Accessible Communication : A Cross-country Journey

Abstract

Easy-to-Understand (E2U) text practices enable and facilitate accessible communication. E2U refers both to Plain and to Easy Language. These two powerful methods of language and content comprehension enhancement are illustrated through several examples in English, starting from the seminal role of the Anglophone world in promoting plain and lucid style. Originally implemented in written texts, today the employment of these simplified language varieties should infiltrate new communication services that are more complex and multifaceted. Thanks to the EASIT project, the integration of E2U strategies into a selection of audiovisual services is being successfully researched. After advancing simplification proposals in the area of subtitling and audio description, Elisa Perego reports on the results of a cross-country survey conducted during the initial stages of the EASIT project: She pinpoints the background, activity, and training experience of those who currently work in the sector of E2U in Europe, and identifies the skills and the competences of, as well as a training path and materials for, future hybrid professionals.

Bridging the gap between website accessibility and lexicography: information access in online dictionaries

“…The adoption of easy-to-understand language principles is recommended as a resource to address the writing of definitions in online dictionaries. Easy-to-understand (E2U) language is an umbrella term encompassing language modalities aimed at enhancing text comprehension [51].…”

Dificultades inherentes a la comprensión de la Historia

“…Y, a nivel autonómico, existen comunidades autónomas que incorporaron la lectura fácil dentro de la Ley de Accesibilidad de sus respectivos territorios. (Rivero-Contreras y Saldaña, 2020, p. 716) A pesar de su valor como vía para la accesibilidad y a diferencia de otros países como Alemania, Finlandia y Suecia (Perego, 2020;Lindholm y Vanhatalo, 2021), la lectura fácil no se ha consolidado aún como línea de investigación en España (Jiménez Hurtado y Medina Reguera, 2022a, 2022b. Las escasas aproximaciones que se han realizado al respecto han sido de la mano de asociaciones y organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro.…”

Easy and plain languages as special cases of linguistic tailoring and standard language varieties

“…In addition, these studies analysing EL and PL as special cases of simplified language (e.g. , Perego 2020 have mostly focused on their different textual practices and concrete use in publications and less on their theoretical foundation.…”