May plain English training - a great success

On Wednesday 30 May, 22 people attended our one-day training programme on plain English in Dublin. They came from organisations such as the Pensions Ombudsman Office, the Road Safety Authority of Ireland and the Health Service Executive. The training covered why plain English is important and how best to use it. Participants also practised their newly learned plain English editing skills with practical examples and exercises. The feedback from the day was really positive with many wanting more training. Thanks to all the participants. We wish you well sharing your knowledge of plain English with colleagues and friends. If you are interested in plain English training contact Claire O'Riordan on (01) 412 7922 or by email at coriordan@nala.ie.

NALA Plain English Editor Training 2012

NALA seeks to train new Plain English Editors and invites suitably qualified applications
Deadline for applications: 3 April 2012
Training dates: 19 and 20 April and a day in October
NALA is the national leader in plain English editing and training. To meet demand, we are looking for a small number of suitably qualified applicants to participate in our NALA Plain English Editor training programme. The training will be over three days and will require 60 hours out of course assignments.
NALA invites applications for suitably qualified and or experienced people who would like to be NALA Plain English Editors.

Ideal candidates are those who have:

• a qualification in English such as journalism, editing or English language,
• experience of writing a wide range of documents and leaflets for different audiences and purposes,
• strong organisational and time management skills, and
• an understanding of plain English.

All selected trainees will have satisfactorily completed an initial NALA assessment of their competence in written English. Successful completion of our training programme means you can join our NALA Plain English Panel. Currently our editors are self-employed.
Applicants will be selected based on NALA's discretion and will be strongly influenced by the small number of training places available. NALA does not guarantee regular editing jobs to those who successfully complete training. This course is free to those who successfully complete it and become NALA editors.

If you are interested in applying for this programme, call or email Claire O'Riordan, (01) 412 7900 or coriordan@nala.ie

NALA contributes to world's first universal design standard 'Swift 9'

We are delighted to announce that NALA’s Plain English Guidelines are now an integral part of The National Standards Authority of Ireland’s new document ‘SWIFT 9 Universal Design for Energy Suppliers'. This is the world's first universal design document for Energy Suppliers. By following NALA's guidelines in the document, energy suppliers will be writing and speaking with their customers using plain English. Energy Suppliers are already contacting NALA for plain English editing and training. They are particularly interested in getting our plain English Mark for their letters and customer charters as it shows that they are committed to clear, transparent communication with their customers.

Launching the SWIFT 9 document Minister for State Fergus O'Dowd, T.D. said, “SWIFT 9 is the first standard to be developed internationally that embraces good design, guidance and functionality by our energy suppliers, focusing on all end users, ensuring access to information and services. It recognises the customer’s right to be at the centre of services and in time the adoption of Universal Design will lead to a more inclusive and understanding Irish society. Energy suppliers such as Airtricity, Bord Gáis Energy, Electric Ireland, Energia and Flogas are at the forefront of customer service design and provide the foundations on which other customer focused businesses can build.”

The full press release from the SWIFT 9 launch can be found here on the NSAI website