The Plain Swedish Group

This is the Plain Swedish Group

The mission of the Plain Swedish Group The Plain Swedish Group l informs about plain language work in Sweden and other countries l organizes conferences and seminars o participates at international plain language conferences.

What is plain Swedish? l Match your writing to the needs of the readers. l Consider carefully the purpose and message. l Structure the document clearly. l Write informative headings. l Write pithy summaries. l Use “I”, “we” and “you” to make the writing more human. l Avoid passive constructions. l Take pride in everyday Swedish. l Explain difficult but necessary words. l Use concrete words. l Read your colleagues´ documents and give them advice.

Why plain Swedish? Plain language l increases the trust between citizens and authorities l leads to democratisation and better legal rights l makes work more fun and effective l saves time and money l is stated in the law!

The web site Klarspråk

l Do not write: subsequent to l Instead, write: after, following The Black List

§ 8.1 Do not use unnecessary abbreviations l Mostly, avoid abbreviations of words, expressions, names and terms. l Explain abbreviations the first time they appear in the text in the following way: Pensions will be paid by the National Government Employee Pensions Board (NGEPB). Guidelines for the authorities

The Plain Language Test klarsprakstest

The Plain Swedish Bulletin l Published 4 times a year l subscribers

The Plain Swedish Crystal l The winner of 2002 The report Death concerns us all by a Government Committee

l The winner of 2001 The local authority of Borås l The winner of 2000 The report Staten i omvandling l The winner of 1999 The National Housing Board The winner of 1998 The Regional Social Insurance Office of Västerås

Plain Swedish seminars l Plain Swedish for everybody l Plain Language opens Sweden l Plain Language on the Internet l Plain Language for people with reading disabilities l Plain Language in the Nordic countries

Plain language projects at some authorities l The Swedish Patent and Registration Office l The National Board of Student Aid l The Regional Social Insurance Office in Västerås l Plain Language Network of Dalarna l The Swedish Migration Board and the Aliens Appeals Board