Directorate-General for Translation
European Commission
HOW TO WRITE CLEARLY
This booklet is intended for all writers of English at the European
Commission. Whether your job is drafting or translating, here are
some hints ­ not rules ­ that will help you to write clearly and
make sure your message ends up in your readers' brains, not in
their bins.
Put the reader first page 2
Use verbs, not nouns page 3
Concrete, not abstract page 4
Active, not passive page 5
Whodunnit? Name the agent page 6
Making sense ­ managing stress page 7
KISS: Keep It Short.... page 8
... and Simple page 9
False friends ... page 10
... and other pitfalls page 11
References page 12
Le secret d'ennuyer est ... de tout dire.
The secret of being a bore ... is to tell everything.
Voltaire
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Put the reader first
There are three groups of people likely to read Commission documents:
1. EU insiders (colleagues in the Commission or other institutions)
2. outside specialists
3. the general public.
The third group is by far the largest and most important. As more Commission
documents are made accessible to the general public, criticism of FOG will
increase.
Always bear in mind the people you're writing for: not your committee, your
boss, or the reviser of your translations, but the end users. They are in a
hurry. Don't overestimate their knowledge, interest or patience.
Whatever the type of document - legislation, a technical report, minutes, a
press release or speech - you can enhance its impact by writing clearly. Try to
see your subject matter from your readers' point of view; try to involve them
("you" is an under-used word in Commission documents); and try not to bore
them.
You can avoid irritating half your readers by replacing gender-specific words
(replace "layman" by "lay person"; "salesgirl" by "sales assistant"; "workman"
by "worker").
Avoid "he, she/ his, her" by using "they/ their" instead.
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Use verbs, not nouns
One simple step to clearer English is to change ...
this... ... to this :
by the introduction of by introducing
for the allocation of for allocating
of the provision of of providing
What are we doing here? Turning a noun back into a verb. English prefers
verbs to nouns. Many words ending in "-ion" are simply verbs in disguise. They
are called "nominalisations" (yes, another word ending in "-ion"). Look at
these:
submit an application for apply for
carry out an evaluation of evaluate
implement an investigation of investigate
and there are others which don't end in "-ion":
conduct a review of review
perform an assessment of assess
effect a renewal of renew
So we can improve an unclear text by turning some nouns back into verbs:
The committee came to an agreement to the effect that
a study should be carried out by the consultants into the
feasibility of the provision of national funding.
The committee agreed that the consultants should study
the feasibility of providing national funding.
Sabotage! You can take advantage of this if you want.
If the consultants' report is too candid about the non-feasibility of providing
national funding, just effect the nominalisation of all their hard-hitting verbs
and the result will be sufficiently soporific to send your readers to sleep.
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Concrete, not abstract
English is a notoriously blunt language. Too much abstract language (FOG)
may make your reader suspect that something real and unpalatable is being
wrapped up in verbiage.
In general, if you have a choice between an abstract word and a more concrete
one that means the same, choose concrete. It will make your message more
direct.
Sometimes, instead of this ... : ... you could try this:
establish fix
emphasise highlight
orient steer
eliminate cut out
determine set
objective goal, target
initiating impulse trigger
employment opportunities jobs
negative evolution downward spiral
decisive innovation breakthrough
Sabotage! You can take advantage of this if you want.
"These countries are asking for dates and facts, but all we can give them is
prevarication and obfuscation."
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Active verbs, not passive...
Another easy step to clearer English is to use verbs in the active voice ("the
car hit the tree") rather than the passive ("the tree was hit by the car").
Compare these:
New guidelines have been laid down by the President in the hope that
the length of documents submitted by DGs will be restricted to 20 pages.
The President has laid down new guidelines in the hope that DGs will
restrict the length of documents to 20 pages.
Look how we can improve a text by cutting out passives ... :
bad: A recommendation was made by the European Parliament that
consideration be given by the Member States to a simplification of the
award procedure.
a bit better: The European Parliament made a recommendation that
the Member States give consideration to a simplification of the award
procedure.
and then by cutting out abstract nominalisations:
much better: The European Parliament recommended that the
Member States consider simplifying the award procedure.
...except where passives are useful
You don't have to avoid passive verbs at all costs. They can be useful:
1. If there's no need to say who was responsible for the action because it's
obvious. ("All Commission staff are encouraged to write clearly.")
2. If you want to focus attention on the receiver of the action by putting that
first. ("One of the most controversial members of the European Parliament
has been interviewed by the press about the proposal.")
