Keywords
European Union (EU)
Vulnerable Populations
Legal Discourse
Digital Transformation
Corpus Linguistics
Multimodal Analysis
Thematic Cluster Analysis
How to Cite
Abstract
The initiative of the Clear Writing Movement (Kimble 1992), targeting the democratization of communication by simplifying legal documents, has influenced the presentation of law globally. By uniting diverse philosophies of Plain Language and Easy-to-Read under the broad umbrella of text clarity and accessibility (Maaß 2020), this movement has particularly influenced the European Union’s linguistic policy (Foley 2002; Nerelius 2014; Seracini 2019). Notwithstanding this progress and the accelerated shift towards digital transformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Union’s efforts to enhance its communication for vulnerable groups (European Union 2013) remains under-examined. This research, leveraging corpus linguistics and multimodal analysis, aims to systematically uncover foundational values and thematic clusters embedded in EU legal and policy documents related to the social inclusion and rights of vulnerable populations. It explores how these are dynamically communicated through easy-to-understand multimedia resources produced by Inclusion Europe and the European Commission (Bernabé 2020). Findings underscore the pivotal role of digital technology in revolutionizing the creation and interpretation of legal documents, reflecting the European Union’s proactive efforts to forge new avenues for multimodal legal communication marked by innovative signifying practices. The research concludes by emphasizing the socio-semiotic and context-specific dimensions of legal discourse. Far from being merely universal and abstract, it can be adapted and reshaped to reflect societal and political stances on regulated issues. This can foster a sense of belonging, empowerment, and inclusivity within vulnerable communities, while also nurturing broader societal cooperation and understanding.
References
ABBYY. 2021. FineReader PDF 15 (Software). https://www.abbyy.com/finereader/.
Andersen, Camilla. 2018. Comic Contracts and Other Ways to Make the Law Understandable. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/comic-contracts-and-other-ways-to-make-the-law-understandable-90313 (accessed January 8, 2024).
Andersen, Camilla Baasch, and Peter Corner. 2022. Making Contracts Readable - Developing Contracts in Comic Book Form. Transnational Commercial Law Review 1 (2): 1–24.
Anthony, Laurence. 2019. AntConc, version 3.5.8 (Computer Software). Tokyo, Japan: Waseda University, http://www.laurenceanthony.net/software/antconc.
Anthony, Laurence. 2022. TagAnt, version 2.0.4 (Computer Software). Tokyo: Waseda University, http://www.laurenceanthony.net/software/tagant.
Arias-Badia, Blanca, and Anna Matamala. 2020. Audio Description Meets Easy-to-Read and Plain Language: Results from a Questionnaire and a Focus Group in Catalonia. Zeitschrift Für Katalanistik 33: 251–70,
Beaudet, Céline. 2001. Clarté, Lisibilité, Intelligibilité Des Textes: Un État de La Question et Une Proposition Pédagogique. Recherches En Rédaction Professionnelle 1 (1): 1–19.
Bernabé, Rocío. 2020. Easy Audiovisual Content for All: Easy-to-Read as an Enabler of Easy, Multimode Access Services. PhD diss., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Bernabé, Rocio, and Pilar Orero. 2020. Easy to Read as Multimode Accessibility Service. Hermeneus 21: 53–74.
Botes, Marietjie. 2017. Using Comics to Communicate Legal Contract Cancellation. The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship 7 (1): 1–21.
Brunschwig, Colette R. 2019. Contract Comics and the Visualization, Audio-Visualization, and Multisensorization of Law. University of Western Australia Law Review 46: 191–217.
Buehler, Erin, William Easley, Amy Poole, and Amy Hurst. 2016. Accessibility Barriers to Online Education for Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities. In Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference, 1-10. Montreal Canada: ACM.
Canepari, Michela. 2019. Different Texts for Different (Legal) Languages: In Search of a New Approach. International Journal of Linguistics 11 (6): 111–34.
