book here

2013 - The European Year of Citizens

2013 marks the European Year of Citizens. During the year European citizens are encouraged to discuss how they want to see Europe develop by the year 2020. To do this, it is important that citizens understand issues such as rights and policies. We believe the use of plain English is an important strategy to get citizens involved in this discussion. Plain English resources such as our Plain English Guide to Citizenship Terms will help people have a voice in this important debate. For more information about the European Year of Citizens, click here.