Jargon crops up in just about every workplace. I define it as the filler words that creep into sentences when the writer either wants to sound important or cannot succinctly make their point.

As an editor, jargon is as much a target for my red pen as misspelling and grammar. I learned a lot about converting jargon to plain language as a police reporter, when I had to convert “responding to a residence” to “going to a house.” The problem with jargon is that it robs a sentence of meaning and clouds it with a lot of unnecessary words. To illustrate, here are some famous American history quotes rewritten using some of the common jargon I weed out on a daily basis.

‘Giving 110 Percent’

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
-U.S. President Harry Truman

WITH JARGON

“Fear is not the foundation of the country in which we live. Instead, America’s core competencies include courage, imagination and giving 110 percent to complete its tasks.”

‘Leverage Assets’

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
-U.S. President John F. Kennedy

      WITH JARGON

“To truly gain a robust relationship with America, don’t request the country leverage its assets for your benefit, but synergize and utilize your assets for the country’s benefit.”

‘Best Practices’

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. ”
—Rosa Parks

WITH JARGON

“One of the best practices I’ve discovered to drill down on fear is to create clear objectives. Understanding the task at hand removes fear.”

‘Near Future’

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

WITH JARGON

“My vision is that at some point in the near future we can get the ball rolling and my four children will reside in a nation in which they will be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.”

‘Deliverables’

“I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”
-Patrick Henry

WITH JARGON

“Moving forward, I’m not certain what actionable items others are considering. But my deliverables can only be liberty or death.”