Canepari, Michela. 2023. Intralingual and Intersemiotic Translation for Accessibility in Educational and Social Environments-Focus on Legal Language. Comparative Legilinguistics 56: 147–70.
Carrer, Luisa. 2021. The Case for Easy Italian: An Empirical Study on the Impact of Translators Strategies on Text Comprehensibility. In 3rd Swiss Conference on Barrier-Free Communication (BfC 2020), 141–222.
Chinn, Deborah, and Susan Buell. 2021. Easy Language in the UK. In Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe, eds. Camilla Lindholm and Ulla Vanhatalo, 623–657. Berlin: Frank & Timme.
Doczekalska, Agnieszka, and Łucja Biel. 2022. Interlingual, Intralingual and Intersemiotic Translation in Law. Translation Beyond Translation Studies: 99–118.
European Commission. 2017. European Pillar of Social Rights. https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1311&langId=en (accessed January 8, 2024).
European Commission. 2024. Translation and Drafting Resources. Translation and drafting resources - European Commission (europa.eu) (accessed January 8, 2024).
European Union. 2011. Directive 2011/93/EU on combating the sexual use and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32011L0093 (accessed January 8, 2024).
European Union. 2013. Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32013L0033 (accessed January 8, 2024).
European Union. 2016. Directive 2016/2102 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016L2102 (accessed January 8, 2024).
European Union. 2020. EU Action Plan for Digital Accessibility. https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digitaleducation/action-plan (accessed January 8, 2024).
Foley, Richard. 2002. Legislative Language in the EU: The Crucible. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law 15 (4): 361–74.
FRA, Fundamental Rights Agency 2022. Report on Digital Accessibility, https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2022/fundamental-rights-report-2022 (accessed January 8, 2024).
Furtado, Lara Sucupira, Ticiana Linhares Coelho da Silva, Marianna Gonçalves Fontenele Ferreira, José Antônio Fernandes de Macedo, and Jessika Kantnila de Melo Lima Cavalcanti. 2023. A Framework for Digital Transformation towards Smart Governance: Using Big Data Tools to Target SDGs in Ceará, Brazil. Journal of Urban Management 12 (1): 74–87.
Gerhart, Eugene C. 1969. Quote It!: Memorable Legal Quotations: Data, Epigrams, Wit, and Wisdom from Legal and Literary Sources. New York, N.Y.: Clark Boardman Co.
Giaconi, Catia, Noemi Del Bianco, Ilaria D’Angelo, Samah Halwany, and Simone Aparecida Capellini. 2021. Cultural Accessibility of People with Intellectual Disabilities. A Pilot Study in Italy. JESET 7: 16–26.
Giampieri, Patrizia. 2024. Key N-Grams in EU Directives and in the UK National Legislation on Consumer Contracts. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue Internationale de Sémiotique Juridique 37 (1): 59–75.
Haapio, Helena, Daniela Plewe, and Robert deRooy. 2016. Next Generation Deal Design: Comics and Visual Platforms for Contracting. In Networks. Proceedings of the 19th International Legal Informatics Symposium IRIS, 373–80.
Hansen-Schirra, Silvia, and Christiane Maaß. 2020. Easy Language, Plain Language, Easy Language plus: Perspectives on Comprehensibility and Stigmatisation. Easy Language Research: Text and User Perspectives 2: 17–38.
Harding, Rosie. 2023. Making Legal Information Accessible and Supporting Vulnerable Clients. Journal of Elder Law and Capacity 2023. Spring: 15–34.
Hurd, Hollis T. 1982. Writing for Lawyers. Pittsburg: Journal Broadcasting & Communications.
Inclusion Europe. 2009. Information for All: European Standards for Making Information Easy to Read and Understand. Retrieved from https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read-standards-guidelines/ (accessed January 8, 2024).
Inclusion Europe. 2014. Zero Project Award. https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/inclusion-europe-project-earns-recognition-from-zero-project/ (accessed January 8, 2024).
