Training

Where can you get a qualification or certification in plain language?

Below are plain language training and certification programs that reputable organizations provide.  Completing a training program can give you tools to address a wide variety of plain language issues.  Please note:

  • We do not endorse any of these programs; we list them for informational purposes only
  • We currently do not offer our own plain language training or certification
  • Plain language practitioners do not need to be certified

Please contact us if we have missed any programs you think we should include here.

Simon Fraser University

Plain Language Certificate at SFU

The need for plain language expertise is growing, as governments and organizations around the world recognize the importance of precise, clear communication with the public. Plain language skills are now in demand in an increasing number of fields—including publishing, law, education, government, health services, immigrant services, marketing, PR, technical communications and graphic design.

SFU’s part-time, online Plain Language Certificate program is designed for communication professionals ready to expand their skills. Our comprehensive training will allow you to convey any message so that the broadest possible audience can understand it.

You’ll learn from established industry experts who bring real-world knowledge and experience in plain language communication. Our flexible, online program is ideal for working professionals, and you can complete your certificate in as little as one year.

University of Houston Downtown

Institute for Plain English Research and Study

Founded in 2013, the Institute for Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) serves as a virtual and physical space for interested people to meet and discuss plain language guidelines, new regulations and laws, and their effects on workplace communication. The institute also offers resources, engages in research on the topic, and provides training sessions for UHD students, faculty, staff, and local professionals.

IPERS has organized several Forums on Plain English at UHD. The forum is a biannual event that aims to bring together practitioners and educators for meaningful discussions of writing issues and training sessions to share new information about the plain language movement and government initiatives. In the past, the event was sponsored by Humanities Texas and the Faculty Development grants at UHD.

 

Kotimaisten kielten keskus (Kotus)

Hyvä virkakieli Online Courses

KOTUS offers a series of free, open-access online courses under the “Hyvä virkakieli” (Good Official Language) program, see https://kotus.fi/kotus/koulutus-ja-konsultointi/hyvan-virkakielen-verkkokurssipaketti/. These courses are designed to enhance clarity and effectiveness in official texts for public administration professionals, educators, students, and anyone interested in improving their official writing skills.​ One notable course is “Hyvä virkakieli – Selkeytä lauseita ja virkkeitä,” which focuses on simplifying sentence structures and improving clarity. The course includes videos, examples, exercises, and a final test. Upon completion, participants can receive a certificate. The course is self-paced and takes approximately one hour to complete.​

For more information and to access the courses, please visit the KOTUS website https://kotus.fi/, English language website under construction: https://en.kotus.fi/.

CAL Correctologia Asesoramiento Lingüístico

Diploma in Plain Language

The Diploma in Plain Language is an 8-month program designed to train professionals in the implementation of inclusive, accessible, and efficient communication strategies. Synchronous classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (GMT-3), with a theoretical-practical approach that allows students to apply the concepts learned to specific cases. In parallel with the synchronous classes, an 8-module program on Regulations is taught, which provides an understanding of where the biggest problems arise in textual clarity.

The curriculum includes courses related to the foundations of law to understand how it is communicated in government agencies, and courses related to the configuration of language and texts. These courses are taught by a teaching team of specialists in various areas of language, grammar, and institutional communication.

Upon completion of the diploma, participants must take a comprehensive exam that will assess both theoretical knowledge and practical application in text clarification. This final exam consolidates the learning process and ensures that graduates have the necessary tools to perform professionally in the field of clarification and strategic communication.

Contact info@cal.com.ar

Kotimaisten kielten keskus (Kotus)

Writing at work: text development, communication and plain language

This course is about text development and communication in the workplace. We look at how you can develop your own writing skills, and how you and your colleagues can work with the writing culture in the workplace. Clear and understandable language is a prerequisite for readers to understand the texts you write. In this course, we look at clear language, both as a right and as something we do in practice. We also discuss how writing tools, language models and digital systems can be obstacles, but also resources, for text quality. The course is designed for those of you who want to develop your writing skills, whether you work in business, bureaucracy, school, healthcare, the military, the IT and communications industry, or other sectors where writing is important for carrying out work tasks.

DowntownInstituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México Business School

Clear Language and Effective Communication

Offered three times a year, this course provides strategies for attendees to write high-impact texts effectively.

The course targets

  • Senior and mid-level executives are responsible for the company’s internal and external written communications.
  • Professionals who write continuously in their jobs want to improve the quality and effectiveness of their writing.
  • Professionals are responsible for the preparation, supervision, and approval of institutional documents and other specific texts.

Universitetet i oslo

3 year bachelor’s program in Rhetoric and Linguistic Communication, you will learn
about how text and rhetoric shape society. You will learn about how the public sector
should communicate in a way that safeguards democracy and the rule of law, how
organizations and businesses can communicate clearly and appropriately, and how we can arouse engagement and communicate in a way that achieves our goals.
Through the program, you will also develop your own rhetorical skills, and you will have
opportunities to gain experience from internships with relevant employers.
There is also a two semester master’s program, Further education in plain language.
Visit https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/hf/iln/KLAR4000V/

Downtowninstitutet för språk och folkminnen

In Sweden you can study to become a “språkkonsult” (language consultant). The
university program is for 3 years and you can take it at 3 different universities:
Stockholm, Gothenburg or Lund.
Stockholm University:  Språkkonsultprogrammet – Stockholms universitet
Gothenburg University:  Språkkonsultprogrammet | Göteborgs universitet
Lund University:  Språkkonsultprogrammet | Lunds universitet

There is also a shorter university program called “Språkrådgivning och textvård”
(approximately language advising and text planning) at Linnaeus University in Växjö. To take this course you need a university degree:
Språkrådgivning och textvård, höst, halvfart, distans | lnu.se

These university programs include skills in plain language, although this is not the only
scope. But if you want to work with plain language these are the programs
recommended.

The Language Council has information and help for anybody who wants to write plain
language. One of their tools is “Klarspråkshjälpen” (the plain language
help):  Klarspråkshjälpen | Institutet för språk och folkminnen

More information on the Language Councl’s work with plain language: Plain Swedish
language | Institutet för språk och folkminnen