Judge: Best Plain Language Annual Report

Editor and Proofreader, Clearlingo, South Canterbury, New Zealand

Marja is an editor and proofreader, working with corporate and government clients. She recognises the importance of plain language, and enjoys turning complex writing into user-friendly content. She launched her business, Clearlingo, 10 years ago.

Clear communication has always fascinated Marja. Growing up bilingual in English and Dutch exposed her to different styles of communication and sparked her love of language. Along with her degrees in languages and speech pathology, this background has given her a deep understanding of how different audiences process language.

Marja is an Accredited Editor through the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd), and an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP).

She is a strong advocate for the editing industry, helping form the New Zealand branch of IPEd in 2019 and serving as a member on the branch committee until recently. She contributed to the revision of IPEd’s Standards for Editing Practice.

Read Marja’s blog on using plain language in business reports

Meet the judges for the Plain Language Awards

How the judging process works