This article aims to introduce new insights to further the understanding of easy language (EL) and plain language (PL) as examples of tailored language and place them within a broader context of linguistic varieties. We examine EL and PL in relation to standard language, and we consider the degree of conscious effort required in tailoring and the compliance with the codified norms of standard language. Both EL and PL are used in asymmetric communication: PL to mediate between specialists and the general public and EL in communication with people with language barriers. We argue that while these varieties have similar purposes and methods, they also have significant differences; for example, the tailoring moves in opposite directions, as PL seeks general comprehensibility and EL aims to reach special and vulnerable groups. The differences between PL and EL are primarily linked to social prestige and the potential risk of stigma related to their use.

Finnish is a non-Indo-European language and a language with strong purist traditions. The comparison of the language of EU directives with that of the measures of national implementation has shown that the influence of English-language versions of EU directives on Finnish-language ones is limited. Only some rare lexical borrowings and indirect influence of the structure and style of English on the Finnish-language versions was found. Many of the features of the legal language appear alike in the directives and national legislation. Still, the writers of the directives and the writers of Finnish legislation often make different choices. The root of these differences is probably interference from the English-language versions. The claim that a Finnish Eurolect does exist still has grounds.

When transposing EU directives into national laws, Finnish drafters usually alter the wording of the directive. This paper describes these modifications and offers some insights into the reasons behind them. The study is based on a corpus of Finnish versions of EU directives and of Finnish laws that transpose those directives.

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