Timeline of developing the ISO plain language standard

This is a timeline of how the international plain language standard was developed.

Many of the entries have links to more information.

Event

A plenary session at the Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands heard papers from representatives of PLAIN, Clarity and the Center for Plain Language about the need and feasibility of developing standards for plain language.

A motion to establish a working group was put to the conference floor and endorsed by a show of hands.

Details

The initial papers about the feasibility of plain language standards promoted broader discussion about the need to develop plain language as a profession to increase its influence and the public benefit this would bring.

Event

Clarity, the Center for Plain Language and PLAIN formed the International Plain Language Working Group, which held its first meeting in Mexico City, Mexico.

Details

A panel on standards at the Mexico Clarity conference highlighted the need to first establish a standard definition for plain language.

Event

The Federation published an options paper in Clarity number 64.  

A preliminary draft of the paper had been distributed at PLAIN’s 2009 conference in Sydney, Australia, and it was then further discussed at the 2010 Clarity conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

Details

The options paper discussed these areas:

• defining plain language 
• developing national or international standards
• training and certification for plain language practitioners 
• advocating for plain language internationally
• grounding plain language in research
• creating an international plain language institution to progress this agenda

Event

A meeting of the working group at the PLAIN conference in Stockholm, Sweden renamed the group the International Plain Language Federation (IPLF).

Details

The Stockholm conference also ran several sessions on the options paper and the Federation’s agenda: a standard definition, standards, certification and training, and advocacy. This facilitated extensive consultation with the community of plain language practitioners.

PLAIN also organized a formal survey of its members about the options paper and the steps it recommended.

Event

At the Clarity conference in Antwerp, Belgium, the International Plain Language Federation formally adopted an international definition of plain language. This was then formally endorsed by each member organization.

The ISO standard is based on the definition.

Details

The definition had been

• workshopped at PLAIN’s 2011 conference in Stockholm, Sweden
• debated at Clarity’s 2012 conference in Washington, D.C.
• refined at PLAIN’s 2013 conference, in Vancouver, Canada
• finalized through an email discussion group of leading practitioners.

Event

The Federation established a Standards Committee.

Details

The committee has a blog that tells the full story of the journey towards the standard.

Event

The Federation’s Standards Committee met with Standards Australia (a member of ISO) to explore the possibilities for an international, multi-language, ISO plain language standard.

Details

With the 2010 options paper in Clarity number 64 as a model, the committee decided to write to the plain language world

• to report on the committee’s plans
• to seek approval to proceed.
  

Event

October: The standards issue: The Clarity Journal, number 79.

Details

The standards issue discussed

• why ISO was chosen as the way for the International Plain Language Federation to seek an international plain language standard
  what that standard might look like
• how to make a standard language neutral so that it would work in as many languages as possible
• why a standard should incorporate design principles
• how standards can be written for activities that involve some subjective judgement

Event

October: Clarity conference in Montreal, Canada.

Details

The Federation’s Standards Committee updated the conference in a plenary session. In an informal show of hands, the conference attendees (300+ people) overwhelmingly voted to proceed.

Event

June: The Federation formally proposed to Standards Australia that it

• develop a plain language standard
• seek to make that standard an international ISO standard as quickly as possible.

Details

At first, Standards Australia considered developing the standard for Australia and then seeking to make it an international standard. Instead, it decided to propose to the relevant ISO Committee that the Committee develop the standard internationally from the start.  

• The ISO committee is Technical Committee 37 (TC 37).
• It has representatives from national standards bodies in 35 countries.

Event

June: At ISO Technical Committee 37’s annual meeting in Ottawa, Canada, Standards Australia proposed an international, plain language standard.

Details

The people who presented Standards Australia’s proposal were on the Federation’s board.

Event

September: ISO Technical Committee 37 approved Standards Australia’s proposal.

Event

September: PLAIN’s conference in Oslo, Norway.

Details

The Federation’s Standards Committee gave another update in a plenary session. Again in an informal show of hands, the conference attendees (about 400 people) overwhelmingly voted to proceed.

Event

ISO TC 37 set up a working group (TC 37 WG 11) to develop the standard.

Details

TC 37 WG 11 got to work by

• appointing an 8-member drafting committee; 6 of its members are members of at least one of Clarity, PLAIN or the Center
• preparing drafts
• having experts comment on drafts
• having drafts edited by two editors

Event

October: Access for All Plain Language Conference, Part 1, hosted by Clarity, the Center for Plain Language and PLAIN.

Details

There were seven presentations on the standard, including a panel discussion involving the Chair of TC 37.

Event

The Federation established a committee to help plain language practitioners everywhere to

• localize the standard
• encourage their national standards body to adopt it
• implement it

Details

The committee prepared this timeline. It is preparing draft communications (“collateral”) for plain language practitioners to use to promote the standard. 

It has also prepared:

• How ISO Works: An overview and how you can be involved
• Guide to Adopting the ISO Plain Language Standard
• How to Get the ISO Standard Adopted in Your Country: Checklist
• Communications Strategy for Implementing the ISO Plain

Event

May: Access for All Plain Language Conference, Part 2, hosted by Clarity, the Center for Plain Language and PLAIN.

Details

There were two presentations on the standard.

Event

October: PLAIN published an issue of its e-journal largely dedicated to the standard.

Details

The e-journal’s standards-related articles covered the following:

• An overview of the Federation, including its work on the standard.
• How the standard can be a tool for plain language practitioners.
• The Federation’s 3 separate committees that are working to:
  • localize the standard for languages and countries
  • explore a plain language certification program based on the standard
  • explore plain language education programs etc. based on the standard
• The international definition of plain language, which the standard is based on.
• Perspectives on developing plain language standards in Italy, Russia and Germany.

Event

ISO published the standard in June 2023. 

You can buy the standard on ISO’s site. The standard is available in English and French.

Details

For the standard to be published, it had to go through various steps, including a TC 37 vote of approval. Each of those steps has months-long notice periods to enable the voters (which are national standards bodies) to form their views.

2025