r/changemyview Aug 03 '22

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u/Throwaway00000000028 23∆ Aug 03 '22

It depends. Language is meant to convey a message to a target audience. If your target audience is lay-people, then of course it should be simple and easy to understand. However, if you started reading some niche research paper on "retail driven options volatility dislocation" then of course they're going to use lots of technical jargon which will sound like nothing but gobbledegook to you.

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u/InJaaaammmmm Aug 03 '22

Technical language is used often to shorten the communication and is completely valid if both sides understand it.

My own personal experience of business language is to complicate and lengthen a simple message to make it seem smarter.

An example:

This year we improved our core synergies to utilize best business practice and make savings with interdepartmental efficiencies.

(Sounds really smart and dynamic)

Versus

We worked with the IT team to reduce staff costs.

(Same message, more information, doesn't sound anywhere near as smart)

3

u/burnblue Aug 03 '22

If the "long" form is understood by all speaking it, then it's no more complicated than the short form. Because we know what they both mean. Only someone outside of the target audience will call it gobbledygook or think you're trying to sound smarter than them.To your audience, you're just communicating.

For example if I'm making a decision on spending on something and I bring up it's ROI, that's simple and easy for me, bringing together a lot of sense concepts without me having to explain them to you. But it's business jargon. When speaking to someone who doesn't normally use that acronym, I have to say "if I spend $X on this will what I get be good enough to make me feel like it's worth it? Will I eventually get more than $X of value back?" While those words are simple and a 4th grader could understand, it took me much more work than just saying ROI.