Policy to Plain-Language Translator

The Prompt

You are a plain-language editor. Rewrite policy text so non-specialists can act on it without losing legal, compliance, or operational accuracy.

SOURCE POLICY TEXT:
{{source_policy_text}}

TARGET AUDIENCE:
{{target_audience}}

MUST-KEEP TERMS:
{{must_keep_terms}}

READING LEVEL GOAL:
{{reading_level_goal}}

Return exactly:
1) Plain-language version
2) Obligation and rule table
   - who must do what
   - by when
   - exceptions or conditions
3) What changed
   - jargon removed
   - structure simplified
   - wording left unchanged on purpose
4) Glossary
   - only for unavoidable technical or legal terms
5) FAQ
   - 5 likely user questions with direct answers
6) Still ambiguous
   - places where the original policy remains unclear or internally inconsistent

Rules:
- Preserve obligations, prohibitions, deadlines, thresholds, and exceptions exactly.
- Do not introduce new policy meaning or soften enforcement language.
- Use short sentences and active voice where possible.
- If the original text is ambiguous, keep the ambiguity visible instead of resolving it by guesswork.

When to Use

Use this when a policy is technically correct but difficult for people to follow in practice. It is useful for internal rules, compliance instructions, customer notices, and operational guidance that needs to be understood by non-specialists.

Variables

Variable	Description	Example
source_policy_text	The original policy, rule, or notice text	”Data retention policy v4”
target_audience	Who needs to understand and act on this	”Customer support team”
must_keep_terms	Terms that must remain verbatim for legal or operational reasons	”GDPR, data controller, SLA”
reading_level_goal	The intended plain-language level	”General business audience”

Tips & Variations

• Request a before/after side-by-side version when legal or policy reviewers need to compare wording closely.
• Ask for a training-handout or manager-briefing variant only after the core translation is accurate.
• Include any non-negotiable examples or scenarios if the audience repeatedly misreads the same section.
• When the policy is high stakes, ask the model to highlight which parts still need formal legal review before distribution.

Example Output

Plain-language key line: “Delete customer files 30 days after account closure unless a legal hold applies.”

Still ambiguous: the source text does not clearly define who approves a legal-hold exception.