Avoiding unnecessary jargon makes communication easier to understand, more inclusive, and less dependent on insider knowledge. The goal is not to ban technical vocabulary; it is to use specialist terms only when they add precision and to explain them when the audience may not know them.
Jargon Works Only With Shared Knowledge
A term can be perfectly clear within a profession and confusing outside it. Before using specialist shorthand, ask whether the intended readers are likely to share the same definition and whether the term is necessary for accuracy.
Plain Language Reduces Processing Effort
Familiar words let readers focus on the idea rather than decoding terminology. “Use” is often clearer than “utilise,” but plain wording should not erase distinctions that a technical term captures precisely.
Unexplained Acronyms Create Barriers
Spell out uncommon acronyms on first use and avoid creating abbreviations that appear only a few times. Readers should not have to search backwards through a document to recover a definition.
Jargon Can Affect Trust and Inclusion
Dense insider language can make readers feel that a message was not written for them. Clear definitions signal that the writer expects a mixed audience and wants the information to be usable.
Translate, Then Retain the Term If Needed
A practical compromise is to give the plain-language explanation first and the technical label alongside it. The reader gains the concept and can then recognise the specialist term later in the text.
When Jargon Is the Clearest Choice
Some specialist terms are shorter and more exact than any plain-language replacement. In those cases, removing the term can make the text longer and less accurate.
Keep the jargon, define it once in accessible language, and then use the term consistently. The problem is unexplained or unnecessary jargon, not expertise itself.