3. If you want to position old or known information at the start of the
sentence, so you can put new or surprising information at the end. ("After
the Summit the President was interviewed by a ten-year-old pupil from the
European School.")
And of course:
4. Sabotage! If you want to evade responsibility.
"In my department the advice on clear English has been disregarded."
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Whodunnit? Name the agent
If you follow the advice to use active verbs instead of passive ones, your
writing will become clearer because you will be forced to name the agent - that
is, the person or organisation or thing that carries out the action.
It's easy to identify the agent here ... :
This proposal was approved at Commission level.
The Commission approved this proposal.
... but not so easy here:
It is considered that tobacco advertising should be banned in the EU.
Who considers? The writer, the Commission, the public, the medical
profession?
Why not name the agent?
Remember that EU texts have to be translated into several other languages not
all of which can be quite as foggy and impersonal as English. By writing
vague English you are asking for non-matching translations, as each translator
tries to guess what you might have meant and comes up with a different
solution.
Don't be afraid to make "I" or "we" the agent.
This is perfectly acceptable, even in technical documents, and will make your
meaning much clearer:
You have been informed of our acceptance of your project application.
We have informed you that we have accepted your project application.
Don't be afraid to make an inanimate object the agent
(e.g. "The Directive calls upon employers to cut working hours.") This is taboo
in some other languages, but correct in English.
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Making sense - managing stress
Sometimes you have to write (or improve) a text containing a mass of facts
and ideas. Here are some ways of untangling the information so that readers
will understand each sentence the first time they read it.
Name the agents of each action and put the actions in the order in
which they occur.
Its decision on allocation of ESF assistance will be taken subsequent to receipt of
all project applications at the Committee's meeting.
When all applicants have submitted their project applications, the
Committee will meet to decide how much ESF aid it will grant to each one.
Put old or known information at the beginning of the sentence and
new or complex information at the end.
This makes sentence linking easier, and helps the reader to follow the thread
of your argument:
THE COURT OF AUDITORS' REPORT criticises agricultural spending and
proposes some new measures to prevent fraud.
THEIR PROPOSALS include setting up a special task force with powers to
search farms.
SUCH POWERS are not normally granted to Commission officials, but fraud
prevention is now one of the EU's main priorities.
(Note that the passive verb is OK in the last sentence because it fits in with the
flow of information).
Make sure your sentences have strong endings - that's the bit readers
will remember.
If necessary, move less important information to the left. Try to avoid feeble
endings.
Complete institutional reform is advocated by the report in most cases.
What the report advocates, in most cases, is complete institutional reform.
Some more ways of putting important information in the best position
- at the end of the sentence:
For EU enlargement several alternative scenarios could be considered.
There are several scenarios that we could consider for EU enlargement.
The accession of new Member States in several stages now seems likely.
It now seems likely that new Member States will join in several stages.
KISS: Keep It Short and Simple
Short ...
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The value of a document is not proportional to its weight. Your readers will not
respect you more because you have written 100 pages instead of 20. In fact
they are more likely to resent you for making such demands on their time. The
Members of the Commission have repeatedly asked for documents to be more
succinct, and the Secretariat General has even been known to reject over-long
documents.
The value of a document is not proportional to its weight. Your readers will not
respect you more because you have written 100 pages instead of 20. In fact
they are more likely to resent you for making such demands on their time. The
Members of the Commission have repeatedly asked for documents to be more
succinct, and the Secretariat General has even been known to reject over-long
documents.
Some ways to cut out FOG:Some ways to cut out FOG:
1. Don't state the obvious. Trust your readers' common sense.1. Don't state the obvious. Trust your readers' common sense.
2. Don't clutter your text with redundant expressions like "as is well
known", "it is generally accepted that", "in my personal opinion',
"and so on and so forth", "both from the point of view of A and from
the point of view of B".
2. Don't clutter your text with redundant expressions like "as is well
known", "it is generally accepted that", "in my personal opinion',
"and so on and so forth", "both from the point of view of A and from
the point of view of B".
3. Don't waste words telling readers what the text is going to say, or
reminding them what it said earlier. Just say it. Once.
3. Don't waste words telling readers what the text is going to say, or
reminding them what it said earlier. Just say it. Once.
Shorter documents tend to have more impact, and so do shorter sentences. As
a guide:
Shorter documents tend to have more impact, and so do shorter sentences. As
a guide:
1 document = 20 pages at the most1 document = 20 pages at the most
1 sentence = 20 words1 sentence = 20 words
But varying sentence length makes for more interesting reading.But varying sentence length makes for more interesting reading.
