What Is the Plain English Service Offered by NALA and Who Can Use It?

NALA (the National Adult Literacy Agency) runs a Plain English service for organisations that need to communicate more clearly with the public. It covers three things: practical plain English tips, editing and training services, and the Plain English Mark. It is aimed at public bodies, health services, employers, educators, and any organisation whose written information people struggle to understand. You do not need to be a literacy tutor or a NALA member to use the public tips, but the editing, training, and Mark services are delivered by NALA for organisations.

What "Plain English" means at NALA

Plain English is writing and design that lets the reader find what they need, understand it, and act on it after a single reading. NALA treats it as a literacy issue, not a style preference: if a form, leaflet, or website is written in dense language, people with unmet literacy needs are shut out of services they are entitled to.

That is why NALA places Plain English alongside its literacy awareness, health literacy, and research work — it is one of the ways the charity pursues its goal of helping people take full part in society.

What the service includes

The site lists three Plain English offerings:

• Plain English Tips — free guidance on writing and presenting information clearly.
• Editing and Training Services — NALA works on your documents and/or trains your staff.
• Plain English Mark — a recognition mark for documents or organisations that meet NALA's plain English standard.

These sit under the wider "Services" section, which also covers literacy awareness, health literacy, and integrating literacy in further education.

Who can use it

The practical dividing line: the tips are open to everyone, while editing, training, and the Mark are services NALA provides to organisations that want their own materials assessed or improved.

How to get started

1. Go to nala.ie and open the Services section.
2. Read Plain English Tips first — this tells you what NALA expects from clear writing, so you can judge whether your own documents already meet the bar.
3. If you need hands-on help, look at Editing and Training Services to see how NALA works with organisations on their documents and staff skills.
4. If you want formal recognition, look at the Plain English Mark.
5. For health-related material, use the separate Health literacy pages, which include tips written for the public as well as services for the health sector.

You can also contact NALA directly — the site lists a freephone number, 1800 20 20 65 — if you are unsure which service fits your situation.

What to check before you commit

• Scope: the tips are self-service; editing and training involve NALA staff working with your organisation, so expect a different level of involvement.
• Audience: if your readers include people with literacy or numeracy needs, health service users, or the general public, plain English is directly relevant. Internal technical documents may need less of it.
• The Mark: treat it as a standard to meet, not a quick label — documents generally need to be revised before they qualify.
• Cost and eligibility: the site does not publish prices or detailed eligibility rules for the editing, training, or Mark services, so confirm these with NALA before planning around them.

If your goal is simply to write more clearly, start with the free tips. If your goal is to have your organisation's information independently checked or your staff trained, go straight to the editing and training services and the Plain English Mark.