Plain English Description

 Plain English - Citizen Services

The SMART Plain English program is designed to assist Federal, State and Local government agencies to communicate policies and procedures in clear, concise, plain language to all citizens. Plain English enforces simplification of forms, websites, printed information and makes computer-assisted language translations possible.

Here is a Plain English sample of a Federal OSHA regulation.

The Plain English program meets language access regulations for Limited English Proficiency (LEP), Federal Plain Writing Act 2010 and Section 508 web standards.

  Simplification at NY Department of Motor Vehicles

To meet NY State language access regulations, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) selected the SMART team to develop a Plain English program to simplify forms, web content and citizen driver information. The DMV uses the MAXit Checker to simplify the legal-ese to the 8th Grade Reading level. The results, NY DMV customer interactions are easier, simpler and faster.
View Plain English Sample

 Simple steps to a Plain English program

• Text Miner for dictionary research
• MAXit Checker for writer assistance
• Writer Training Workshops
• Lexicon Manager to manage terms

An average Plain English program can be completed in 30 days.

Download WORD (.pdf)

The Starter Kit includes a MAXit Checker license, core dictionary and our Plain English dictionary. All dictionaries are easy to customize for Citizen Services. The MAXit Checker is not suitable for advertising or marketing materials.