Estonia's first plain language standard took effect in early October, offering guidance on writing clear, reader-focused public communications.
Adopted ahead of International Plain Language Day on Tuesday, the standard aims to make public-sector writing clearer and communication more effective.
Kristel Ress, who chairs the technical committee that developed the standard, said writers should first consider who will read a text and in what circumstances.
Instructions for a fisherman reading on a phone in a cold boat, for example, need to account for very different conditions than something read at home or standing at a bus stop.
Ress nonetheless emphasized that the standard is just one tool, offering broad principles rather than detailed rules on word choice or grammar.
"The advantage of the standard is that, for the first time, all this advice has been brought together in one concise guide," she explained.
This guide, she continued, can help anyone who writes for work, including editors, teachers and researchers — but also office workers and even students.
"This isn't just for language professionals anymore," Ress said.
Putting the reader first
ERR language editor and adviser Ester Põldma said the guidance will be particularly useful for people writing online, where brevity and clarity are essential.
"Readers should be able to understand on the first read what a sentence is trying to convey," Põldma said.
Under the international definition, a text is written in plain language when its intended readers can find the information they need, understand it and act on it.
"Putting the reader first is the most important thing," Põldma said. "We need to think about who we're writing for or who we're making a program for. That determines the words we use, the sentences we write and what the text should look like."
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