Inclusion Europe. 2022. Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe: An Interview with Camilla Lindholm and Ulla Vanhatalo. Inclusion Europe Radio. Podcast, December 20. https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/handbook-of-easy-languages-in-europe/ (accessed January 8, 2024).
Inclusion Europe. 2024. About us. https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/about-us/ (accessed January 8, 2024).
JRC, Joint Research Centre. 2023. Report on Digital Innovation. Retrieved from https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/2023-report-state-digital-decade (accessed January 8, 2024).
Keating, Adrian, and Camilla Baasch Andersen. 2020. Engineering Visual Contracts: Using If-Then Thinking to Develop Behavior Drivers for Imaging. Journal of Open Access to Law 8: 1–17.
Ketola, Anne. 2021. Visual Explicitation in Intersemiotic Translation. STRIDON: Studies in Translation and Interpreting 1(1): 103–122.
Ketola, Anne, Eliisa Pitkäsalo, and Robert de Rooy. 2023. Contracts via Comics: Migrant Workers and Thai Fishing Vessel Employment Contracts. In Comics and Migration, eds. Ralf Kauranen, Olli Löytty, Aura Nikkilä and Anna Vuorinne, 78–91. 1st ed. London: Routledge India.
Ketola, Anne, de Rooy, Robert, and Haapio, Helena. 2024. Comic Contracts 2.0 – Contracts that Have (and Give) a Voice. In Design(s) for Law, eds. Rossana Ducato, Alain Strowel and Enguerrand Marique. Milano: Ledizioni.
Kimble, Johseph. 1992. Plain English: A Charter for Clear Writing. Thomas M. Cooley Law Review 9: 1–58.
Loddo, Olimpia Giuliana. 2022. Intersemiotic Legal Translation: Semiotic Pluralism in Normative Drafting. Global Jurist 22 (3): 537–555.
Loddo, Olimpia Giuliana. 2023. What Is Intersemiotic Legal Translation? In Intersemiotic Legal Translation, ed. Olimpia G. Loddo, 5–28. Law and Visual Jurisprudence series. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Ma, Yueyuan. 2022. Specialization in a Knowledge Economy (March 8), SSRN, https://ssrn.com/abstract=4052990.
Maaß, Christiane. 2020. Easy Language – Plain Language – Easy Language Plus: Balancing Comprehensibility and Acceptability. Berlin: Frank & Timme.
Maksimova, Svetlana Yu, and Kseniya V. Matsyupa. 2022. Legalese or lawspeak–diversity within the unity. Language (2) 7: 63–73.
Matamala, Anna. 2021. Easy-to-Understand Language beyond the Written Wor(l)d: The Challenges of Making Audiovisual Media Easy to Understand. In Proceedings of the International Easy Language Day Conference (IELD 2021).
Mellinkoff, David. 1963. The Language of the Law. Boston: Brown Little.
Mirić, Filip. 2022. Communication with People with Disabilities. In Intersectional Discrimination of Women and Girls with Disabilities and Means of Their Empowerment, eds. Ljubinka Kovačević, Dragica Vujadinović and Marco Evola, 917–930. Belgrade: University of Belgrade Faculty of Law.
Miesenberger, Klaus, and Andrea Petz. 2014. Easy to Read on the Web - State of the Art and Research Directions. Procedia Computer Science 27: 318–326.
Murray, Michael D. 2021a. Cartoon Contracts and the Proactive Visualization of Law. University of Massachusetts Law Review 16: 98–197.
Murray, Michael. 2021b. Cross-Cultural Communications in a Crisis: The Universality of Visual Narrative in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Albany Law Journal of Science & Technology 32: 1–40.
Murray, Michael D. 2021c. Toward a Universal Visual Language of Law. Law & Psychology Review 46: 1–95.
Nerelius, Ulrika. 2014. Plain Language in the EU: Impact of Plain Language in Drafting and Translation of Different Types of EU Legislation. MA Thesis., Stockholm University.
Newmark, Peter. 2003. A Textbook of Translation. 7th impression. London: Prentice Hall International.
