甚麼是Plain English?

甚麼是 Plain English?

我們定義簡明英文為一種令讀者容易明白和消化的語言。而且，簡明英文的功能也表現於文字的編排和版面的設計也的。

“We define plain English as writing that the intended audience can read, understand and act upon the first time they read it. Plain English takes into account design and layout as well as language.”

from

http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/faqs.htm#Anchor-Wha-44708

簡明英文是一種溝通的方式。這方式注重的是讀者需要，並主張不使用沒有功能的字詞，專有名詞，技術快的字詞和冗長的句子。

“Plain English is a communication style that focuses on considering the audience’s needs when writing. It recommends avoiding unnecessary words and avoiding jargon, technical terms, and long and ambiguous sentences.”

from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_English

簡而言之，簡明英文就是最簡單的語言。一字一詞，也要有其功能。沒有意思的字詞，儘管是多麼的文雅，多麼的高深也一律不用。所以如果你下筆時，每一個字也要想清想楚才用。

I met Katrina tonight in Volar. I bought her drinks and drove her home afterwards. She’s a woman of pulchritude ….

這就好像…

今晚我在Volar遇上了Katrina。我請她喝酒，然後送她回家。她真的是身姿俏美，細耳碧環……

真的很奇怪。不是文學大家，不用雕琢文字。在現今社會上，用英文一定要快狠準。Plain English 就是為此而出生的。