Most Filipinos work in English because it’s the language we use for government, national and international business, law and education.
But English fluency isn’t enough to maintain the Philippines’ status as the top choice for outsourcing. Nor is it enough to ensure that people understand important information from the government. What you need instead is plain English or plain language. This blog explains:
what plain English is
why we need it in business and government
how to build plain English skills in your organisation.
Plain English Foundation, part of Lumify Group, provides plain language training to help you write clearer government notices, technical documents, emails and anything else you need for work.
What plain English or plain language is
‘A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find and use that information.’ (Plain Language Association International).
‘Plain English’ is simply this approach in English. There’s also plain Spanish (lenguaje claro), plain Brazilian Portuguese (linguagem simples) and many more.
But what do plain language principles look like in practice? Clear wording looks like this:
Instead of a vague and wordy sentence | A clear and concise alternative |
|---|---|
It is a requirement that appropriate discretion is exercised in regards to the dissemination of confidential information through unapproved artificial intelligence platforms. | You must not enter confidential information into AI tools unless your organisation has approved it. If you’re unsure, ask your manager. |
For plain language examples of clear structure and design, go to Plain English Foundation’s website.
Why use plain English
Plain English benefits all readers regardless of their expertise, literacy skills, language, cultural background, neurotype or stress level. It also benefits governments, organizations, customers and the public. Plain language is about putting people first.
Ours is a multilingual nation
The Philippines is home to between 130 and 190 regional and indigenous languages, with Filipino and English as our official languages.
Most Filipinos speak English as it is the language for government, law, business and education. But this does not mean that everyone is equally skilled in technical, legal or government English.
To address this issue, organizations and governments need to use plain English, including legal writing in plain English, to meets readers’ needs. Plain English is much easier for people who don’t use English as their main language to understand. It’s also much easier to translate, which saves time for translators and money for organizations and government.
The Philippines is a top choice for outsourcing
Plain English doesn’t just save money – it makes it too.
Plain English helps us keep our status as the go-to place for business process outsourcing (BPO), customer service, shared services and international business. Elite Asia says that this is because of the Philippines’ strong English skills.
To run smoothly, stay competitive and meet the needs of our international customers, we need to communicate clearly and effectively with people from many different countries and cultures. This is where plain English is especially helpful.
When teams use plain English, they:
reduce misunderstandings
improve customer satisfaction
develop clearer documents and processes
strengthen international collaboration
improve training and onboarding outcomes
support better decision-making.
Not everyone understands technical jargon
The Philippines is growing as a center for technology and digital services. As more organizations invest in cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI, automation and digital transformation, technical experts need to explain technical information clearly.
For example, IT professionals need to express technical ideas in a way that executives, stakeholders, customers and end-users can easily understand. If leaders and stakeholders can’t understand what’s happening, they can’t make informed decisions. And if customers and end-users can’t understand how to use the technology, you’re likely to receive a lot of questions and complaints.
Some IT terms that all readers might not be familiar with include:
data governance frameworks
cloud-native architectures
service management practices
AI risk controls.
Instead of using technical jargon, try using plain language alternatives that include, rather than exclude, your readers. For example, here are plain language versions of the technical terms we wrote above:
how to manage, store and protect data
how to design software so it works efficiently in cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, AWS or Google Cloud
which processes and activities help teams provide reliable, high-quality services
how to manage the risks that come with using AI.
Citizens need to understand their rights and responsibilities
Filipinos have long demanded clear communication from government. Why? It helps people understand important information, no matter their language, education or job experience.
The plain language movement has proposed a new law for the Philippines. It would require ‘every national agency and government owned and controlled corporations to write public documents in plain language using English, Filipino or any needed regional language.’ The proposed law aims to make government communications ‘clear and accessible so that all citizens can understand and engage with public information.’
If the law succeeds, the Philippines will join plain language governments such as New Zealand (Plain Language Act 2022) and the United States (Plain Writing Act of 2010).
But you don’t need a law to adopt plain language.
How to build plain language skills across your organisation
You can start building strong writing skills and a culture that values clear communication now. Plain English Foundation, part of Lumify Group, has helped organizations adopt plain language and clear communication as their default for over 20 years.
Train your teams with plain language courses
Plain English Foundation is a leader in communication training. It has trained thousands of professionals and helped hundreds of organizations turn complex information into clear, concise communication.
You can take one of Plain English Foundation’s courses through Lumify Work. Courses like Plain Language for Lawyers explain how to write in plain legal language without compromising legal meaning. And there are courses for using plain language in government writing, such as Smarter AI Ministerial and Policy Writing.
Support effective AI use with clear governance
Plain English Foundation also offers a writing and editing service for clearer AI policies, frameworks, and guidelines.
Editors at Plain English Foundation work with you to develop a practical AI governance framework and policies that support responsible AI adoption, accountability and oversight. They’ll align your governance framework with the ISO/IEC standard for AI management systems.
For AI-generated content, the pattern is familiar: it tends to be too long, repeat itself and sound like it’s trying too hard to be human. It might even get the facts wrong. None of that is obvious until someone reads the output closely, which is exactly what Plain English Foundation does. Its editors will transform your AI texts so they’re clear, concise, correct and sound like you.
Contact Plain English Foundation to get started
Plain language just makes sense in a world where people expect accessibility, engagement and results. No matter what you write or who you write for, plain language helps people understand, make good decisions and act with confidence.
Want to improve your organization’s writing? Check out Plain English Foundation’s training courses and see how clear communication can make a difference at your workplace.
