Communication guidelines for international volunteers in IDA

IDA welcomes members from many different countries and backgrounds. As a volunteer, you play an important role in making events, communities and opportunities accessible to everyone.

These guidelines will help you create clear and professional communication in English – whether you are writing event descriptions, invitations, newsletters, or emails.

Write for an international audience

Many IDA members use English as their second or third language. When communicating in English, aim for clarity rather than complexity.

We recommend that you:

• Use plain, accessible language
• Keep sentences short
• Avoid unnecessary jargon and acronyms
• Explain concepts that may be specific to Denmark or IDA
• Use active language whenever possible
• Structure information clearly with headings and bullet points

Use British English

IDA uses British English in all official communication. If your writing tool includes spell check, select English (United Kingdom).

Make events accessible in both Danish and English

When you create events, they will automatically appear on the Danish website. To ensure an event also appears on the English website, you must select: ‘Check here if your event is relevant to non-Danish speakers’ in the create event form.

When writing the text for your event, you can either write it in English or in both Danish and English. This is done in the event creator as follows:

• Fill in the description: Here, you should add English and/or Danish text in the fields where you enter the title, teaser and description.
• Tick the box next to “Relevant for English-speaking members”. When you do this, the event will appear in the list of English-language events on ida.dk and in the IDA app.

Numbers, dates and times

Use the following formats in English: