Ban the bull

They say money talks. But why does financial language so often leave the poor reader in need of subtitles?

Since the credit crunch, the thorny issue of finance has dominated the media. If only we all had a euro for every story we’d read on the subject, we’d all have far fewer financial concerns.

And the less pain the financial experts add to the topic, the better. So why do they sometimes trouble the average reader with inaccessible language that adds up to whole lot of nothing?

Take this quote from Andrew Balls, head of European portfolio management at investment multinational Pimco, and brother of Shadow Chancellor, Ed. Here, he muses on the prospects for the eurozone:

‘We think it is prudent to remain underweight European sovereign risk and to wait for evidence that countries with stressed debt dynamics can deliver on fiscal consolidation without undermining growth in their economies.’

This example – cloaked as it is in dense financial jargon – is a tough nut to crack.

Granted, it initially came from a research report, where one might expect the readers to be familiar with this kind of technical language. But the quote has been increasingly exposed to less specialised readers. First, business news website Bloomberg used it, and then in June the Telegraph shoehorned it into its Emergency Budget blog.

At this point, perhaps the Telegraph could have broken it down – getting the gist across by using reported speech. Something like:

Mr Balls took a cautious view, and suggested investors should wait for evidence of long-term economic stability in vulnerable eurozone countries before taking any action there.

Or, time allowing, you could even call on someone in the know to put it into layman’s terms. Whatever you do, it’s always important to consider the reader and their needs, interest and level of knowledge – even when quoting.

This could involve using everyday alternatives for some jargon terms. Or, if technical terms are unavoidable, explain them afterwards as you would to a friend who worked in a completely different field. It’s important, too, to think about what readers don’t need to know, so they don’t get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of information. If in doubt, cut it out.

And while we can’t do anything about the financial situation, we can help you get your message across effectively with our article The language of money.

Help us ban the bull

If you stumble across any bewildering business gobbledegook, then please send the offending text to us and we’ll do our best to translate it.

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Author: Catie Holdridge

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Catie joined Emphasis with an English literature and creative writing degree and a keen interest in what makes language work. Having researched, written, commissioned and edited dozens of articles for the Emphasis blog, she now knows more about the intricacies of effective professional writing than she ever thought possible.

She produced and co-wrote our online training programme, The Complete Business Writer, and these days oversees all the Emphasis marketing efforts. And she keeps office repartee at a suitably literary level.