Para Handy Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Well here is the latest tripe that has hit the news this morning. Some people in high places just have to much time on there hands. And they should stop and I quote “Thinking outside of the box†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". 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 togo. 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." SOME OF THE WORST Blue sky thinkingCan do cultureCoterminosityDouble devolutionHorizon scanningImprovement leversPathfinderPotentialitiesQuantumRevenue StreamsSubsidiaritySymposiumThinking outside of the boxValue-added Can anyone else add to the list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roachmill Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 "Whatever the cost" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medziotojas Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 George OrwellPolitics and the English Language i. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. ii. Never use a long word where a short one will do. iii. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. iv. Never use the passive where you can use the active. v. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. vi. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para Handy Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Well just get the charitable trust to pay for it would be the biggest one for the SIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 "Wall street and main street""Under the radar""On his watch" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Take the council jargon quiz here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjool Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Well I thought I would be good at that quiz and set to with aplomb. I got 3 of 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 One of the statements I hate the most "Ring Fenced" ( Means not a cats chance in H**l Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 2/7 (And one of them was a lucky guess) Where did they find some of that rubbish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 well I got five but my excuse is it's english jargon. Always used to cause confusion with cross border cohesion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kephas4 Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Another aggravating one, "touching base". Touching cloth, more like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roachmill Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 0/7 Beat that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para Handy Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 0/7 Beat that! Another teconal problem then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Another teconal problem thenWhat is a teconal problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Here's some I hate: Top of the hour! Where's the back, side, bottom etc?Back of one - as in I'll meet you after one. No need the incorrect use of these: terrific! - means that something is very terrifyingdesimate - means to reduce by one tenth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now