ignore the code: Jargon: “This applies to all user interactions. Use words your users understand easily. Avoid industry jargon they may not be familiar with.”
(via Lukas Mathis.)
I think the tendency to use formal, unfamiliar jargon comes from a misguided notion that fancy language is more likely to be respected as authoritarian. People are more likely to listen to someone who sounds educated, etc.
As George Carlin put it when talking about airline jargon: “Boarding Process. Sounds important. It isn’t. It’s just a bunch of people getting in an airplane.”
Instead of respect, however, this type of language usually invokes mockery. And worse, for people who aren’t native speakers, it’s more likely to result in confusion.
