Plain Language in Translation: Understanding ISO 24495

Every day, millions of people struggle to understand documents that directly affect their lives. Tax forms, medical instructions, insurance policies, government notices — these critical documents are often written in dense, jargon-heavy language that confuses rather than clarifies. When those documents need to be translated into other languages, the problem compounds. A poorly written source document produces an even more confusing translation.

This is where plain language enters the picture, and with it, a new international standard that every translation professional should understand: ISO 24495. Published as ISO 24495-1:2023, this standard establishes guidelines for plain language that have profound implications for the translation industry.

What Is Plain Language?

Plain language is communication that allows the intended audience to find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information effectively. It is not about dumbing down content or oversimplifying complex topics. Rather, plain language is about structuring and writing content so that readers can accomplish their goals on the first reading.

The principles of plain language have been advocated by government agencies and consumer protection organizations for decades. The United States passed the Plain Writing Act in 2010. The European Union has long promoted clear communication in its multilingual documentation. But until ISO 24495-1 was published in June 2023, there was no internationally recognized standard defining what plain language actually means in practice.

Plain language is not about using simple words. It is about ensuring that the right audience can find, understand, and use the information they need — on the first reading, in the time available.

ISO 24495-1: The Standard Explained

ISO 24495-1:2023 — titled "Plain language — Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines" — establishes four foundational principles for plain language documents. Every document that claims to follow plain language principles must satisfy these criteria:

• Relevant: The document contains only the information the reader needs, presented in a way that addresses their purpose
• Findable: The information is organized and presented so that readers can quickly locate what they need
• Understandable: The language, structure, and design enable the reader to comprehend the content without specialized knowledge
• Usable: The reader can actually use the information to accomplish their goal, whether that is filling in a form, following instructions, or making a decision

The standard provides detailed guidelines under each principle, covering aspects such as sentence structure, word choice, document design, information architecture, and reader testing. Importantly, the standard is language-neutral — it applies to any language, which makes it particularly relevant for multilingual content and translation workflows.

Why Plain Language Matters for Translation

The connection between plain language and translation quality is direct and measurable. When source documents follow plain language principles, translations are faster, more accurate, and less expensive. When source documents are poorly written, translators must interpret ambiguous meaning, navigate convoluted sentence structures, and make judgment calls about authorial intent — all of which introduce risk.

Government Documents

Government agencies worldwide are among the largest consumers of translation services. Immigration forms, tax guidance, public health notices, legal information — these documents must be accessible to diverse populations, many of whom read them in translation. The EU alone translates millions of pages annually across 24 official languages. When these source documents follow plain language principles, the translated versions are substantially more accurate and useful.

Several countries now require government documents to meet plain language standards. When those documents are then translated, the plain language principles must carry through to the target language. This creates a direct compliance requirement that translation agencies must be prepared to meet.

Healthcare Communication

In healthcare, unclear communication can be literally life-threatening. Patient information leaflets, informed consent forms, medication instructions, and public health campaigns must be understood by readers across all literacy levels. The World Health Organization has emphasized that health literacy depends on clear communication, and that translated health documents must maintain clarity in every language.

For translation agencies serving healthcare clients, the ability to deliver translations that meet both plain language and regulatory requirements is a significant competitive advantage. ISO 24495 provides the framework to demonstrate this capability.

Consumer Information

Financial services disclosures, product warranties, terms of service, insurance policies — consumers are surrounded by documents they need to understand but often cannot. Regulatory bodies across multiple industries are increasingly mandating plain language in consumer-facing documents. When these documents are translated for international markets, the plain language requirement follows.

Companies operating globally need their translated consumer documents to be just as clear as the source language versions. This represents a growing service opportunity for LSPs who can demonstrate plain language expertise alongside translation quality.

How LSPs Can Add Plain Language Services

For language service providers, ISO 24495 represents both a quality framework and a business opportunity. Here is how to integrate plain language into your service offering:

1. Source Document Assessment

Before translating, evaluate the source document against ISO 24495 criteria. Is the content relevant to the intended audience? Is information organized logically? Are sentences clear and unambiguous? This pre-translation assessment can identify issues that would create translation problems downstream, and it provides a valuable consultative service to clients who may not realize their source documents need improvement.

