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Jargon and DevelopmentSpeak

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What is jargon?

Special language used in business, science, government, and development work

Tries to make the message and its sender seem important

Uses long, impressive-sounding words

Uses several words instead of one

Makes the message harder to understand

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Let’s start with the project progress report. George, can you please act as acronym and jargon translator?

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Jargon

On average, among adults, total food intake is higher for males than for females

Men generally eat more than women

The shift in farm production technology that takes the form of substituting machines for labour connotes the presence of prior changes in the traditional production mode

Before farmers start using machinery, they usually make other changes in how they grow crops

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Jargon

We used a production function to capture the stochastic character of dryland climate affecting yields. Wheat yields and pasture yields were predicted on somewhat similar nitrogen-based quadratic models, using daily weather data for the simulation of moisture stress. Both models were developed for dryland conditions, while calibration and validation were done with data collected in Israel. No-till wheat and pasture yield values were then fitted to a gamma probability distribution function, while input and output prices were fitted to a normal distribution.

We used a production function to capture the stochastic character of dryland climate affecting yields. Wheat yields and pasture yields were predicted on somewhat similar nitrogen-based quadratic models, using daily weather data for the simulation of moisture stress. Both models were developed for dryland conditions, while calibration and validation were done with data collected in Israel. No-till wheat and pasture yield values were then fitted to a gamma probability distribution function, while input and output prices were fitted to a normal distribution.

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DevelopmentSpeak

A special type of jargon used by development organizations

Gender mainstreaming Agroecosystems

analysis Enabling measures Pro-poor economic

growth Poverty Reduction

Strategies Value chain

development

Income generating activities

Millennium Development Goals

Participatory rural appraisal

Farmer field school Community mobilization Climate change

mitigation

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DevelopmentSpeak

The concepts of empowerment, participation as well as social equity draw on right-based approaches and are interested in increasing the power of the disadvantaged to exercise their rights, obtain access to resources and participate actively in the process of shaping society and making decisions.

The concepts of empowerment, participation as well as social equity draw on right-based approaches and are interested in increasing the power of the disadvantaged to exercise their rights, obtain access to resources and participate actively in the process of shaping society and making decisions.

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DevelopmentSpeak

Research partnerships are international networks of universities and research institutions which jointly create a platform of exchange for studying global problems of unsustainability and mutually learning for tackling solutions.

Research partnerships are international networks of universities and research institutions which jointly create a platform of exchange for studying global problems of unsustainability and mutually learning for tackling solutions.

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DevelopmentSpeak

Continuous support and capacity building of “grass root organizations” and empowering local stakeholders by enhancing their access to information regarding their legal rights is imperative for successful participatory resource management activities.

Continuous support and capacity building of “grass root organizations” and empowering local stakeholders by enhancing their access to information regarding their legal rights is imperative for successful participatory resource management activities.

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DevelopmentSpeak

Does your audience understand it? Probably not Policy makers (eg, parliament members) may

be non-specialists Policy makers have to deal with many subjects,

not just yours Avoid DevelopmentSpeak if you can! Find another way of saying it more simply

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Translate these into English

Gender mainstreaming Making sure that men and women are treated equally in

all aspects of the project

Agroecosystems analysis Studying the soil, crops and pests

Enabling measures Ways to make things happen

Pro-poor economic growth Economic growth that benefits the poor

Income generating activities Ways to make money

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DevelopmentSpeak

The Horn of Africa Region is characterized by arid lowlands and humid highlands.

In Ethiopia, the lowlands are dry, while the highlands have more rain.

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DevelopmentSpeak

Systematic validation has shown that in some countries, strong cultural barriers exist towards handling and reusing of human waste.

People in many countries do not like handling or using faeces.

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DevelopmentSpeak

To adapt to climate change, agro-pastoralists implement various activities.

Farmers and herders adapt to a changing climate in various ways.

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DevelopmentSpeak

Going forward, the development and implementation of a robust framework for targeting the delivery of consistent excellence organization-wide is key.

We will do our best.

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Abbreviations

Make the reader work to understand what you are saying

Hide what you really want to say

PRA MDG

HMG

PLHIV

OVCs

FFSLWMADB

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What do they mean? PRA PTD FSR FFS PRSPs SWAPs INGO

OVC CBD DFID GoZ ADB MDGs ARVs

M&E CA NRM ICT M&Q

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Three rules for abbreviations

1. Kill! 2. KILL! 3. KILL! If you absolutely HAVE to use them

Use them VERY sparingly Explain them first

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Play DevelopmentSpeak bingo Make a list of 12

development jargon words and abbreviations

Photocopy the list and distribute it to your friends before a meeting

Listen to the presentations and discussion

When you hear a word on the list, cross it out

First person to cross out all the words shouts Bingo!

sustainability empowerment

gender mainstreaming

pro-poor

income generating activities

value chain

MDGs OVCs

vulnerability poverty-focused

lessons learned participatory

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More on jargon

The Communications Network. Jargon finder. http://tinyurl.com/bv3kml Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Foundation jargon.

http://tinyurl.com/ylyz6e6 BBC World Service. Guide to development speak http://tinyurl.com/yhjczjd 250 words the public sector shouldn't use

http://tinyurl.com/yj8uvuc 50 office-speak phrases you love to hate

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7457287.stm The business award for talking 'guff' goes to...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12596528 Trina Wallace. Here's to a jargon-free voluntary sector in 2011

http://tinyurl.com/66c7upq 10 things every charity writer should know

http://tinyurl.com/3cfsn22