How to write clearly.
Date: 2016-02-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Translation
Subjects: European language, language, language teaching, linguistics, teaching materials, terminology

How to write 

clearly 

Translation

1

European Commission staff have to write many different types of documents. Whatever the type — legisla-
tion, a technical report, minutes, a press release or a speech — a clear document will be more effective and 
more easily and quickly understood. This guide will help you to write clearly, whether you are using your own 
language or one of the other official languages, all of which are also working languages of the Commission 
according to Council Regulation No 1/1958 (still valid today!).

These are hints, not rules, and when applying them you should take into account your target readers and the 
purpose of your document.

Three good reasons to write clearly are:
•  to work more effectively together;
•  to reduce unnecessary correspondence;
•  to build goodwill.

   Hint 1: Think before you write ..............................................................................................................................page 3

   Hint 2: Focus on the reader .....................................................................................................................................page 4

   Hint 3: Get your document into shape ............................................................................................................page 5

   Hint 4: KISS: keep it short and simple ..................................................................................................................page 6

   Hint 5: Make sense — structure your sentences ..........................................................................................page 7

   Hint 6: Cut out excess nouns — verb forms are livelier .........................................................................page 8

   Hint 7: Prefer active verbs to passive ones — and name the agent..........................................page 9

   Hint 8: Be concrete, not abstract ....................................................................................................................page 10

   Hint 9: Beware of false friends, jargon and abbreviations ........................................................page 11

   Hint 10: Revise and check ......................................................................................................................................page 14

  Online drafting aids of the European Union ..........................................................................................page 15

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How to write clearly1. 

Think before you write

Clear writing starts with and depends on clear think-
ing. Ask yourself the following questions.

What points must the document 
cover?

Who will be reading the document?

Three main groups of people read European Com-
mission documents:
•  EU insiders — colleagues in the European 

Commission or other institutions;

•  outside specialists;
•  the general public — which is by far the largest 

group.

Most European Commission documents are now on 
the  internet  and  available  to  everyone.  Everything 
we  write  and  publish  as  part  of  our  work  for  the 
European Commission inevitably affects the public 
image of the EU. See Hint 2 for tips on reader focus.

What are you trying to achieve?

What is the purpose of your document? After read-
ing it, what will your readers have to do?

•  Make a decision?
•  Handle a certain situation?
•  Solve a particular problem?
•  Change their attitude towards something?

•  Decide on your message.
•  Make a list or bubble diagram (see illustration) 
containing all the points you expect to make, in 
no particular order.

•  Cross out the irrelevant points.
•  Link the remaining points into related groups.
•  Fill any gaps in your knowledge: make a note of 
facts you will need to check and/or experts you 
will need to consult.

This approach applies to practically all non-literary 
texts: memos, reports, letters, user guides, etc. For 
formal documents such as legislation, specific draft-
ing rules must be followed.

An alternative is the ‘7 questions’ approach. 
This is a structured method of covering relevant in-
formation.

WHAT? 
WHO? 
WHEN? 

WHERE? 
HOW? 

WHY? 
HOW MUCH? 

My essential message.
People concerned.
 Days, hours, timelines 
and deadlines.
Places.
 Circumstances 
and explanations.
Causes and/or objectives.
  Calculable and measurable 
data.

abbreviations

long

jargon

passive

abstract

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2. 

Focus on the reader

Be direct and interesting

Always consider the people you’re really writing for: 
not just your boss or the reviser of your translations, 
but the end users. Like you, they’re in a hurry. Who 
are they, what do they already know and what might 
you need to explain?

Try  to  see  your  subject  from  the  point  of  view  of 
your readers.

•  Involve them by addressing them directly (‘you’ 
is an underused word in European Commission 
documents).

•  Imagine which questions they might ask and 
make sure the document answers them. Maybe 
even use these questions as subheadings, for 
example: ‘What changes will this new policy 
make?’ ‘Why is this policy needed?’ ‘Who will be 
affected?’ ‘What do we expect to achieve?’

•  Interest them. Give them only the information 

they actually need. Leave out as many 
details of European Commission procedures 
and interinstitutional formalities as you can. 
These are meaningless to most readers and 
simply reinforce the Commission’s image as a 
bureaucratic and distant institution. If they are 
really essential, briefly explain why.

Now you can prepare your outline.

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3.  Get your document into shape

When you start

As you write

•  Follow our hints below.
•  Consult EU drafting aids (see last page).

• 

 Keep cutting! Be tough — ask if each 

section and each word is really necessary. 
Cut out superfluous words, but make sure the 
message is still clear.

