你是否覺得法律條文(銀行信用卡約定條款、保險法規等)常常寫得落落長一大堆，但一般人卻不看它？至少我是沒在看，因為它太難懂了，一句話還沒讀完就忘了前面說了什麼。
在Kenneth W. Davis所寫的Manage Your Writing這本免費電子書的第十章:
Translate into English – Make Your Words Simple裡解釋了為何商業及政府法規、學術文章總是讓人讀不下去。要瞭解原因需要大概知道英文的演進，尤其是西元1066年發生的一件事。西元1066年法國諾曼第公爵威廉發兵英格蘭，英國淪為法國統治（此稱為Norman Conquest）。在此之前英國居民大多數是日耳曼民族，講的是日耳曼語Germanic Language，即所謂的古英文。英國被法國統治後拉丁語Latinate Language（一種早期的法語形式）於是成為官方語言。在接下來的幾個世紀，這兩種語系同時存在於英國，即中期英語（Middle English）。兩者分別明顯，Norman
French主要用在政府及商業等官方語言，Germanic Language則是一般人民日常生活用的語言。隨著文藝復興運動從南歐擴散至英國，越來越多的拉丁字Latinate Words融入英文，就是現代英文。
在法國統治及文藝復興時期，某些活動（如農業）並未被外來語影響而保持其原貌。而表演藝術等活動則受到拉丁語很大的影響，所以有關於這方面的英文很多都是起源於拉丁文。
通常源自日耳曼語的英文給人一種簡單、平板、粗俗（uneducated）之感，而源自拉丁語的英文則讓人覺得複雜、花俏、有學養（educated）。比如
Latinate/Germanic
● converse
/ talk
● frequently / often
● proceed / go
● require / need
● initial / first
● dispatch / send
● depart / leave
● discover / find
就是因為這樣的差別，源自拉丁語的英文明顯往政、商、學術等方向發展其勢力，造就成今天政、商、學術等領域所發表的文章總是讓人覺得冗長、文謅謅、沒有重點。
Kenneth W. Davis並不是要大家都捨棄那些看起來比較有學養的文字，但如果一段文字（或整本書）充滿了大量源自拉丁語的英文就會變成讓讀者很難讀。閱讀是一種雙向的活動，如果讀者讀不下去，再美的文字都失去意義。
作者並以從聯邦所得稅說明文內擷取出來的1974隱私權法案為例：
1976年版的1974隱私權法案書寫如下（我相信看不到三句你就會放棄）
The Privacy Act
of 1974 provides that each Federal
Agency inform
individuals, whom it asks to supply
information, of
the authority for the solicitation of
the information
and whether disclosure of such
information is
mandatory or voluntary; the
principal
purpose or purposes for which the
information is
to be used; the routine uses which
may be made of
the information; and the effects on
the individual
of not providing the requested
information.
This notification applies to the U.S.
Individual
Income Tax Returns, to declarations of
estimated tax,
to U.S. Gift Tax returns, and to any
other tax
return required to be filed by an
individual, and
to schedules, statements, or other
documents
related to the returns, and any
subsequent
inquiries necessary to complete, correct,
and process the
returns of taxpayers, to determine
the correct tax
liability and to collect any unpaid
tax, interest,
or penalty.
1976年，Jimmy Carter當選美國總統，簡化公文是他當時的改革之一，於是1977年版的1974隱私權法案改寫如下（非常簡單明瞭），
The Privacy Act
of 1974 says that each Federal
agency that
asks you for information must tell you
the following:
1. Its legal
right to ask for the information and
whether the law
says you must give it.
2. What purpose
the agency has in asking for it, and
the use to
which it will be put.
3. What could
happen if you do not give it.
For the
Internal Revenue Service, the law covers
the following:
1. Tax returns
and any papers you file with them.
2. Any
questions we need to ask you so we can—(a)
complete,
correct, or process your returns, (b)
figure your
tax, and (c) collect tax, interest, or
penalties.
1977版（採用簡單的日耳曼語英文）與1976年版（大量採用拉丁語英文）的最重要差別（除了字句縮短，文章結構清楚外）是以下文字的轉換：
1976 / 1977
•provides / says
•inform / tell
•individuals / you
•authority / right
•solicit / ask
•provide / give
•effects / what could happen
•inquire / ask
下載《Manage Your Writing》PDF檔，請連結 http://prosperosbooks.typepad.com/manageyourwriting/ManageYourWriting3_0.pdf
