We All are Europe - AESAEC

Module 5 – The Art of Successful Project Proposal Writing II: Linguistic Part
5.2.3. Writing an application seen from a linguistic point of view
Applications are specific types of text and therefore they should follow precise criteria and indicators.
It is a special skill to put complex information into writing and to persuade a totally unknown
person - very likely from a totally different country and with a totally different cultural background
– by means of a text to give you money for something he / she has perhaps never heard of before in
his / her life.
Be aware that not everybody is gifted with the ability to write successful proposals, and even if
somebody is very good at writing poems or diaries, it does not necessarily mean that the same person
is good at putting project ideas down on paper.
However, it is very difficult to give recommendations about how to write a good proposal, because
everyone (also every evaluator) will probably have their own preferences and ideas – nevertheless,
we try to give you some (not only linguistic) hints for you to consider before starting to write an
application.
Successful proposal writing always starts with a thorough read through of the application
details! One of the most common mistakes made is not going through all the details of the
call and the application in the first place, in order to get an idea of what kind of projects
the EC wants to be submitted (in terms of target groups, objectives, aims, duration, activities
etc.)! Always follow these indicators and requirements – regardless of what you personally
think concerning the requirements of an ideal project.
Before you start writing make a basic plan of your project idea including all important activities,
results, outputs etc. and try to structure them in rough – use this plan as a guideline
and check it regularly!
For a more detailed development try to work top-down instead of bottom-up. Start from
the general frameworks and requirements of the programme and plan downwards to detailed
activities and outcomes – this way you are making sure your project is always on solid
ground.
Usually you can submit your project in several languages (always in one of EN, DE or FR, and
quite often also in any of the other official EU languages). If you choose a language other
than your mother tongue you should really have excellent skills in that foreign language –
otherwise you really are on thin ice!
Do some basic research to get a better idea about your chosen topic and also to get a feeling
for the circumstances associated with it in other counties or at the EU level – this is crucially
important to the EU!
Be authentic in whatever you are writing, which means write about things you understand
yourself – experienced evaluators will find out very easily if you do have a good grasp of
what you are writing about.
Do not assume that your project idea and its frameworks are understood easily by others
just because you understand them – be aware that outside your region, country, culture,
field of profession etc. and without any pre-knowledge, it might be extremely difficult to
follow your descriptions and arguments.
Write in clear and if possible short and understandable sentences – remember that an
evaluator may read through hundreds of pages a day and therefore to make his / her task
easier describe your main ideas clearly and concisely. (By the way, nowadays electronic application
forms are quite often used which have character limitations for each section!)
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