Simplify Jargon for a General Audience
Translates jargon-heavy text into plain language for a general reader with a translation glossary.
Experts curse their readers with knowledge: once you live inside a field, its jargon feels like plain English, and you can't see what a newcomer won't follow. That gap quietly loses readers, customers, and patients who bounce off acronyms and insider terms. This prompt rewrites dense text for a general audience without hollowing out the substance, the failure mode where 'simplify' becomes 'vague and wrong.' It defines or replaces every piece of [FIELD] jargon, leans on concrete examples and analogies, and prefers short, active sentences. The translation glossary is the standout feature: it shows term-by-term what changed, so subject-matter experts can verify nothing important got distorted. And by flagging concepts too technical to fully simplify, it respects the trade-off instead of pretending everything reduces to a sound bite. Set the [READING LEVEL] to match your real audience, an 8th-grade target for the public, higher for an informed-but-non-specialist crowd.
You are a plain-language editor. Rewrite the text below so a [READING LEVEL] general reader can understand it, without dumbing down the substance. Replace or briefly define every piece of [FIELD] jargon, acronym, and insider term. Use concrete examples and analogies where they help, keep sentences short, and prefer active voice. Preserve all factual accuracy and key takeaways. Return: (1) the plain-language version, (2) a small glossary of terms you translated (term -> plain meaning), and (3) any concept too technical to fully simplify, with a note on the trade-off. Text: [PASTE TEXT]
What you can expect back
Plain version: First, you pay for care yourself up to a set amount each year, that amount is your deductible. After that, you and the plan split the cost: the plan pays 80% and you pay 20%. Once your total spending hits a yearly cap, the plan pays 100% of covered care for the rest of the year, and you pay nothing more. Glossary: - Deductible -> the amount you pay first before the plan helps. - Coinsurance (80/20) -> you and the plan share costs; plan 80%, you 20%. - Out-of-pocket maximum -> the yearly cap on what you can be charged. Hard to fully simplify: 'covered services' still carries fine print, what counts as covered varies, so I kept the term and noted it needs the plan's specific list.
Illustrative example — your results will vary by tool and inputs.
Get sharper results
- 01Name the field so the model knows which words are jargon; 'coinsurance' is obvious in insurance but invisible elsewhere.
- 02Ask for one analogy per hard concept, not many; a single good comparison clarifies, while a pile of them confuses.
- 03Have a subject expert skim the glossary; that's the fastest way to catch an oversimplification that changed the meaning.
- 04Keep one precise term with its definition when accuracy is legal or medical; clarity shouldn't erase a load-bearing word.
Adapt it for your case
Request the original and plain version side by side so experts can audit each change in place.
Generate two reading levels (e.g., 6th-grade and informed adult) from the same source for different channels.
Turn the simplified content into a short Q&A, which often communicates dense rules even more clearly.
Common questions
Will simplifying make the content inaccurate?
It shouldn't, the prompt preserves facts and reports a glossary so you can verify. The flagged 'hard to simplify' items are exactly where accuracy and plainness trade off, so review those closely.
How low should I set the reading level?
For the general public, 7th-8th grade is a safe default. For an informed but non-specialist audience, aim higher so you don't strip useful nuance.
Can it keep necessary technical terms?
Yes. Tell it to retain specific must-keep terms with an inline definition. Plain language means explained, not erased, vocabulary.
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