The deadline to be observed for the 
submission of applications is 31 March 
2012.

The deadline for submitting applications 
is 31 March 2012.

Application deadline: 31 March 
2012.

Once you’ve finished

See Hint 10 for advice on revising and checking.

•  If your outline includes a summary, begin with 
that — you may find it is enough! Put it at 
the beginning because that is the first (and 
sometimes the only) part that people will read.

•  Pay particular attention to links that will help 
readers to follow your logic and reasoning. 
Choose headings and other ‘signposts’ that will 
enable them to find key information and save 
you from repeating it throughout the document. 
Use informative headings and subheadings 
to highlight the most important points of the 
document. A heading such as ‘Mergers need to 
be monitored more carefully’ is more informative 
than ‘Monitoring mergers’.

•  Consider how best to make your points and keep 
your document reader-friendly — could you use 
icons, graphs or tables instead of text? Do 
you need a glossary or a list of definitions?

•  After the beginning, the next most frequently 

read part is the conclusion. A reader may skip 
everything in between to get to the conclusion. 
Make it clear, concise and to the point.

•  Show your readers the structure of longer 
documents by including a clear table of 
contents.

Two common problems at the European Commission

1. Recycling an earlier text without adapting it properly
Older models may be unclearly written and may not reflect new circumstances 
and new drafting practices. Take care to make all the necessary adaptations.

2. Cutting and pasting
You may have to use passages from a variety of documents to assemble a new 
text. Beware of inconsistent terminology, repetition or omission — these can 
undermine the internal logic and clarity of the end result.

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4.  KISS:  keep it short and simple

Short ...

… and simple

Use simple words where possible. Simple language 
will not make you seem less learned or elegant, it 
will make you more credible.

in view of the fact that

a certain number of

the majority of

pursuant to

within the framework of

accordingly, consequently

for the purpose of

in the event of

if this is not the case

if this is the case

concerning, regarding, relating to

with reference to, with regard to

as

some

most

under

under

so

to

if

if not

if so

on

about

The  value  of  a  document  does  not  increase  the 
longer it gets. Your readers will not respect you more 
because you have written 20 pages instead of 10, 
especially  when  they  realise  that  you  could  have 
written  what  you  wanted  to  say  in  10.  They  may 
well  resent  you  for  taking  more  of  their  time  than 
necessary.

Some  ways  to  cut  out  unnecessary  words  include 
the following.
•  Not stating the obvious. Trust your readers’ 

common sense.

•  Not cluttering your document with redundant 

expressions like ‘as is well known’, ‘it is generally 
accepted that’, ‘in my personal opinion’, ‘and so 
on and so forth’, ‘both from the point of view of 
A and from the point of view of B’, etc.

•  Not repeating yourself. When referring to a 

committee with a long name, for example, write 
out the full name once only: ‘This question was 
put to the Committee on the Procurement of 
Language Style Guides. The committee said 
that ...’

Shorter  documents  and  shorter  sentences  tend  to 
have more impact.

As a guide:
1 document = 15 pages at most
1 sentence = 20 words on average  
(but sprinkle in a few short sentences!)
Unnecessarily long sentences are a serious obstacle 
to  clarity  in  European  Commission  documents.  Try 
to break them up into shorter sentences. However, 
remember to include link words (‘but’, ‘so’, ‘however’, 
etc.) so the coherence doesn’t get lost in the process.

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Simple, uncluttered style also 
means …

… avoiding ambiguity
If you use the same word to refer to different things, 
you could confuse your reader.

You must hand in your application 
by Tuesday. You may also submit an 
application for this deadline to be 
postponed. Your application … (what are 
we talking about now?)

You must hand in your application by 
Tuesday. You may also ask for the 
deadline to be postponed. Your 
application …

… not changing words just for ‘style’
You  may  think  you  can  make  your  document  less 
boring by using different words to refer to the same 
thing. Again, though, you could confuse your reader.

You must hand in your application by 
Tuesday. The committee may turn down 
your request … (i.e. your application — or 
is it?).

You must hand in your application by 
Tuesday. The committee may turn it 
down …

… using the positive form, not the negative

It is not uncommon for applications to 
be rejected, so do not complain unless 
you are sure you did not complete yours 
incorrectly.

It is quite common for applications to be 
rejected, so complain only if you are sure 
you completed yours correctly.

5.  Make sense  — structure your sentences

You may have to write (or improve) a text contain-
ing a mass of facts and ideas. Here are some ways 
of  untangling  the  information  so  that  readers  will 
understand each sentence straight away.