Notari, Fabiola. 2019. Mastering Numbers in Legal Discourse: Pragmatic Perspectives and Translation Issues. La Torre di Babele 15: 95–128.
Perego, Elisa, and Goranka Rocco. 2022. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Comparative Analysis of the Easy English, the Easy German and the Easy Italian Versions. Rivista internazionale di tecnica della traduzione 24: 63–87.
Pitkäsalo, Eliisa. 2020. Traduction Intersémiotique et Contexte: Des Contrats En Bande Dessinée En Tant Que Documents Juridiques Accessibles. Meta 65 (1): 123–41.
Pitkäsalo, Eliisa, and Laura Kalliomaa-Puha. 2019. Democratizing Access to Justice: The Comic Contract as Intersemiotic Translation. Translation Matters 1 (2): 30–42.
Raymaker, Dora M., Steven K. Kapp, Katherine E. McDonald, Michael Weiner, Elesia Ashkenazy, and Christina Nicolaidis. 2019. Development of the AASPIRE web accessibility guidelines for autistic web users. Autism in Adulthood 1 (2): 146–157,
Šarčević, Susan. 1997. New Approach to Legal Translation. The Hague/London/Boston: Kluwer Law International.
Seracini, Francesca. 2019. Simplifying EU Legislative Texts: The Contribution of Translation. In Worlds of Words: Complexity, Creativity, and Conventionality in English Language, Literature and Culture, Vol. 1, eds. Veronica Bonsignori, Gloria Cappelli and Elisa Mattiello, 325–336. Pisa: Pisa University Press.
Tiersma, Peter M. 1999. Legal Language. University of Chicago Press.
United Nations. 2006. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf (accessed January 8, 2024).
United Nations. 2015. 17 goals to transform our world. https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world (accessed January 8, 2024).
University of Ljubljana. 2016. Orange Data Mining Software version 3.3. (Software). Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana.
Wagner, Anne. 2003. Translation of the Language of the Common Law into Legal French: Myth or Reality. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law 16 (2): 177–193.
Williams, Christopher. 2004. Legal English and Plain Language: An Introduction. ESP across Cultures 1 (1): 111–24.
Williams, Christopher. 2022. The Impact of Plain Language on Legal English in the United Kingdom. New York: Routledge.
Xanthaki, Helen. (2019). Judges v Drafters: The Saga Continues. Sydney: The Federation Press.
Xanthaki, Helen. (2022). Thornton’s Legislative Drafting, 6th ed. London: Bloomsbury.
Yi, R. 2023. The Promise of Linguistic Equity for Migrants in Australian Courtrooms: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective. Austl. J. Hum. Rts. 29(1): 174–180.
Case Study 1. What are the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights? (Webpage), https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1567&langId=en& (accessed January 8, 2024).
Case Study 2. Role of the European Union in Deinstitutionalisation and Independent Living (Webpage), https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/role-of-the-european-union-in-deinstitutionalisation-and-independent-living-easy-to-read/ (accessed January 8, 2024).
Case Study 3. What is Deinstitutionalisation and Independent Living? (Video), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjVy3lenHOc (accessed January 8, 2024).
Case Study 4. Union of equality. Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 (Webpage), https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1535&langId=en (accessed January 8, 2024).
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Fabiola Notari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
When submitting a paper the author agrees to the following publishing agreement and processing personal data.
PUBLICATION AGREEMENT, COPYRIGHT LICENSE, PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING CONSENT
This is a publication agreement and copyright license (“Agreement”) regarding a written manuscript currently submitted via Pressto platform
(“Article”) to be published in Comparative Legilinguistics International Journal for Legal Communication (“Journal”).
The parties to this Agreement are:
the Author or Authors of the submitted article (individually, or if more than one author, collectively, “Author”) and Comparative Legilinguistics International Journal for Legal Communication (“Publisher”), address al. Niepodległości 4, 61-874 Poznań, represented by its editor in chief Aleksandra Matulewska.
