Saying it in plain English pays off for local foodie

A Palmerston North foodie in a wheelchair has won an award for good use of the English language.

Nicolas Steenhout won the best private sector plain English website category at the Writemark Plain English Awards, which celebrate uncomplicated use of English.

His blog The Wheeling Gourmet triumphed over two other finalists, with the judges saying it was a delight to read for foodies and non-foodies alike.

"The recipes are easy to follow, and have excellent supplemental content, making a user feel as though they have an assistant in the kitchen," they said.

"The tone is also spot on."

At the other end of the spectrum, Massey University was a finalist in the people's choice "brainstrain" website category.

Ironically, the piece of writing nominated as a brainstrain was the introduction to a communications degree.

It begins: "The Bachelor of Communication brings together the Communication Management, Journalism Studies, Marketing Communication and Public Relations programmes from the College of Business, and the Expressive Arts, International Languages, Linguistics and Media Studies programmes from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, into an integrated, comprehensive and unique three-year degree."

The submitter said this was a poor shop window for a degree teaching people how to communicate.

Mr Steenhout's achievement was also remarkable because English was not his native language.

He was born in Greece and lived in Canada, Belgium and Senegal before moving to New Zealand.

English was the fourth language he learned, after French, Greek and Italian.

Mr Steenhout said he was "gobsmacked" by the award "but really, really pleased".

He is a qualified chef who has worked in restaurants, but now advocates for people with disabilities.

"All my web content is written with plain English in mind because clarity increases accessibility," he said.

The plain English awards' top honour went to the Office of the Auditor-General for its overall commitment to clarity.

- © Fairfax NZ News