Three quarters (74 per cent) of Britons believe that businesses
deliberately use jargon to confuse and deceive consumers.
More than half (56 per cent) think that jargon is used as
a cover by people who don’t know what they’re
talking about, yet nearly a third (31 per cent) admit to
using it themselves to impress their own customers and clients,
according to new research carried out for Abbey1.
Lawyers and solicitors have come top in a poll as the biggest
users of confusing industry jargon. One in three (36 per
cent) of the people surveyed accuse the legal profession
of being Britain’s worst offender.
The top five are:
1.Lawyers and solicitors (36 per cent)
2.Computer and IT professionals (34 per cent)
3.The Government (28 per cent)
4.Banks (25 per cent)
5.Local councils (23%)
Nearly four in five (78 per cent) people surveyed by Abbey
think too much jargon is used and the vast majority (88
per cent) think that dealing with companies would be a lot
quicker and easier if it was stripped out altogether.
Estate agents use an array of industry jargon when talking
to their customers, such as POA and market appraisal2, but
it seems that less than a third (32 per cent) of the population
actually know what they’re talking about. The most
confusing jargon terms, however, appear to be used by marketing
professionals – less than a quarter (17 per cent) of
Britons know the meaning of commonly-used industry terms
such as POS and above-the-line2.
It may come as no surprise that banking jargon is also
confusing, with over half the population (53 per cent) not
knowing what ATM means, two fifths (40 per cent) not knowing
what APR stands for, and nearly three quarters (72 per cent)
not knowing what a ‘repayment vehicle’ is.
The research was commissioned by Abbey to support National
Plain English Day (2 December) as the bank aims to turn
banking on its head and change the way it treats customers.
The bank is currently re-writing all of its customer letters
in plain English, and has promised to get rid of financial
jargon.
Nearly all those surveyed (97 per cent) think that complicated
matters such as mortgages should be explained in simple
language so that consumers understand what they’re
buying.
Angus Porter, Abbey's Customer Director said: “Many
people use jargon simply because they have got used to doing
so. We have to break this trend and get back to basics by
using simple language that’s understood by all. By
cutting out jargon and using plain English we can ensure
customers know what they’re getting and are sure it’s
what they really want.”
Chrissie Maher, founder-director of Plain English Campaign,
said: “It's a real shame that jargon is so common in
some industries that people use it just to fit in, even
when they aren't sure what a term means. Just like the story
of the Emperor's new clothes, somebody needs to admit the
naked truth. We hope Plain English Day will inspire people
to take a stand against the rampant misuse of jargon, which
wastes everyone's time and money.”
28 Nov 2003
Source: Abbey
