Using This Guide
What’s In This Guide
This is a plain language and translation toolkit with three focus areas:
The section on Writing Inclusive Spanish highlights writing tactics grounded in bias-free language.
The section on Writing Plain Spanish includes tips on translating plain English to plain Spanish.
The section on Designing Reader-Friendly Content for Spanish Speakers provides best practices for visually organizing information on a screen.
We’ve also produced a Plain Spanish Glossary of Unemployment Insurance Terms to use as a quick reference or as a data source for machine learning translation algorithms.
Visit Spanish Language Style Guides and Glossaries on Digital.gov to find more resources for improving how the government communicates with the public in Spanish.
Voice and Tone
In preparing the recommendations in this guide, we considered what constitutes an appropriate voice and tone for UI communications.
“Voice” conveys your agency’s personality and values. We recommend using a voice that conveys empathy, inclusivity, and respect when communicating with Spanish-speaking audiences.
Empathetic: Acknowledge that this can be a stressful time. Use a caring and trauma-informed tone.
Inclusive: Welcome all readers equally. Avoid assumptions and use neutral terms like "people" and "workers." Also, restrain from using gendered pronouns and age-related descriptions.
Respectful: Aim to be authoritative yet friendly. Be kind and use polite language. Make sure that the information and resources you provide are accurate, reliable, and consistent to build trust.
Adapt your "tone" depending on the situation, topic, medium, and audience. Key elements for an appropriate tone for UI may include:
Educational: Most readers are new to this information. Use examples to explain complex terminology.
Friendly: Use a conversational tone and welcoming words.
Instructive: Be clear and direct – get to the point and use action-oriented language. Draft content that is easy to understand at an 8th-grade reading level.
Motivational: Explain the "why" behind instructions to encourage action.
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