Plain Swedish language

What is plain language?

Plain language is to

  • match your writing to the needs of the readers
  • consider the purpose and message carefully
  • structure the document clearly
  • write informative headings
  • write pithy summaries
  • use “I”, “we” and “you” to make the writing more human
  • avoid passive constructions
  • take pride in everyday language
  • explain difficult but necessary words
  • use concrete words
  • read your colleagues’ documents and give them advice.

Why plain language?

Plain language

  • increases the trust between citizens and authorities
  • leads to democratisation and better legal rights
  • makes work more fun and effective
  • saves time and money
  • is stated in the law.

What we do at the Language Council

The Language Council of Sweden (Språkrådet) is a departement of the official language authority the Institute of Language and Folklore (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).

The Plain Swedish Office at Språkrådet

  • supplies knowledge, ideas and experiences from various plain language projects in Sweden and abroad
  • arranges plain language conferences
  • gives lectures on plain language to the authorities
  • participates in international conferences
  • publishes a plain language bulletin, Klarspråk
  • awards authorities the Plain Swedish Crystal, Klarspråkskristallen.

The Plain Language Bulletin

We initiate events through our newsletter, the Plain language bulletin (Klarspråk), which is published four times a year. It can be obtained free of charge.

The newsletter is in Swedish only. If you want to subscribe: register your e-mail-address at isof.se/bulletinen.

The Plain Swedish Crystal

In May every year the Plain Swedish Crystal is awarded to an authority which has obtained good results in its plain language work.

The Plain Language Help

The Plain Language Help helps you write more comprehensible. It contains tips and advice on how to write better texts and think about your reader. Before you start, you can create a plan for your writing through an interactive guide. Once you are finished, you can test your text to see if it meets the standards of Plain language. By answering ten questions, you get an opinion about the text and tips about how to make it better.

The help exists only in Swedish : Klarspråkshjälpen

Research overview

The report Plain language and professional writing summarizes some research results and perspectives that are useful for those who implement plain language projects in workplaces as course leaders or language planners, and also for researchers and students interested in the subject of plain language.