Name the agents of each action (see Hint 7) 
and put the actions in the order in which they 
occur.

Its decision on allocation of EU assistance 
will be taken subsequent to receipt of 
all project applications at the Award 
Committee’s meeting.

When all applicants have submitted 
their project applications, 

the Award Committee will meet  

to decide 

how much EU aid it will grant to each 
one. 

1

2

3

4

Don’t bury important information in the middle 
of the sentence.

As for reducing roaming charges, the 
Commission outlined several proposals. 

The Commission outlined several 
proposals for reducing roaming charges.

The smoking in restaurants ban now 
seems likely to be implemented.

Smoking in restaurants is now likely to be 
banned.

Try to give your sentences strong endings 
— that’s the bit readers will remember.

Complete institutional reform is 
advocated by the report in most cases.

In most cases, the report advocates 
complete institutional reform.

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6.  Cut out excess nouns  — verb forms are livelier

One simple way to write more clearly is to change

There are other nouns that don’t end in ‘-ion’ but are 
also verbs in disguise.

this …

to this …

by the destruction of

by destroying

conduct a review of

for the maximisation of

for maximising

perform an assessment of

of the introduction of

of introducing

effect a renewal of

review

assess

renew

By making this change, we are simply turning a noun 
back into a verb. Verbs are more direct and less ab-
stract than nouns. Many nouns ending in ‘-ion’ are 
simply verbs in disguise. They often occur in phrases 
like these ones below, where verbs would be clearer.

carry out an evaluation of

evaluate

hold an investigation of

investigate

give consideration to

consider

So  we  can  make  a  document  clearer  by  turning 
some nouns back into verbs.

The practice of growing perennials 
instead of annual crops can bring about 
an improvement of soil quality by 
effecting an increase in soil cover.

Growing perennials instead of annual 
crops can improve soil quality by 
increasing soil cover.

8

 
 
7. 

Prefer active verbs to passive ones  — and name 
the agent

Another easy step to clear writing is to use verbs in 
the active voice (‘the car hit a tree’) rather than the 
passive  (‘a  tree  was  hit  by  the  car’).  Compare  the 
following.

New guidelines have been laid down by 
the President in the hope that the length 
of documents submitted by DGs will be 
restricted to 15 pages.

The President has laid down new 
guidelines in the hope that DGs will 
restrict the length of documents to 15 
pages.

Look how we can make a sentence clearer 
by cutting out passives.

Unclear  
A recommendation was made by the 
European Parliament that consideration 
be given by the Member States to a 
simplification of the procedure.

A bit better  
The European Parliament made a 
recommendation that the Member States 
give consideration to a simplification of 
the procedure.

And finally by using verbs instead of abstract 
nouns.

Much better  
The European Parliament recommended 
that the Member States consider 
simplifying the procedure.

Name the agent

If you change passive verb forms into active ones, 
your writing will become clearer because you will be 
forced to name the agent — the person, organisa-
tion or thing that is carrying out the action.

It’s  easy  to  identify  the  agent  in  the  following  ex-
ample.

This project was rejected at Commission 
level.

The Commission rejected this project.

However, it is impossible in the next example.

It is considered that tobacco advertising should be 
banned in the EU.

Who considers? The writer, the Commission, 
the public, the medical profession or other?

Remember  that  EU  documents  have  to  be  trans-
lated into several languages. If your original docu-
ment is unclear, you may end up with non-matching 
translations, as each translator tries to guess what 
you might have meant and comes up with a differ-
ent solution.

You don’t have to avoid passives at all costs 
though.  They  can  be  useful,  for  example  when 
there’s no need to say who is responsible for the ac-
tion because it’s obvious (‘All staff are encouraged 
to write clearly’).

9

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8.  Be concrete, not abstract

TIP: In Word, highlight and right-click on a word and 
select  ‘Synonyms’  near  the  bottom  of  the  menu 
that appears in order to find the word you are really 
looking  for.  The  list  of  synonyms  will  contain  both 
abstract  and  concrete  words.  Try  to  choose  a  con-
crete word instead of a vaguer all-purpose one. For 
example, the word identify is perfectly acceptable, 
but sometimes a clearer word is better, as illustrated 
in the following examples.

to identify innovations

to spot innovations

to identify the participants

to identify the meaning

to name the 
participants

to see/show/
pinpoint the 
meaning

Concrete messages are clear — abstract language 
can  be  vague  and  off-putting.  Too  much  abstract 
language might even lead your reader to think that 
either you don’t know what you are writing about or 
your motives for writing are suspect.

