Meet the award-winning Plain Language Academies Team
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Winner of the 2021 PLAIN Cheryl Stephens Innovation Award
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After years of seeing people struggling to read information, understand content, and create clear messages for their audiences, we created the PlainLanguageAcademy.com to help. We also designed it on plain language principles: easy to understand, efficient to navigate, and effective to turn into actions. We love how our students participate, interact and give us feedback. You can experience this by joining us for a great learning experience. Enhance existing skills, gain new ones, with a fresh, client-centred approach. Enjoy the success.
Register now at plainlanguageacademy.moodlecloud.com. Set up account. Choose course. Pay fee.
Register now at plainlanguageacademy.moodlecloud.com. Set up account. Choose course. Pay fee.
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Our mission
We strive to keep our courses simple and satisfying. We endorse these practices:
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The Plain Language Academies won the 2021 PLAIN Cheryl Stephens Award for Innovation for ground-breaking contribution to the field of plain language. In 2022, Kate was granted a life-time membership to PLAIN, which she co-founded. In 2023, Academy students will choose to study in English, Spanish, and French. We also offer consulting, coaching and group rates. |
Contact us
Please get in touch by emailing enquiries to: getintouch@plainlanguageacademy.com If you want to connect with an instructor, please put their name in the subject line and they'll get back to you. Looking forward to connecting. Kate and Team |
English Academy
 Kate Harrison Whiteside
Meet Kate Harrison Whiteside
Academies director and facilitator. Core courses and Advanced courses, including Creating Clear E-content. Plain language is the answer to connecting with others. It makes your communications stand out and it leads to client-services excellence. I started out using my journalism skills in government, business, and organizational communications. With my entrepreneurial experience came many new opportunities, like offering training, specializing in plain language, and developing online content. It has all come together in the Plain Language Academies. |
 Cheryl Stephens
Meet Cheryl Stephens
Advanced Course: Science Supports Plain Language and Putting Clients First in Legal Writing I came to plain language in 1989 when I was trying to rationalize and make consistent the template documents of a mid-sized law firm. I could see then that plain language is a best practice for any communicator. Since then I have been sharing, practicing, and contributing to the development of plain language. Cheryl is a leader in the development of plain language initiatives and research in legal, science and other fields. |
Nicole Watkins Campbell
Meet Nicole Watkins Campbell
Advanced Courses: Editing for Plainer Legal Writing and Editing for Plainer Technical Writing
Nicole is a plain language and editing consultant. She has helped organizations create clear public information on laws, including legal information for the public; and information about health, culture, the environment, and nature. She has spoken to law students and editors about plain language, and dreams of a cell phone contract anyone can understand on first reading.
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Meet Sarah and Nadja from the Plain Language Institute,
South Africa |
Advanced Course: Implementing Plain Language as a
Strategic Priority |
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The focus of Plain Language actions is often on specific documents or pieces of communication. Implementing Plain Language in a systematic manner in an organization is, however, a different challenge for executives, compliance officers, communication managers or customer relations.
This course will empower you to make your organization truly customer- or citizen-centred. Sarah and Nadja, the Plain Language Institute, South Africa, lead this as a team, sharing their extensive experience. |
Annie Burger
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Liezl van Zyl
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Annie and Liezl, heyplainjane.com, believe communication is in plain language when language, structure, and design work in harmony to help the reader find what they need, understand it, and use it. Liezl is an information designer, legal designer, and plain language writer. Annie is an information designer, plain language advocate, and PhD graduate in Plain Language. |
Spanish Academy |
French Academy |
 Romina Marazzato Sparano
Meet Romina Marazzato Sparano Academia de Lenguaje Claro Advanced Course: Plain Language 2.0 and Health Literacy in English and Spanish Romina is a plain language writer, translator, and editor with over 20 years of experience in medical localization and health literacy. She provides language services, consulting, and training to professionals, organizations, and companies (including Fortune 500 corporations).
Romina designed and launched the Master of Arts in Translation/Localization Management at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and is a leader and active member in professional associations, including PLAIN, ATA, AMWA, and SEA. She is working on language standards development at ASTM and ISO, and is a 2020 judge for the ClearMark Awards sponsored by the Center for Plain Language. |
Chantale and Amélie are busy getting ready for the launch of their first course on language clair et simple. Their first webinar during International Plain Language Day celebrations was a great success. Nous sommes deux anthropologues, spécialistes des méthodes qualitatives et du langage clair et simple. Nous comptons plusieurs années de travail en réécriture et en design d’information, dont 10 ans à la barre du guide Mieux vivre avec notre enfant de la grossesse à deux ans. |