2. Plain Language Translation

Rather than translating complex, jargon-heavy source text literally, offer a service that produces translations meeting plain language standards in the target language. This requires translators who understand not just the source and target languages, but also plain language principles as they apply in the target culture. Different languages and cultures have different conventions for what constitutes clear, accessible writing.

3. Post-Translation Plain Language Review

Add a dedicated plain language review step to your workflow, separate from linguistic revision. A plain language reviewer evaluates the translated document against ISO 24495 criteria in the target language, ensuring that the translation is not just accurate but genuinely accessible to its intended audience.

4. Readability Testing

For critical documents, offer readability testing with representative members of the target audience. ISO 24495 emphasizes that the ultimate test of plain language is whether readers can actually use the document. Testing provides concrete evidence of document usability that clients value highly.

Certification Benefits for LSPs

Formal certification against ISO 24495 demonstrates to clients that your organization has the processes, expertise, and commitment to deliver plain language translations. The benefits are both practical and strategic:

• Differentiation: Very few translation agencies currently offer certified plain language services. Early movers gain a significant competitive advantage in a growing market
• Premium pricing: Plain language services command higher rates because they require specialized expertise and additional process steps beyond standard translation
• Client retention: Agencies that help clients improve document clarity become strategic partners rather than commodity vendors, leading to longer and more profitable client relationships
• Regulatory alignment: As more jurisdictions mandate plain language in official and consumer documents, certified agencies are positioned to serve these compliance-driven markets
• Quality improvement: Implementing plain language principles improves overall translation quality by encouraging clear thinking about audience, purpose, and usability

ISO 24495 certification integrates naturally with other standards that LSPs may already hold. It complements ISO 17100 for translation quality, ISO 9001 for quality management, and ISO 21999 for translation quality evaluation. Together, these standards create a comprehensive quality framework that resonates with demanding enterprise clients.

Growing Market Demand

The demand for plain language in translated content is growing across multiple dimensions:

Regulatory drivers: The European Accessibility Act, which takes effect in June 2025, requires that products and services be accessible to people with disabilities, including cognitive disabilities. Plain language is a key component of accessibility compliance. Similar regulations are emerging in North America, Australia, and Asia.

Corporate social responsibility: Companies increasingly recognize that clear communication is an ethical obligation, not just a legal one. Boards and leadership teams are asking whether their customer-facing documents are truly accessible to all audience segments, including those reading in a second language.

Digital transformation: As organizations move communication online, the need for clear, concise content grows. Digital readers have shorter attention spans and different reading patterns. Plain language principles align perfectly with best practices for digital content across all languages.

AI and machine translation: As organizations use more machine translation, the quality of the source text becomes even more critical. Machine translation systems produce better output from plain language source text because the input is unambiguous. LSPs that can advise clients on source text improvement are positioned as higher-value partners.

Getting Started with ISO 24495

For translation agencies ready to explore plain language services, here is a practical path forward:

1. Educate your team: Ensure that project managers, translators, and reviewers understand plain language principles and ISO 24495 requirements
2. Audit current services: Review your existing translation workflows to identify where plain language principles can be integrated
3. Develop service packages: Create tiered service offerings that include plain language assessment, translation, and review
4. Build expertise: Identify or recruit linguists with plain language training in your key language pairs
5. Pursue certification: Work with a certification body like TranslationCert to achieve formal ISO 24495 certification
6. Market your capability: Communicate your plain language expertise to existing and prospective clients, particularly those in government, healthcare, and financial services

Conclusion: Clarity as a Competitive Advantage

ISO 24495 represents a fundamental shift in how we think about document quality. It moves the conversation beyond linguistic accuracy to actual reader comprehension and usability. For translation agencies, this shift creates both an obligation and an opportunity.

The obligation is clear: as plain language requirements become embedded in regulations and client expectations, LSPs must develop the capability to deliver translations that are not just correct but genuinely understandable. The opportunity is equally clear: agencies that lead in plain language services will win contracts that competitors cannot access, command premium rates, and build deeper client relationships.

In a world drowning in incomprehensible documents, clarity is a competitive advantage. ISO 24495 gives translation agencies a framework to deliver that clarity consistently, measurably, and credibly.

Ready to add plain language services to your offering?
Start with a free readiness assessment at baltum.ai or request a quote from TranslationCert. Our experts will help you integrate ISO 24495 into your existing quality framework.