Lengua Academia Blog

1. We spoke about Plain English writing in class. Please answer the following in detail

a. How would you explain to someone what “Plain English writing” is? (4 Marks) 

PowerPoint Slides: Briscoe, W8 – Plain Language Writing Website Copy(W25).pdf, slide 7, slide 8, slide 9, slide 10.  

PowerPoint Slides: W8 – A – Plain language writing (w25).pdf, slide 6 

Slide #7 (W8 – B – Plain Language Writing Website Copy(W25).pdf ) include information that a lot of people think that Plain English (Plain Language) is a dumb English (dumb language).  

But it is completely opposite thing.  

The main idea of Plain language is to help us easily understand content of text. 

Things what we do not (can’t) understand (jargon, specific terms, non-logical structure, etc) that’s what makes text dumb. 

Meanwhile plain language is an use of “play of words” that is easy to analyze and perceive. We use different combination of words to create memorable, interesting and exciting content.  

When we use plain language, we can include psychological tricks to make our sentence or text more intriguing.  

For example,  we can use emotional triggers like curiosity or fear  

Example of headline with plain language :“COVID 19 is here again!”  

COVID 19 – something bad  

Is here again – statement of fact 

Combination of these words increase negative feelings.  

Example of headline with non-plain language: “potentially sever acute respiratory infection is back in our country” 

So, when we talk about plain language, we include a couple elements that make it “plain” 

First thing is clarity, all words are easy to understand, we do not use jargon or specific terminology.  

Second thing is conciseness, we do not have to make long sentences, opposite we must keep it as short as possible, because people do not have time to read long sentences. 

And last thing is    

 b. What makes plain English writing different? (4 Marks) 

PowerPoint Slides: Briscoe, W8 – W8 – Plain Language Writing Website Copy(W25).pdf, Slide 2 

My answer for this question will be based on words from slide number 2  

“The simple answer is that it makes for better reading” 

Rely on these words, I would say that Plain Language is a text that does not require deep analysis and is most likely became just a habit. 

What do I mean by word “habit”? 

A person does not read the text, but scans it, he does it automatically, that’s what I mean by word “habit”. 

For example when person read word “apple” image or understanding of this word automatically appears in his mind.  

Plain language includes words and phrases that are used most often in our daily life and has easy logical structure.  

Example  

Non plain language  

“to bring ID is required, in case if you do not do that it will affect your exam, you will fail it, and will not be able to take again. ” 

Plain language  

“Attention: Bring your ID to have access to the exam” 

First example provides more details and makes understanding of sentence more difficult.   

In this case we will pay attention to things (details) we do not really need and can miss main idea of sentence. 

Second example, with word “Attention” we try to show people that this sentence contains information that might be important for him, after we say what is required “bring your ID” and why is it required “to get access to exam”. It’s easy to remember and immediately lead to action.  

 c. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important? (4 Marks) 

PowerPoint Slides: Briscoe, W8 – A – Plain Language Writing (W25).pdf, Slide 18 

PowerPoint Slides: Briscoe, W8 – W8 – Plain Language Writing Website Copy(W25).pdf, Slide 7 

We now are literally surrounded by new technologies and digital content.  

With the new technologies we also received a new habit. This habit is consuming of fast-content.  

People used to getting information and analyze it quickly and easy.  

From PowerPoint: 

“People are spending 15 or less seconds deciding on whether to engage with a page or not”  

That’s why plain language is important, because people do not have time to make a deep analysis.  

Reasons why they can’t do it can be different, but main reason is laziness.  

We use plain language because it is something what people can easily understand, and their brains do not have to “suffer” when consume information.   

Plain language in digital must be short and easy. 

Use of plain language and correct visual construction (F pattern, bullet points, fonts, etc) can lead to success, people will pay attention to our content and will consume it.  

What can be if we do not use plain language? 

We lose money – if we do not use plain language people simply will not consume our content, for example, if we are cosmetic brand, and want to sell our product but include difficult to understand, long terms people will not understand it and will not buy a product.  

Non-plain example :The cream contains epigallocatechin-3-gallete(EGCG) blends onto the epidermis and act as antioxidants.  

Regular person probably will not understand it. 

Plain language example: The cream contains tea tree emulsion, which relieves skin inflammation. 

When we look at the plain language example we immediately understand what ingredient cream contains and how it can help. 

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2. In a previous assignment, you wrote an introduction article in the “F” pattern. Based on what we discussed in class and based on the feedback provided in class, write a new introductory “content” incorporating “plain English writing for the web” in the “F” pattern including visuals. You are to include your “revised version” (if the version you submitted was not in the F-Pattern). Ensure that it addresses the three main objectives of plain English writing. As a reminder, this is an introductory post for your business. Ensure you list it in your hardcopy. (12 Marks) 

Original 

Lengua Academia – key to your language success. 

