1 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,480 {\an2}EASIT: Easy Access for Social Inclusion Training 2 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:15,200 {\an2}Easy-to-understand language in Germany: 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,880 {\an2}overview and legal situation. 4 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,360 {\an2}This is unit 2: Easy-to-understand language, 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:22,800 {\an2}in short E2U. 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:24,400 {\an2}Element 2: 7 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,000 {\an2}Legislation, standards and guidelines. 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,960 {\an2}Video lecture: Easy-to-understand language in Germany: 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:32,800 {\an2}overview and legal situation. 10 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,760 {\an2}My name is Christiane Maaß from the University of Hildesheim. 11 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:39,840 {\an2}We give an overwiew on the situation 12 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,600 {\an2}of easy-to-understand language in Germany in two video lectures. 13 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,120 {\an2}In this first video, we will give an overview 14 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,520 {\an2}about the German concept of easy-to-understand language. 15 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,760 {\an2}We will give insight into the fields 16 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,880 {\an2}where easy-to-understand language is already used 17 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,080 {\an2}and where more Easy Language material is needed. 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,360 {\an2}This video will end with an overview 19 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,840 {\an2}on important legal milestones. 20 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,440 {\an2}The second video is on the German research situation. 21 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,400 {\an2}We will talk about the existing practical and scientific guidelines. 22 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:18,800 {\an2}We will go into more detail 23 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,320 {\an2}with regard to the German easy-to-understand language rules. 24 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,840 {\an2}This topic covers more aspects than the other videos 25 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,400 {\an2}and treats the situation of easy-to-understand language 26 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,120 {\an2}in Germany from different viewpoints. 27 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,840 {\an2}Therefore, we have created two videos to cover this topic. 28 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,840 {\an2}In Germany, easy-to-understand language is differentiated 29 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,640 {\an2}in Easy Language and Plain Language. 30 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,680 {\an2}Easy Language is strictly normed and is maximally comprehensible. 31 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,360 {\an2}Plain Language is not as strictly normed, 32 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,880 {\an2}but covers an area of different complexity stages. 33 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:02,800 {\an2}It can be adapted to the target groups 34 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,560 {\an2}and the respective target situations. 35 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,240 {\an2}Let`s have a look at the different areas of application. 36 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,480 {\an2}Easy-to-understand language, especially Easy Language, 37 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:19,760 {\an2}is widely implemented in legal and administrative communication. 38 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:21,960 {\an2}The situation has evolved 39 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,360 {\an2}on the basis of the legal situation in Germany 40 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,240 {\an2}that privieges Easy Language. 41 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,360 {\an2}We will talk about the legislation in a short while. 42 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,880 {\an2}On the basis of the legislation passed on federal level, 43 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:40,280 {\an2}federal agencies of all kinds, but also federal states 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,040 {\an2}have to offer Easy Language on their homepages 45 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:46,680 {\an2}and there are projects to translate 46 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,000 {\an2}legal and administrative information into Easy Language. 47 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,520 {\an2}Especially on municipal and local level, 48 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,760 {\an2}there are many interaction texts, for example, 49 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:00,640 {\an2}municipal services, available in Easy Language. 50 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,120 {\an2}Political participation is another field 51 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,000 {\an2}where many Easy Language texts are available: 52 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:12,160 {\an2}polling information, programmes of political parties, 53 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,440 {\an2}explanations of the German political system 54 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,440 {\an2}news from different news media etc. 55 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,560 {\an2}News are actually available in Easy as well as in Plan Language. 56 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,680 {\an2}An example for a regular Easy Language news offer 57 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:32,520 {\an2}are the daily news of the North German Broadcasting Association. 58 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,800 {\an2}If you are interested, you can visit their homepage and see 59 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,760 {\an2}how they provide this service. 60 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,320 {\an2}Offers in the field of public health 61 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:44,560 {\an2}are also growing. In this field, 62 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,280 {\an2}it is especially Plan and not Easy Language that is used. 63 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,480 {\an2}Still quite rare are multimodal services in Easy Language, 64 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:56,520 {\an2}but there are some examples 65 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,520 {\an2}like the fairy tales in Easy Language and sign language. 66 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,680 {\an2}Literature in Easy Language is very rare in Germany 67 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,880 {\an2}and there is no state funding 68 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:09,360 {\an2}in place to promote such offers. 69 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,480 {\an2}Very active are museums, 70 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,920 {\an2}that are open to a broad and diverse audience 71 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,640 {\an2}and increasingly offer Easy Language. 72 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,000 {\an2}But there are many other contexts 73 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,040 {\an2}where information in easy-to- understand language is needed 74 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,680 {\an2} and wished for by the target groups, but are still lacking. 75 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,640 {\an2}In the field of legislation, the central pillar is the 76 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,760 {\an2}Federal Act on Equal Opportunities of Persons with Diabilities, 77 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:46,400 {\an2}in German Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz 78 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,640 {\an2}or short BGG. 79 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:53,120 {\an2}This law was passed first in 2002 80 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,520 {\an2}an amended in 2016 and 2018. 81 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,760 {\an2}In the 2016 amendment, 82 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:03,480 {\an2}in this version, 83 00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:07,640 {\an2}a paragraph is contained on comprehensibility and Easy Language 84 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,000 {\an2}that became effective in January 2018. 85 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,360 {\an2}This paragraph states 86 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,560 {\an2}" [...] that official notices, general rulings, 87 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:19,760 {\an2}public law contracts and forms 88 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,800 {\an2}should on request be explained in Plain Language and, 89 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,680 {\an2}if it does not suffice, in Easy Language". 