§1. LICENSE OF COPYRIGHT
a) The Author and the Publisher agree that the Author grants a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which is incorporated herein by reference and is further specified at Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0 copyright license in the Article to the general public.
b) The Author grants to the Publisher a royalty-free, worldwide nonexclusive license to publish, reproduce, display, distribute, translate and use the Article in any form, either separately or as part of a collective work, including but not limited to a nonexclusive license to publish the Article in an issue of the Journal, copy and distribute individual reprints of the Article, authorize reproduction of the entire Article in another publication, and authorize reproduction and distribution of the Article or an abstract thereof by means of computerized retrieval systems (such as Westlaw, Lexis and SSRN). The Author retains ownership of all rights under copyright in the Article, and all rights not expressly granted in this Agreement.
c) The Author grants to the Publisher the power to assign, sublicense or otherwise transfer any and all licenses expressly granted to the Publisher under this Agreement.
d) Republication. The Author agrees to require that the Publisher be given credit as the original publisher in any republication of the Article authorized by the Author. If the Publisher authorizes any other party to republish the Article under the terms of paragraphs 1c and 1 of this Agreement, the Publisher shall require such party to ensure that the Author is credited as the Author.
§2. EDITING OF THE ARTICLE
a) The Author agrees that the Publisher may edit the Article as suitable for publication in the Journal. To the extent that the Publisher’s edits amount to copyrightable works of authorship, the Publisher hereby assigns all right, title, and interest in such edits to the Author.
§3. WARRANTIES
a) The Author represents and warrants that to the best of the Author’s knowledge the Article does not defame any person, does not invade the privacy of any person, and does not in any other manner infringe upon the rights of any person. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Publisher against all such claims.
b) The Author represents and warrants that the Author has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to grant the licenses granted in this Agreement.
c) The Author represents and warrants that the Article furnished to the Publisher has not been published previously. For purposes of this paragraph, making a copy of the Article accessible over the Internet, including, but not limited to, posting the Article to a database accessible over the Internet, does not constitute prior publication so long as the as such copy indicates that the Article is not in final form, such as by designating such copy to be a “draft,” a “working paper,” or “work-in-progress”. The Author agrees to hold harmless the Publisher, its licensees and distributees, from any claim, action, or proceeding alleging facts that constitute a breach of any warranty enumerated in this paragraph.
§4. TERM
a) The agreement was concluded for an unspecified time.
§5. PAYMENT
a) The Author agrees and acknowledges that the Author will receive no payment from the Publisher for use of the Article or the licenses granted in this Agreement.
b) The Publisher agrees and acknowledges that the Publisher will not receive any payment from the Author for publication by the Publisher.
§6. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
a) This Agreement supersedes any and all other agreements, either oral or in writing, between the Author and the Publisher with respect to the subject of this Agreement. This Agreement contains all of the warranties and agreements between the parties with respect to the Article, and each party acknowledges that no representations, inducements, promises, or agreements have been made by or on behalf of any party except those warranties and agreements embodied in this Agreement.
b) In all cases not regulated by this Agreement, legal provisions of Polish Copyright Act and Polish Civil Code shall apply.
c) Any disputes arising from the enforcement of obligations connected with this Agreement shall be resolved by a court competent for the headquarters of the Publisher.
d) Any amendments or additions to the Agreement must be made in writing and signed by authorised representative of both parties, otherwise being ineffective.
e) This Agreement is signed electronically and the submission of the article via the PRESSto platform is considered as the conclusion of the Agreement by the Author and the Publisher.
f) Clause for consent to the processing of personal data - general
g) The Author shall give his or her consent to the processing of their personal data in accordance with the Act of 10 May 2018 on the protection of personal data and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of persons physical in connection with the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46 / EC (General Data Protection Regulation) for the purpose and in connection with making publications available on the PRESSto scientific journals platform and DeGruyter platform, guaranteeing the security of services rendered, and improving them.
I HAVE READ AND AGREE FULLY WITH THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.
The Author The Publisher