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In:Accesibilidad, traducción y nuevas tecnologías
Editado por Lucía Navarro-Brotons, Analía Cuadrado Rey y Iván Martínez-Blasco
[IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 41] 2024
► pp. 114–132

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Plain Legal Language as accessibility tool for translators

An empirical study at a phraseological level

 | Universidad de Córdoba

Article language: Spanish

Published online: 14 November 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ivitra.41.05pol
Abstract
The accessibility of legal language has become an essential component of social integration for all citizens. Likewise, for any legal translator, understanding legal language will be a crucial first step in overcoming any communication barrier.
In light of this consideration, the purpose of this study is to compare the original Charter of the United Nations with the plain-language version adapted to the same language, paying particular attention to differences in phraseology. By conducting this study, we will have an opportunity to examine the linguistic simplification strategies applied by this international organization, taking into consideration the factors highlighted by plain language as a means of making legal language more communicatively accessible.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Plain language: New legal communications
  • 3.Case study: The Charter of the United Nations
    • 3.1Aspects of the legal language’s phraseology
    • 3.2Plain-language adaptation of legal phraseology
    • 3.3Empirical results and its analysis
      • a.Reduction: Simplify the reader’s task by presenting less information
        • i.Omission
        • ii.Distillation
      • b.Amplification: Reader-friendly extension
        • i.Learning helps
        • ii.Glossing
      • c.Stratification: Simplifying the structure
        • i.Layering
        • ii.Drill down
      • d.Reframing
  • 4.Final considerations and conclusions
  • References
References (18)
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