Happy International Plain Language Day!

This time of year, as we gather with friends and family to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, we also give thanks for plain language and those who work to champion it.

October 13 is International Plain Language Day. The day was established to celebrate the movement for clearer communication around the world, and several advances in 2025 give us good reason to do just that.

In Canada, Accessibility Standards Canada published its plain language standard today. The standard provides guidelines for identifying and removing barriers to accessible and inclusive communication.

Internationally, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published part 2 of its plain language standard, plain language for legal communication, in August. This was a follow-up to part 1, governing principles and guidelines, published in 2023. Work is underway on parts focused on science writing, document design, business reporting, and implementing plain language principles in an organization.

This collection of best practices is all about helping people find, understand, and use the information they need from various types of documents. As readers, we’re grateful for that! And as editors, writers, and trainers, we’re grateful to have these guidelines to do our best work.