With Lengua Academia all doors are open for you, from now and forever you will have access to the best knowledge, opportunities, resources that will lead You to success! 

Why Lengua Academia? 

We are ready provide our students with the best study process that include only benefits such as: 

• Free online test to identify level of your Spanish language 

• Private lessons 

• First lesson is free 

• Personal tutor 

• Preparation for DELE  

• Job offers 

• Online lessons 

One Key – Thousands of opportunities! 

•  Laugh with Spanish 

•  Love with Spanish  

•  Live with Spanish 

Get it now with Lengua Academia!   

NEW 

Welcome to Lengua Academia – Spanish school on your device! 

Our online Spanish school is your best choice if you are looking for flexible, effective and convenient method of learning Spanish.  

Anytime and anywhere, we provide the best Spanish courses for you and offer: 

• Free first lesson 

• Personalized online classes  

• Best Spanish tutor 

• Rapid learning 

• High quality content 

• Language certificate 

• Self-development   

• Job offers 

Choose your best future with Lengua Academia! 

Start your free lesson! 

The post Question #2 appeared first on Lengua Academia Blog.

3. For question #2, explain how your new post successfully addresses the three main objectives of Plain English writing as discussed in class. Provide a detailed breakdown of each objective. (9 Marks) 

Power point: Briscoe, W8 – Plain Language Writing Website Copy(W25).pdf, slide 3 

Based on data of this powerpoint we know that plain language contains 3 main elements  

• Clear (Clarity) 

• Concise (Conciseness) 

• Correct (Informative) 

My new post represents Clear (Clarity) element because I rewrote literally everything to make text easier to read and analyze. I replaced long difficult sentences with more short sentences that contain easy words. 

Example 

OLD 

With Lengua Academia all doors are open for you, from now and forever you will have access to the best knowledge, opportunities, resources that will lead You to success! 

(It’s too long, we do not provide information that person really needs, for example what language I will learn in Lengua Academia?) 

NEW 

Our online Spanish school is your best choice if you are looking for flexible, effective and convenient method of learning Spanish. 

(it is shorter and include information that person needs to know, like what do we offer and what type of business we are, use simple words that we use in daily life) 

Also, for my new post I use bullet points, paragraphs, “bold” tool to make it more readable and included specific CTA.  

My new post represents conciseness, because I deleted a big part of content, and it became shorter. 

My new text does not contain “water” all information is important.  

In original article I had 104 words, and in a new article I have 80 words.  

Also, I use plain language in my new article it makes my article more readable.  

So, person will pay less time to read this article than original one.  

And last thing is Correct (informative) this element is about knowing what your audience need and what we can offer. 

In my new post I provided more details about my business  

My headline  

Welcome to Lengua Academia – Spanish school on your device! 

It includes name of business and type. When person see this headline, he has general idea who is that brand and what does he do.  

My description 

Our online Spanish school is your best choice if you are looking for flexible, effective and convenient method of learning Spanish. 

Provide more details to clarify everything for person who are we exactly what we can offer in general.  

Sub-header (or second header) and body copy details about our offers 

Anytime and anywhere, we provide the best Spanish courses for you and offer: 

• Free first lesson 

• Personalized online classes  

• Best Spanish tutor 

• Rapid learning 

• High quality content 

• Language certificate 

• Self-development   

• Job offers 

First sentence we prepare person for information that we are going to offer and right after we give this information, everything is in short format, do not include non-important information. All provided information matches (might match) with expectations of person who reads this text. 

End of body copy 

Choose your best future with Lengua Academia! 

Start your free lesson! 

We must include it to help person to make action faster and has impact on his desicion. 

Make button colorful it might help to attract person’s attention.   

a. Describe one specific technique you used to improve readability in your revised version and explain why it is effective. (4 Marks) 

For my new article I used F pattern, because people do not actually read text that scan it first, and we use specific elements of F pattern to attract person’s attention and it include things like these: 

• “Bold” tool for headlines – we must do it; it helps to split text and makes it more readable. If sentence somehow does not look the same as rest of the text it will be visible, and person will pay attention to this part.  

 We include it because we want person to pay attention to details that we think will be important for him or will attract his attention. 

• Bullet points – we must use it if we have a lot of information, in our case, it’s different offers, it will be easier for person to read it if we put it in a list format with bullet points, so he will be able to scan it fast and if he find something what grab his attention he can read it.  

• Different font size – for important sentences we make bigger font sizes, for example for headlines because they are important first than body copy. 

• CTA – for CTA we create specific elements like change font color, change background color, change size of fonts, and include specific text to button. 

b. What was the most challenging aspect of applying the F-Pattern and Plain English writing principles? How did you overcome it? (5 Marks) 

For me it was hard to create content in plain language, because sometimes I do not really know if this sentence sounds good or not in English language. 

