Alan Siegel: Let's simplify legal jargon!

Translator: Clement Cheung Reviewer: Alan Watson

So, basically we have public leaders,

而家我哋嘅領袖同政府官員 都好似中咗毒咁

public officials who are out of control;

they are writing bills that are unintelligible,

啲法案畀佢哋寫到極之難明

and out of these bills are going to come

裏面嘅條款細則可以有成四萬幾頁紙咁多

maybe 40,000 pages of regulations, total complexity,

複雜到極

which has a dramatically negative impact on our life.

兼且對我哋生活造成嚴重不便

If you're a veteran coming back from Iraq or Vietnam

試想像你係個退伍軍人

喺伊拉克或者越南打過仗

you face a blizzard of paperwork to get your benefits;

要拎援助金嘅話 要先填好曬面前成疊文件

if you're trying to get a small business loan,

如果你想借錢搞生意

you face a blizzard of paperwork.

同樣畀疊文件點到你暈

What are we going to do about it? I define simplicity

對住疊文件，我哋究竟有咩符？

as a means to achieving clarity,

我認為一切從簡

可以令所有嘢變得清晰、透明、人性化

transparency and empathy,

building humanity into communications.

務求整個溝通模式可以返璞歸真

I've been simplifying things for 30 years.

我三十年嚟就係喺度將啲嘢簡化

I come out of the advertising and design business.

我做廣告設計出身

My focus is understanding you people,

我好想去了解你哋

and how you interact with the government

了解你哋點樣同政府溝通 去爭取你應有嘅權益

to get your benefits,

how you interact with corporations to decide whom you're going to do business with,

了解你哋點樣同企業打交道 揀同邊個做生意

and how you view brands.

兼了解你哋點樣睇品牌

So, very quickly, when President Obama said,

當其時奧巴馬佢咁樣講：

"I don't see why we can't

「我哋啲信貸合約點解唔可以一頁紙過，

have a one-page, plain English consumer credit agreement."

兼易睇易明嘅呢？」

So, I locked myself in a room,

之後，我就決定閉關

figured out the content,

度好個內容，執靚個排版

organized the document, and wrote it in plain English.

用好淺顯嘅文字寫掂佢

I've had this checked by the two top

我搵咗美國做消費信貸最勁嘅 兩個律師校閱過

consumer credit lawyers in the country.

This is a real thing.

呢樣係千真萬確㗎

Now, I went one step further and said,

之後，我進一步話：

"Why do we have to stick with the stodgy lawyers

「點解下下都要靠班法律顧問呢？

and just have a paper document? Let's go online."

點解文件硬係得印刷本嘅呢？

不如擺上網啦！」

And many people

我知好多人計數唔多掂

might need help in computation.

Working with the Harvard Business School,

我哋同哈佛商學院合作嗰時

you'll see this example when you talk about minimum payment:

有個方案係關於最低還款額

If you spent 62 dollars for a meal,

幅圖寫住：假設你一餐飯洗咗 62 美金

the longer you take to pay out that loan,

而你每個月齋畀最低還款額嘅話

you see, over a period of time using the minimum payment

嗰 62 蚊就要拖更耐先還得清

it's 99 dollars and 17 cents.

最後仲要畀成 99 蚊 1 毫 7 仙

How about that? Do you think your bank is going to show that to people?

你覺得銀行會將實情話你聽咩？

But it's going to work. It's more effective

點都好，圖文並茂確實好得

than just computational aids.

實際過計晒畀你睇

And what about terms like

再睇睇呢個詞語：「超過信貸額度」

"over the limit"?

Perhaps a stealth thing.

睇落好隱晦咁

Define it in context. Tell people what it means.

嘗試解釋下，等人知點解

When you put it in plain English,

當你簡化條文

you almost force the institution

就等於要求銀行一定要向公眾開誠佈公

to give the people a way, a default out of that,

and not put themselves at risk.

以防大家誤踩地雷

Plain English is about

所謂淺顯易明，就係重組內容

changing the content.

And one of the things I'm most proud of

要數我其中最自豪嘅 一定係 IBM 嘅一份協議

is this agreement for IBM.

It's a grid, it's a calendar.

佢用嘅係方格、日曆

At such and such a date, IBM has responsibilities,

寫住邊月邊日

you have responsibilities.

IBM 有某啲職責，你又有某啲職責

Received very favorably by business.

而家業界都好歡迎呢款設計

And there is some good news to report today.

我今日有好消息想分享下

Each year, one in 10 taxpayers

每年，每十個納稅人

receives a notice from the IRS.

就有一個收到國稅局嘅通知書

There are 200 million letters that go out.

同類信件全國有成兩億幾封

Running through this typical letter that they had,

喺我哋個「化繁為簡實驗室」入邊

I ran it through my simplicity lab,

我哋處理咗呢堆信件

it's pretty unintelligible.

發現內容認真難明

All the parts of the document in red are not intelligible.

紅色嗰啲，全部都好難明

We looked at doing over 1,000 letters that cover

我哋著手改造呢一千款信件

70 percent of their transactions in plain English.

呢拃信件涵蓋咗佢哋七成轉帳

They have been tested in the laboratory.

改造完，就經實驗室檢測

When I run it through my lab,

檢測完

this heat-mapping shows everything

熱點圖顯示所有字句一律清楚易明

is intelligible.

And the IRS has introduced the program.

而家國稅局都引進咗呢個程式

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

There are a couple of things going on right now

我想帶大家睇下我哋著手做緊嘅嘢

that I want to bring to your attention.

There is a lot of discussion now

各界都討論緊係咪要 設立消費者金融保護局

about a consumer financial protection agency,

how to mandate simplicity.

討論緊點樣實踐化繁為簡

We see all this complexity.

眼見周圍都官樣文章

It's incumbent upon us,

我相信我哋同呢個局都責無旁貸

and this organization, I believe,

to make clarity, transparency

要將化繁為簡睇為國家嘅優先政策

and empathy a national priority.

There is no way that we should allow government

我哋唔可以任得政府係咁同我哋打官腔

to communicate the way they communicate.

There is no way we should do business

更唔可以由得企業

with companies that have agreements

用埋晒啲咁隱晦嘅條款同我哋做生意

with stealth provisions and that are unintelligible.

So, how are we going to change the world?

咁影響世界有啲咩方法呢？

Make clarity, transparency and simplicity a national priority.

就係堅持清晰、透明同簡單嘅文字！

I thank you.

多謝各位！

(Applause)

（鼓掌）