In today’s world, communicating clearly with each other is very important. But sometimes, we forget that not everyone speaks the same language, even at home. I live in a house where we speak two languages, and it’s made me realize how tricky it can be when people don’t understand what’s being said, especially online.
For example, my husband is fluent in English, but he grew up in Mexico so Spanish is his primary language. Sometimes, he gets confused by words or phrases he’s not used to. It reminds me that each of us take things for granted and a little thought can go a long way.
Recently, my husband got stuck reading an email message because it was hard to understand. It got me thinking about how we write and how it can make things tough for some folks, like people from different places or those who learn differently.
But here’s the good news: there’s a easy fix for this. It’s called plain language. Instead of using big, fancy words, we use simple ones and keep sentences short. It makes things way easier to understand for everyone, no matter where they’re from, how they learn, or the limitations they may have.
So let’s all try to use plain language when we talk to each other, whether it’s in emails, messages, or through any other channel. Together, we can make sure everyone can make sense of our messaging!