What happens when you have two anthropologists with advanced degrees – one of them with an education certificate and plain language courses through Simon Fraser University – and a passion for clear communication and plain language writing? They form a successful company, of course!
Autrement dit, is an award-winning company that provides plain language rewriting services for businesses, non-profits, and public sector organizations throughout Quebec. Recently, they have expanded into other provinces. As Autrement dit, Chantale and Amélie also develop and deliver training to various organizations, in and outside of Canada, to help their clients develop better writing skills and integrate plain language in their work.
Both Chantale and Amélie bring their research and writing expertise to their business. They have backgrounds in public health through their work at the Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ). While with INSPQ, they were editor and co-editor respectively of the guide From Tiny Tot to Toddler, a landmark guide distributed each year to all expecting parents in Quebec. For more than 10 years, they communicated relevant, clear, and practical information to parents, helping many to feel empowered and confident in their new role as parents. It was during this time that they became familiar with plain language and health literacy.
Although they have vast experience in the health sector, their services are not limited to health organizations or topics, nor are they limited to French projects. Their first ClearMark Award was for their rewrite of a bilingual website for an environment and forest engineering firm: Dominic Roy, ingénieur forestier. Their second ClearMark Award was for their work on a financial management series created to help young adults with autism manage their finances: Série de fiches d’éducation financière pour jeunes adultes autistes.
Despite busy lives, these two also founded the Académie du langage clair et simple, the French-speaking wing of Plain Language Academies. These energetic leaders are making a significant contribution to our plain language profession, and we know bigger things are yet to come.