Unless  you  have  a  good  reason,  if  you  can  use  a 
concrete word instead of a more abstract one that 
means  the  same  thing,  you  should  choose  the 
concrete word. Your message will be more direct 
and therefore more powerful.

Sometimes, instead 
of this …

you could try this ...

eliminate

cut out

achieve an objective

meet a target

employment 
opportunities

negative evolution

remunerated 
employment

jobs

downturn

paid work

investing in human 
capital *

— (workforce) training
— improving (workers’) 

skills

— training and education 

* As this example shows, the problem is often 
pinning down your exact meaning.

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9.  Beware of false friends, jargon and abbreviations

Avoid false friends

False friends (or faux amis) are pairs of words in 
two languages that look similar but differ in mean-
ing.

In  a  multilingual  environment  like  the  European 
Commission,  we  often  mix  up  our  languages.  Bor-
rowing between French and English is common. For 
instance, ‘to control’ in English normally  means  ‘to 

command/direct’  or  ‘to  restrict/limit’.  It  does  not 
mean  simply  ‘to  check/supervise’  like  contrôler  in 
French. Using the wrong word can alienate readers, 
making  the  EU  institutions  look  like  a  closed  club 
that is out of touch with the real world. In the worst 
case,  it  can  lead  to  misunderstandings  and  diplo-
matic incidents (for example, if you just want to say 
that Luxembourg is small but write ‘Luxembourg is 
not an important country’).

False friend

Why is it wrong?

What’s the correct word?

French

actuel

adéquat

assister à

attribuer

compléter

délai

actual

adequate

assist at

attribute to

complete

delay

élaborer

elaborate (verb)

éventuel

prévu

important

eventual

foreseen

important

matériel

material

‘actual’ means ‘real’

current, topical

‘adequate’ means ‘sufficient’

suitable

‘assist’ means ‘help’

‘attribute to’ means ‘consider 
to be due to/characteristic of’

attend, participate in

allocate to, assign to

‘complete’ means ‘finish’

supplement

‘a delay’ means ‘a postponement 
or hold-up’ (= retard in French)

‘to elaborate’ means ‘to go into 
detail’

deadline, time limit

draft, develop, produce

‘eventual’ means ‘ultimate’

any

‘foreseen’ means ‘predicted’

provided for, planned

‘important’ is right if you mean 
‘significant’, but not if you mean >

> large

‘material’ means ‘matter’, 
‘information’

supplies, equipment

opportunité

opportunity

‘opportunity’ means ‘chance’

advisability

perspectives

perspectives

‘perspective’ means ‘standpoint’

prospects, outlook

respecter

respect

‘to respect’ means ‘to value’ or 
‘honour’ someone or something

comply with (rules), meet 
(a deadline)

sensible

sensible

‘sensible’ means ‘reasonable’

sensitive

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Avoid or explain jargon

Jargon is vocabulary used by any group of insiders 
or specialists to communicate with each other and 
is acceptable in documents which are only read by 
that particular group.

However,  outsiders  (especially  the  general  public) 
will have to work harder than they need to or want 
to  when  reading  jargon.  Some  readers  may  even 
stop  reading  —  so  make  sure  that  any  document 
you want outsiders to read is as jargon-free as pos-
sible.

And if you do have to use jargon terms in documents 
for the general public, explain them when you first 
use them or add a glossary, a hyperlink or a refer-
ence to one of the websites indicated at the bottom 
of this page.

This  non-exhaustive  table  contains  a  number  of 
terms commonly used in the EU institutions.

Jargon term

acceding country

Suggested definition

country about to join the EU

acquis (communautaire)

body of EU law

candidate country

country still negotiating to join the EU

cohesion

comitology

Community method

enlargement 

mainstreaming

proportionality 

subsidiarity

approach aimed at reducing social and economic disparities within the EU

procedure under which the Commission consults committees of experts

method developed for taking decisions in the EU where the Parliament, 
Council and Commission work together

expansion of the EU to include new members

taking into account in all EU policies

principle that a level of government must not take any action that exceeds 
the necessary to carry out its assigned tasks

principle that, wherever possible, decisions must be taken at the level of 
government closest to citizens

Clear  explanations  of  much  jargon  and  definitions 
of more technical and legal terms arising in an EU 
context can be found in glossaries and jargon lists 
on the Europa website (eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/
glossary.html?locale=en; europa.eu/!YN99Uy).

12

Take care with abbreviations

Too  many  unfamiliar  abbreviations  can  make  a 
document incomprehensible and put your reader to 
sleep: ERDF + EAGGF + CAP = ZZZ.

