On the afternoon of June 8, 2023, Xiang Dong, associate professor from University of International Business and Economics, gave a lecture on “Use of Plain English in C-E Translation”. The lecture was hosted by Zhang Rui, associate dean of the School of Translation Studies, and teachers and students from the School of English Language & Culture and the School of Translation Studies attended the lecture.

The lecture focused on the following content:

First, being used worldwide, English is the mother tongue or second language of approximately one billion people around the world. English is also the language commonly used by airlines and shipping companies and in computer technology, science and global communication. English is one of the most extensive and important languages in the world.

Second, in plain English, people usually need to omit unnecessary words. A sentence should contain only necessary words, and a paragraph should contain only necessary sentences. But plain English does not require writers to keep all sentences short, or to avoid all linguistic details. Rather in plain English, each word in a sentence should be significant.

Third, George Orwell’s rules of using plain English for writers can be used as reference, which includes: (1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figures of speech that are frequently seen. (2) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (4) Never use the passive voice where you can use the active voice. (5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

The lecture ended in heated discussion.