davieG Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 Shouldn't 'tax payers money' be on the list. 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." Local and central government are often criticised for their use of language. 'Coterminous, stakeholder engagement' The LGA's list includes suggested translations of some terms, such as "measuring" for the civil servant's favourite "benchmarking", "idea" for "seedbed", "delay" for "slippage" and "buy" for "procure". For most, though, no explanation is forthcoming or, perhaps, possible. Town hall workers are urged not to use the words "mainstreaming", "holistic", "contestability" and "synergies". S The French word "tranche", meaning "slice" in conventional English, is also banned. Ms Eaton said: "Why do we have to have 'coterminous, stakeholder engagement' when we could just 'talk to people' instead? "During the recession, it is vital that we explain to people in plain English how to get access to the 800 different services that local government provides with taxpayers' money. "Councils have a duty, not only to provide value for money to local people, but also to tell people what they get for the tax they pay. People would be furious if they have no idea of what services their cash is paying for and how they should get to use them." 'Gobbledegook' She added: "Unless information is given to people to explain what help they can get during a recession then it could well lead to more people ending up homeless or bankrupt. "If a council fails to explain what it does in plain English then local people will fail to understand its relevance to them or why they should bother to turn out and vote. "We do not pretend to be perfect, but as this list shows, we are striving to make sure that people get the chance to understand what services we provide." A Plain English Campaign spokeswoman said: "This gobbledegook has to go. Jargon has its place within professions but it should not be allowed to leak out to the public, as it causes confusion. "It could even be used to cover up something more sinister. Churchill and Einstein were both plain speakers and they did OK. Councils should follow their lead." LGA banned words - full list Here is the full list of 200 words which the Local Government Association says should not be used by councils: Across-the-piece Actioned Advocate Agencies Ambassador Area based Area focused Autonomous Baseline Beacon Benchmarking Best Practice Blue sky thinking Bottom-Up CAAs Can do culture Capabilities Capacity Capacity building Cascading Cautiously welcome Challenge Champion Citizen empowerment Client Cohesive communities Cohesiveness Collaboration Commissioning Community engagement Compact Conditionality Consensual Contestability Contextual Core developments Core Message Core principles Core Value Coterminosity Coterminous Cross-cutting Cross-fertilisation Customer Democratic legitimacy Democratic mandate Dialogue Direction of travel Distorts spending priorities Double devolution Downstream Early Win Edge-fit Embedded Empowerment Enabler Engagement Engaging users Enhance Evidence Base Exemplar External challenge Facilitate Fast-Track Flex Flexibilities and Freedoms Framework Fulcrum Functionality Funding streams Gateway review Going forward Good practice Governance Guidelines Holistic Holistic governance Horizon scanning Improvement levers Incentivising Income streams Indicators Initiative Innovative capacity Inspectorates Interdepartmental Interface Iteration Joined up Joint working LAAs Level playing field Lever Leverage Localities Lowlights MAAs Mainstreaming Management capacity Meaningful consultation Meaningful dialogue Mechanisms Menu of Options Multi-agency Multidisciplinary Municipalities Network model Normalising Outcomes Outcomes Output Outsourced Overarching Paradigm Parameter Participatory Partnership working Partnerships Pathfinder Peer challenge Performance Network Place shaping Pooled budgets Pooled resources Pooled risk Populace Potentialities Practitioners Predictors of Beaconicity Preventative services Prioritization Priority Proactive Process driven Procure Procurement Promulgate Proportionality Protocol Provider vehicles Quantum Quick hit Quick win Rationalisation Rebaselining Reconfigured Resource allocation Revenue Streams Risk based Robust Scaled-back Scoping Sector wise Seedbed Self-aggrandizement Service users Shared priority Shell developments Signpost Single conversations Single point of contact Situational Slippage Social contracts Social exclusion Spatial Stakeholder Step change Strategic Strategic priorities Streamlined Sub-regional Subsidiarity Sustainable Sustainable communities Symposium Synergies Systematics Taxonomy Tested for Soundness Thematic Thinking outside of the box Third sector Toolkit Top-down Trajectory Tranche Transactional Transformational Transparency Upstream Upward trend Utilise Value-added Vision Visionary Welcome Wellbeing Worklessness
Trav Le Bleu Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 Advocate Agencies Ambassador Area based Area focused Autonomous Baseline Beacon Benchmarking Best Practice Capabilities Capacity Cascading Challenge Champion Client Cohesiveness Collaboration Commissioning Compact Contextual Customer Dialogue Enhance Framework Fulcrum Going forward Good practice Guidelines Holistic Initiative Interface Lever Leverage Localities Municipalities Outcomes Output Outsourced Paradigm Parameter Participatory Partnerships Pathfinder Populace Practitioners Priority Proactive Procure Procurement Revenue Streams Robust Self-aggrandizement Signpost Spatial Stakeholder Strategic Streamlined Symposium Systematics Taxonomy Thematic Trajectory Transparency Utilise Vision Visionary Welcome Wellbeing I've deleted all the "jargon" (as I see it) and in my opinion we're still left with a lot of words which, though they may not be in everyday use, you're "average" person really ought to be able to understand their meaning. My favourite though was "predictor of beaconicity"
davieG Posted 18 March 2009 Author Posted 18 March 2009 I've deleted all the "jargon" (as I see it) and in my opinion we're still left with a lot of words which, though they may not be in everyday use, you're "average" person really ought to be able to understand their meaning.My favourite though was "predictor of beaconicity" All it needed was a simply instruction to talk in 'plain English' and cut out the jargon. There's so much wrong with how Local Government is run and the waste involved and this comes at the bottom of a list a lot longer than that one.