If the meaning of an abbreviation might not be clear 
to your reader, you should:
•  write them out in full if the expression only 
occurs once or twice in the document; or
•  spell them out when you first use them in 
a document, followed by the abbreviation 
in brackets and then use the abbreviation 
throughout the rest of the document; and/or
•  attach a list of abbreviations or a hyperlink to 

show what they stand for.

The  ‘Main  acronyms  and  initialisms’  section  of  the 
Interinstitutional  style  guide  (publications.europa.
eu/code/en/en-5000400.htm)  defines  many  of  the 
acronyms and abbreviations used in European Com-
mission documents.

As always, consider your readers’ needs.
•  Some readers will be irritated if ‘common’ 

abbreviations are spelled out.

•  Writing ‘marketing authorisation holder’ on 

every other line instead of ‘MAH’ will make the 
document much longer.

Remember  that  abbreviations  and  acronyms  can 
mean different things in different contexts.

For example:

ESA

stands for European Space Agency

Euratom Supply Agency

European system of accounts

Endangered Species Act

environmentally sensitive area

eastern and southern Africa

electron-stimulated adsorption

and several other alternatives.

Source: iate.europa.eu

ESA

ESA

ESA

ESA

E
S
A

ESA

ESA

ESA

ESA

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10.  Revise and  cheque  check

•  Use spelling and grammar checkers, but be 
aware that they don’t pick up all mistakes.

•  Reread your document critically, putting yourself 
in the reader’s shoes. Are the sentences and 
paragraphs clearly linked? Do they follow on 
logically from each other? There will always be 
something you can improve or simplify.

•  Ask colleagues to comment, including some who 

haven’t been consulted earlier.

•  Listen to their suggestions carefully.

•  Follow those which improve brevity, clarity and 

reader-friendliness.

Need more help?
Even when you have finished your document — 
and made it as clear as possible by following the 
tips given here — you may feel that your writing 
could still be improved. Perhaps you are not sure 
of the right verb or preposition to use or some 
sentences may still be longer and more awkward 
than you would like.

Send your texts for editing
(Commission staff only)

You  can  contact  DG  Translation  and  ask  for  your 
document  to  be  edited.  Priority  is  given  to  docu-
ments that come under the Commission’s work pro-
gramme, that are to be subsequently translated by 
DG Translation or that are intended for publication to 
a wide audience. Full details are available at 
myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/serv/en/dgt/making_
request/edit/pages/index.aspx,  
where you will also find our in-house writer’s 
toolbox.

PEACE?

Having regard 
to the grossly 
negative effect 
of hostilities 
we hereby call 
for immediate 
cessation of such 
hostilities.

14

Online drafting aids of the European 
Union

The Directorate-General for Translation — the trans-
lation department of the European Commission — 
provides clear writing guides and style guides for all 
official EU languages on its website: 
ec.europa.eu/translation

Detailed  information  on  in-house  conventions  for 
English  spelling,  punctuation  and  usage  is  in  the 
English style guide produced by DG Translation:
europa.eu/!uB38wb

Information  on  EU  publications  in  all  official  lan-
guages  is  in  the  Interinstitutional  style  guide  pro-
duced by the Publications Office:
publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-000100.htm

Guidance on drafting EU legislation in all official lan-
guages is in the Joint practical guide:
eur-lex.europa.eu/content/techleg/KB0213228ENN.
pdf

For advice on writing for the web, see the Informa-
tion providers guide:
ec.europa.eu/ipg/content/tips

Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers  
to your questions about the European Union.

Freephone number (*):
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11

(*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, 

phone boxes or hotels may charge you).

More information on the European Union is available on the internet (http://europa.eu).

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2015

ISBN 978-92-79-46884-1 
doi:10.2782/022405

© European Union, 2015  
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

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Acknowledgements

This guide draws on sources including:
Oxford guide to plain English, Martin Cutts, Oxford, United Kingdom
Écrire pour être lu, Ministère de la Communauté française, Belgium
30 regole per scrivere testi amministrativi chiari, Università di Padova, Italy
Bürgernahe Verwaltungssprache, Bundesverwaltungsamt, Germany
Klarspråk lönar sig, Regeringskansliet, Justitiedepartementet, Sweden
Käännetäänkö tekstisi, tulkataanko puheenvuorosi? Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus, Finland
Writing for translation, Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union
OECD style guide, second edition, OECD, Paris.

Illustrations by Zeta Field, DG Translation, European Commission.

This guide is available in all official languages of the European Union.
You can find the online version of this guide at
ec.europa.eu/translation