And in general, it is difficult to create content in plain language. 

It just requires a lot of time to think how better to write certain things. 

To overcome it I just spend more time than I expected to spend because content must be short, easy to understand and informative at the same time.      

For F-pattern second time when I overviewed it did not seem so hard to do (I hope I’ve done it right this time) 

After reading feedback from assignment #1 and PowerPoint it makes sense for me now.  

And to create construction of F-pattern second time was not so difficult.  

The post Question 3 appeared first on Lengua Academia Blog.

Instagram

@example

4. For question #2, what did you do differently from the original post? Please outline, explain and justify what you changed & why. Essentially, what did you learn from this new topic and what did you change and why. (8 Marks) 

I’ve made many changes if compare my new version of introduction article to a new article.    

What did I do? 

First thing that I’ve done is changed my headline  

OLD 

Lengua Academia – key to your language success. 

(Lack of clarity about type of our business, person will not know what exactly we do and offer, maybe we offer Chinese classes) 

NEW  

Welcome to Lengua Academia – Spanish school on your device! 

(We tell people who exactly we are, “Spanish school” we place where they can learn Spanish, “On device” refers to online education process, we increased font-size and make it bold what makes headline stand out from other text) 

OLD 

With Lengua Academia all doors are open for you, from now and forever you will have access to the best knowledge, opportunities, resources that will lead You to success! 

(Too long and not clear description message, we do not include exactly who we are and what do we offer, I can’t say that I even used plain language here, sentences (description) look complicated) 

NEW  

Our online Spanish school is your best choice if you are looking for flexible, effective and convenient method of learning Spanish. 

(I created more short description message included details who we are “online Spanish school”, included promise “is your best choice”, and at the same time characteristics what people are looking for “flexible, effective and convenient method of learning Spanish”. In my opinion, this description is written with use of plain language, it’s clear and easy to read, does not include any jargon or specific terminology)  

OLD 

Why Lengua Academia? 

We are ready provide our students with the best study process that include only benefits such as: 

(It is too long, a bit difficult to read, contain a lot of extra information that is not really needed, is not bold, has the same font-size, it merges with the rest of the text so all text become harder to read) 

NEW   

Anytime and anywhere, we provide the best Spanish courses for you and offer: 

(It stands out from other text with help of “bold” tool, font size is bigger than other parts of the text (but not bigger than headline), it’s short and clean, point on place and time, give brief details about what they have “provide the best Spanish courses” and about what they are going to tell us next “and offer”)  

OLD 

• Free online test to identify level of your Spanish language 

• Private lessons 

• First lesson is free 

• Personal tutor 

• Preparation for DELE  

• Job offers 

• Online lessons 

One Key – Thousands of opportunities! 

•  Laugh with Spanish 

•  Love with Spanish  

•  Live with Spanish 

(Include bullet points what is good, because it is easier to read, negative element – include too much of non-important information what makes it more difficult to read, first bullet point is too long) 

NEW  

•  Free first lesson 

• Personalized online classes  

• Best Spanish tutor 

• Rapid learning 

• High quality content 

• Language certificate 

• Self-development   

• Job offers 

(Positive elements: include bullet points, each does not contain more than 3 words, include plain language (maybe word “personalized” does not really suits here), use smaller font to stand from other test as a result it easy to read.  

Include all important information that person might like, first bullet point includes words “Free first lesson” what can increase curiosity, because people always ready to get something what will bring them benefits, especially if it’s for free. And person will keep going to read in wanting to get more details) 

OLD 

Get it now with Lengua Academia! 

(It had to be CTA, but it does not look like that. It has the same font size, “bold” tool is not used, as a result, merges with other text what make it harder to understand that it must be call to action)  

NEW 

Choose your best future with Lengua Academia! 

Start your free lesson! 

(It looks more like CTA, first sentence is a part that will help to increase desire to make an action, because include benefit “Choose your best future”.  

Right after goes CTA, now we can call it CTA because is stand out from other text with help of colorful background, using of “bold” tool, bigger font-size and color of text, all these factors can increase probability that person will pay attention to this button and click on it.) 

I’ve learnt and realized that my first article has almost nothing common with F pattern. 

Now I know that: 

• For header and sub-header, I must use “bold” tool to make it stand out from other text. 

• Has different font size for different elements of article, for example, it will not be good if my paragraph and headline has the same size  

• I must use bullet points if I have list of things what I would like to provide to people, use of bullet points makes it easier to read. 

• I must add specific elements and modify CTA what will help it to stand out from other text, if I want people to click on it. 

• I must use plain language if I want people to read my content (do not use jargons, terminology, keep my sentences as short as possible etc) it will make my text clear and interesting for people. 

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