Daggers Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 I want to be at the first meeting where this ban comes into effect - if it's anything like ours then the buggers are going to sit around in abject silence. I want this ban extended into education.
Cobbo Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 Going forward I despise this. Used to death in my old place. Wankers
Webbo Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 "During the recession, it is vital that we explain to people in plain English how to get access to the 800 different services that local government provides with taxpayers' money. What's the recession got to do with this? Is bullsh1t more acceptable during a boom?
StanSP Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 Local and central government are often criticised for their use of language. I've never heard any complaints about government's language The French word "tranche", meaning "slice" in conventional English, is also banned. Why? "If a council fails to explain what it does in plain English then local people will fail to understand its relevance to them or why they should bother to turn out and vote. Firstly, why do councils have an obligation to speak in plain English. Secondly, get a dictionary if you don't know what the word means. AgenciesAmbassador Challenge Enhance Outcomes Partnerships Signpost Just some words I picked out. What is wrong with using these words?? It's not gobbledegook as said previously. Admittedly, there are some words which I know some people won't understand, but this is a bit far to actually ban words. Bit of a waste of time I think to go research this and then decipher which words should be banned.
stez Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 What's the recession got to do with this? Is bullsh1t more acceptable during a boom? saving ink? genre should be banned; it looks nothing like it's supposed to sound.
Bellend Sebastian Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 I think they should also ban use of the word 'herewith' in letters, and more importantly, talking in that way where you make a statement but your voice goes up in pitch at the end to make it sound like a question. It makes you sound stupid and that you're not sure what you're talking about, and that you don't expect the person that you're addressing to understand either. It's the fashionable way for young people to speak. Even people my age are doing it now, and frankly it's embarrassing
Daggers Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 ...and frankly it's embarrassing Do you realise you just did it?
Trav Le Bleu Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 I think they should also ban use of the word 'herewith' in letters, and more importantly, talking in that way where you make a statement but your voice goes up in pitch at the end to make it sound like a question. It makes you sound stupid and that you're not sure what you're talking about, and that you don't expect the person that you're addressing to understand either.It's the fashionable way for young people to speak. Even people my age are doing it now, and frankly it's embarrassing It has a name. The Australian Question Intonation. Think about it... it's how Aussies speak... ARE YOU READING THIS SOCCERROO!!?
Edmund Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 It has a name.The Australian Question Intonation. Think about it... it's how Aussies speak... name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350">
Nationwider Posted 18 March 2009 Posted 18 March 2009 I'm pretty much in agreement with discouraging empty jargon in the workplace, especially in writing. What I'm not in favour of is just dumbing down the English language. English is wickedbadinnit, and we should rejoice in it's complexity and subtleties. Having said that, I'd happily get rid of the word "tranche" from the lexicon of management-speak. "The training will be delivered in three tranches".... try stages or sections, you knobend. I'm a big fan of the French - a willfully awkward and bloody-minded nation of smelly, moustached, sheep burning stereotypes - and I congratulate them for it - but what a horrible language. We don't need these words - we've got perfectly good alternatives already: Tranche, au fait, cuisine, en route, cul-de-sac, genre... and so on....
Bellend Sebastian Posted 19 March 2009 Posted 19 March 2009 Do you realise you just did it? No I didn't? It has a name.The Australian Question Intonation. Think about it... it's how Aussies speak... ARE YOU READING THIS SOCCERROO!!? Well, it's always nice to have someone to blame. Shakes fist ineffectually It's time for Home and Away to be taken off the air once and for all
Guest Posted 19 March 2009 Posted 19 March 2009 It's time for Home and Away to be taken off the air once and for all The only time I watched it was when some rellies came over from Oz with a video of the latest episodes, and I decided to watch them and ruin it for the kids at school who thought people who hated the shitty programme were freaks. Yes, it has been going on for that long.........
Corky Posted 19 March 2009 Posted 19 March 2009 No I didn't?Well, it's always nice to have someone to blame. Shakes fist ineffectually It's time for Home and Away to be taken off the air once and for all And Neighbours. Neighbours, a programme so bad Channel 5 have got it.
cisono Posted 19 March 2009 Posted 19 March 2009 Not surprised they want to ban the following words: Capabilities Capacity Capacity buildingNone of them exist in that context
Ultra Posted 20 March 2009 Posted 20 March 2009 I'm pretty much in agreement with discouraging empty jargon in the workplace, especially in writing. What I'm not in favour of is just dumbing down the English language. English is wickedbadinnit, and we should rejoice in it's complexity and subtleties.Having said that, I'd happily get rid of the word "tranche" from the lexicon of management-speak. "The training will be delivered in three tranches".... try stages or sections, you knobend. I'm a big fan of the French - a willfully awkward and bloody-minded nation of smelly, moustached, sheep burning stereotypes - and I congratulate them for it - but what a horrible language. We don't need these words - we've got perfectly good alternatives already: Tranche, au fait, cuisine, en route, cul-de-sac, genre... and so on.... At least the language is still going. There are a lot of Latin phrases that could be dispensed with.
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