I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have
not had the time to make it shorter.
Pascal
Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas
eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.
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... and Simple:
English is a very rich language with a wide choice of different expressions
meaning the same thing. Use simple words where possible. Simple language
will not make you seem less learned or elegant: it will make you seem more
credible. Foggy phrasing often reflects foggy thinking.
in view of the fact that as
with respect to on
a certain number of some
the majority of most
pursuant to under
within the framework of under
accordingly, consequently so
for the purpose of, in order to to
in the event of if
if this is not the case if not
if this is the case if so
concerning, regarding about
with reference to, with regard to about
Simple, uncluttered style calls for the positive form, not the negative
It is not uncommon for applications to be rejected, so do not
complain unless you are sure you have not completed yours
incorrectly.
It is quite common for applications to be rejected, so
complain only if you are sure you have completed yours
correctly.
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False friends and other pitfalls
False friends
It is understandable that we get our languages mixed up in a multilingual
environment like the European Commission. Interference between French and
English is particularly common. But "Frenglish" expressions which might be
permissible in-house are meaningless to outside readers. They are alienating
and they create FOG.
Here are some of the more common "faux amis" in Commission use:
French
acquis
communautaire
acquis body of EU law
actuel actual current, topical
adéquat adequate suitable
assister  assist at attend, participate
capacité capacity ability, capability
compléter complete supplement
contrôler control supervise, check
disposer de dispose of have, keep
éventuel eventual any
important important large
matériel material supplies, equipment
opportunité opportunity advisability
pays candidats candidates applicant countries
pays tiers third countries non-member countries
perspectives perspectives prospects, outlook
prévu foreseen provided for, planned
stagiaire stagiaire trainee
Statut (des
fonctionnaires)
Statute Staff Regulations
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Eurojargon and EurospeakEurojargon and Eurospeak
Jargon is a language used by any group of insiders or specialists to
communicate with each other in a way that cannot always be understood by
outsiders. If you want outsiders to understand, don't use Eurojargon
(comitology, habilitation, European construction, etc.).
Jargon is a language used by any group of insiders or specialists to
communicate with each other in a way that cannot always be understood by
outsiders. If you want outsiders to understand, don't use Eurojargon
(comitology, habilitation, European construction, etc.).
Eurospeak, on the other hand, is a potentially useful language coined to
describe European Union inventions and concepts which have no exact parallel
at national level. There are only a few of these (e.g. subsidiarity, codecision,
convergence, economic and social cohesion) and correspondingly few real
excuses for using Eurospeak.
Eurospeak, on the other hand, is a potentially useful language coined to
describe European Union inventions and concepts which have no exact parallel
at national level. There are only a few of these (e.g. subsidiarity, codecision,
convergence, economic and social cohesion) and correspondingly few real
excuses for using Eurospeak.
Spell it outSpell it out
Keep a tight rein on abbreviations and acronyms.
(ERDF + EAGGF + CAP = ZZZ). Write them out in full wherever possible.
Keep a tight rein on abbreviations and acronyms.
(ERDF + EAGGF + CAP = ZZZ). Write them out in full wherever possible.
Ignore FOG-merchants who protest: "But we've
always said that!"
Now is the time to change.
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ReferencesReferences
Much of the advice given in this booklet is adapted from:Much of the advice given in this booklet is adapted from:
"The Plain English Guide" by Martin Cutts,
Oxford University Press, 1996
"The Plain English Guide" by Martin Cutts,
Oxford University Press, 1996
andand
"Style: Toward Clarity and Grace" by Joseph M. Williams,
The University of Chicago Press, 1995
"Style: Toward Clarity and Grace" by Joseph M. Williams,
The University of Chicago Press, 1995
which are highly recommended.which are highly recommended.
Readers wanting more detailed information on in-house conventions for
spelling, punctuation and usage should consult the English Style Guide
produced by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation
(DGT) and available at
http://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/style_guides/english/index_en.htm
Readers wanting more detailed information on in-house conventions for
spelling, punctuation and usage should consult the English Style Guide
produced by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation
(DGT) and available at
http://ec.europa.eu/translation/writing/style_guides/english/index_en.htm.
Important:
All the examples of FOG in this guide are fictional. Any resemblance to any
past, present or future EU document is coincidental.
Directorate-General for Translation
European Commission
ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/index_en.htm
ec.europa.eu/translation/index_en.htm
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