Interesting article on BBC News regarding a list of 200 jargon terms recently “banned” by the UK-based Local Government Association (LGB):
Council leaders have compiled a banned list of the 200 worst uses of jargon, with “predictors of beaconicity” and “taxonomy” among the worst horrors.
The Local Government Association says such words and phrases must be avoided for staff to “communicate effectively”.
Cliches such as “level playing field” and inscrutable terms like “re-baselining” have been prohibited.
LGA chairman Margaret Eaton said: “The public sector must not hide behind impenetrable jargon and phrases.”
Reading through the full list (including suggested replacements) I noticed that quite a few of these terms are frequently used by practitioners in the fields of public particpation, dialogue and civic engagement.
It’s good to use language that’s easy for people to understand. However, I’m not quite sure that simply replacing these terms would always be helpful. There are subtle but important differences in meaning between “stakeholders” and “other organisations,” and sometimes it is important that normal people understand these complexities). Maybe a glossary of key terms is more advisable in these cases.
Whether or not you subscribe to all entries on the list of banned terms, it’s certainly a good reminder to be mindful of the language we use.
One of the categories here on this blog is fittingly named Dictionary. In it, we collect definitions of some of the key terms we use that we have found useful in helping explain the concept behind the jargon.
Via:
- Delib Blog: Banning Jargon
- Common Craft: British Councils Ban Jargon
No related posts.
