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.

This volume presents current research and practices in the field of Easy Language and accessible communication. The publication of this volume was inspired by two international events, namely the International Easy Language Day Conference (IELD), and the panel The Social Role of Language: Translation into Easy and Plain Languages at the IATIS conference. By bringing together findings from different corpus-driven, cognitive and automation approaches in accessible communication research and providing insights into current projects of the emerging field of accessible health communication, the volume captures the dynamic and rapidly evolving nature of the field.

Recent studies show that more than half of the German population have difficulties in accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying health information, thus giving accessibility in health communication new traction. This volume links research and practice in the areas of accessible communication, health information and health literacy. The articles focus on these fields from a methodological, text and/or user perspective. The authors examine how to improve accessibility of research methods and how to adapt existing methods to answer questions about accessibility of health information. They discuss accessibility of text types and link accessibility to individual, organisational and professional health literacy. Contributions also give insight to the implementation of Easy and Plain Language in health information. All articles stem from different fields: in bringing them together, this volume fosters interdisciplinary exchange to communicate accessible health information and methods to specific vulnerable target groups.

Expert-lay communication in the medical field requires the utmost attention to readers’ or listeners’ needs and competences. If these are neglected, laypeople’s comprehension of the message is likely to be negatively affected. Text types like package leaflets and informed consents have been the object of countless studies. In this volume, Giulia Pedrini examines a new document type: the layperson summary of clinical trials. She conducts her analysis from a contrastive and translational perspective in three languages (English, German, and Italian). All texts are instances of interlingual translations of simplified documents written in Plain Language; a still widely unexplored niche within the field of translation studies.

The Routledge Handbook of Intralingual Translation provides the first comprehensive overview of intralingual translation, or the rewording or rewriting of a text. This Handbook aims to examine intralingual translation from every possible angle. The introduction gives an overview of the theoretical, political, and ideological issues involved and is followed by the first section which investigates intralingual translation from a diachronic perspective covering the modernization of classical texts. Subsequent sections consider different dialects and registers and intralingual translation from one language mode to another, explore concepts such as self-translating, transediting, and the role of copyeditors, and investigate the increasing interest in the role of intralingual translation and second language learning. Final sections examine recent developments in intralingual translation such as the subtitling of speech for the hard-of-hearing, simultaneous Easy Language interpreting, and respeaking in parliamentary debates. By providing an in-depth study on intralingual translation, the Handbook sheds light on other important areas of translation that are often bypassed, including publishing practices, authorship, and ideological constraints. Authored by a range of established and new voices in the field, this is the essential guide to intralingual translation for advanced students and researchers of translation studies.

The Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe describes what Easy Language is and how it is used in European countries. It demonstrates the great diversity of actors, instruments and outcomes related to Easy Language throughout Europe. All people, despite their limitations, have an equal right to information, inclusion, and social participation. This results in requirements for understandable language. The notion of Easy Language refers to modified forms of standard languages that aim to facilitate reading and language comprehension. This handbook describes the historical background, the principles and the practices of Easy Language in 21 European countries. Its topics include terminological definitions, legal status, stakeholders, target groups, guidelines, practical outcomes, education, research, and a reflection on future perspectives related to Easy Language in each country. Written in an academic yet interesting and understandable style, this Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe aims to find a wide audience.

This book traces the development of audio description (AD), a form of audiovisual translation delivered orally and consumed aurally that makes visual elements accessible primarily to people who are visually impaired, and in particular, art AD as an emergent sub-genre. Perego reflects on the static arts and the role of modern museums as key sites for art AD and multisensory environments that create memorable experiences for visitors. Based on professional, pre-recorded British and American English AD scripts, this book outlines the textual and linguistic features of art AD and its most relevant textual patterns. It explores diverse AD practices across different contexts, including stand-alone ADs for specific paintings and sculptures that can be consumed independently to enhance the appeal and accessibility of cultural environments. Moreover, the book investigates AD tours, which provide descriptions of a selection of interconnected artworks while also assisting, through focused instructions, visually impaired individuals in navigating the museum space, as well as touch tours, which incorporate procedural instructions on how to experience three-dimensional art or reproductions through tactile senses. Offering unique insights and future research directions for this growing area, this volume will be of interest to students and scholars in translation studies and media accessibility.