A one-day conference highlighting a key aspect of editing texts in South Africa
Date:Saturday 14 November 2009
Venue: Hofmeyr House, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Cost:PEG members R260
Non-members R360
Students (Publishing or related studies) R160
PEG was established 16 years ago this November. This, the first of several planned PEG conferences, addressed a highly topical issue.From the viewpoint of both policy and plain language skills, it was of interest to the editors, materials developers, writers and ‘rewriters’ who attended.
The PEG conferences are intended to promote high standards in editing; help practitioners keep up with, and take stock of, new developments in editing and related fields; stimulate, challenge and refresh PEG members; broaden our outreach; and provide participants with an opportunity to renew old ties and form new ones.
Our speakers
John Linnegar is a partner in McGillivray Linnegar Associates. Trained as a secondary school teacher in the 1970s, John has been active in the publishing industry for almost 30 years, as editor, proofreader, technical writer and industrial editor. He is a popular trainer in the field of language work, and the chairperson of PEG.
Annelize Nienaber is an advocate and a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria. She is the co-editor of the book Plain language for a new democracy, and has published research related to a variety of human rights issues.
Candice Burt is one of the few plain language lawyers in South Africa. She is a co-founder of the language practice, Simplified, and helps organisations write their legal and financial documents in clear, understandable terms. She is also the South African representative of Clarity International.
Eleanor Cornelius is a linguist with the Department of Afrikaans and Linguistics at the University of Johannesburg. She has had a long-standing interest in the topic of plain language, and is currently completing her doctorate on the subject.
Frances Gordon has a BA Hons in Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language. She has worked in the field of simplified language since 1995 and is the other co-founder of Simplified. Her clients have included many major corporations. One of very few plain-language writers to understand the digital medium, Frances is also a member of the International Plain Language Working Group.
David Langhan has an MA in Applied Linguistics and a High School Teaching Diploma. He has extensive experience in teacher training and school-materials development in various countries in southern Africa, and more recently published post-school bridging materials and was responsible for ensuring the accessibility of materials published for the FET phase by Pearson Education. He is currently Director of the MML Foundation, which works to support disadvantaged schools in implementing the National Curriculum Statements.
Programme
07:00−08:00:Registration. Tea, coffee and juice
08:15−08:30:Address by PEG chairperson, John Linnegar
08:30−09:00: Clearing up some common misconceptions about plain language PEG contribution
09:30−09:45:Questions from the floor
9:45−10:15: Plain language and the law, and plain legal English, in South Africa
Advocate Annelize Nienaber
10:15−10:30:Questions from the floor
10:30−11:00:Tea & coffee break
11:00−11:30:Government attempts to define plain language: boost for the cause, or potential minefield?
Candice Burt
11:30−11:45:Questions from the floor
11:45−12:15:A failed attempt at a plain language version of an important public text
Eleanor Cornelius
12:15−12:30:Questions from the floor
12:30−13:00:Establishing international standards for plain language: can it be done?
Frances Gordon
13:00−13:15:Questions from the floor
13:15−14:00:Lunch
14:00−16:30:Hands-on workshop on Plain English principles