90 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,320 {\an2}That means, Easy as well as Plain Language are mentioned 91 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,560 {\an2}and we can see the continuum of comprehensibility, 92 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,800 {\an2}the different stages of complexity, that we mentioned before. 93 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,640 {\an2}Authorities may try with Plain Language first, 94 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,640 {\an2}but if this doesn`t work, they have to go for Easy Language. 95 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,520 {\an2}Paragraph 11 is limited to certain text types of legal communication 96 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,680 {\an2}and to persons with cognitive and psychological diabilities. 97 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,080 {\an2}Nevertheless, this law has boosted 98 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,480 {\an2}the implementation of easy-to-understand language 99 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:06,880 {\an2}in Germany. 100 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,480 {\an2}The Federal Act on Equal Opportunities 101 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:12,800 {\an2}of Persons with Disabilities 102 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,240 {\an2}is implemented through different regulations. 103 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,280 {\an2}The most important for Easy Language 104 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:23,960 {\an2}is the Accessible Information Technology Regulation, in German: 105 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,040 {\an2}Barrierefreie- Informationstechnik- Verordnung 106 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:32,520 {\an2}[in German] BITV 2.0 [in English] BITV 2.0 107 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,040 {\an2}in its version from 2011. 108 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,080 {\an2}It regulates the accessibility of websites, 109 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:43,720 {\an2}mobile apps, e-government tools and graphical interfaces. 110 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:46,280 {\an2}This regulation states 111 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:49,520 {\an2}that every federal agency 112 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,560 {\an2}has to have Easy Language offers on their homepages. 113 00:06:54,600 --> 00:07:00,360 {\an2}In addition, the BITV 2.0 contains an appendix 114 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:04,640 {\an2}with 13 basic rules for the creation of Easy Language content. 115 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,800 {\an2}This makes the Accessible Information Technology Regulation 116 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:10,320 {\an2}an important promoter 117 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:12,680 {\an2} of Easy language in Germany. 118 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,120 {\an2}On rather political-administrative level, 119 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:20,160 {\an2}there are the National Action Plans 120 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,880 {\an2}that were drafted in 2016 and 2011 121 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,240 {\an2}to concretely implement the UN Convention 122 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,720 {\an2}on the Rights of People with Disabilities, 123 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,400 {\an2}short UN CRPD, on a national level. 124 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,280 {\an2}They contain many measures evolving around 125 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:42,720 {\an2}communicative accessibility in general, among which Easy Language. 126 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:49,240 {\an2}The National Action Plans for the implementation of the UN CRPD 127 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:51,440 {\an2}is not a binding document, 128 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:53,720 {\an2}but rather a letter of intent. 129 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:58,120 {\an2}Nevertheless, its implementation is being monitored 130 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:01,360 {\an2}and Easy Language is mentioned several times. 131 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,360 {\an2}You can find more information about the UN CRPD in the video lecture 132 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,000 {\an2}Unit 1 "Easy-to-undersand language", Element 2 133 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,640 {\an2}"Legislation, standards, and guidelines", 134 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:16,480 {\an2}video lecture "Legislation" (international perspective). 135 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:19,400 {\an2}Plain Language, on the other hand, 136 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,560 {\an2}is mentioned in the National Action Plan Health Literacy 137 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,720 {\an2}that was passed in 2018 as a means to improve 138 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,920 {\an2}health literacy of the broader population, 139 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,240 {\an2}especially the vulnerable groups 140 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,720 {\an2}that tend to have reduced health literacy 141 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,360 {\an2}and are disproportionately often 142 00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:42,120 {\an2}faced also with communication difficulties. 143 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,720 {\an2}The main idea of the National Action Plan Health Literacy is 144 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:49,520 {\an2}that health literacy 145 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:53,280 {\an2}can only develop on the basis of accessible health information. 146 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:58,120 {\an2}Plain language is seen as the tool of choice to achieve this goal. 147 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:03,560 {\an2}We will continue on the research on Easy and Plain language 148 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:09,240 {\an2}and the rulesets used in Germany in our next presentation. 149 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:11,880 {\an2}This video lecture has been prepared 150 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,240 {\an2}by Sergio Hernandez and Christiane Maaß 151 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:16,240 {\an2}from the University of Hildesheim. 152 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:21,000 {\an2}You can reach us at easit@uni-hildesheim.de 153 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:25,880 {\an2}The project EASIT has received funding 154 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:27,520 {\an2}from the European Commission 155 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:29,920 {\an2}under the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships 156 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,800 {\an2}for Higher Education programme, 157 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:38,880 {\an2}grant agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA203-05275. 158 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,600 {\an2}The European Commission support for the production of this publication 159 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:45,360 {\an2}does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, 160 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,720 {\an2}which reflect the views only of the authors, 161 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,200 {\an2}and the Commission cannot be held responsible 162 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,800 {\an2}for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 163 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,920 {\an2}This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 164 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,840 {\an2}Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 165 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,320 {\an2}Partners of the EASIT project: 166 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:05,920 {\an2}Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 167 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,400 {\an2}Università degli Studi di Trieste, 168 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,160 {\an2}Universidade de Vigo 169 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:12,560 {\an2}Stiftung Universität Hildesheim, 170 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:14,040 {\an2}SDI München, 171 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:15,600 {\an2}Dyslexiförbundet, 172 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:17,720 {\an2}Radiotelevisija Slovenija, 173 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:18,800 {\an2}Zavod Risa. 174 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:28,920 {\an2}EASIT: Easy Access for Social Inclusion Training 175 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:30,000 {\an2}Subtitled by Katharina Broermann.