Easy read and plain language: choosing the right text

The target group decides which version you need

A short product description, a municipal guide to an application and an explanation of complex rights have different requirements. First clarify who needs to understand the text and what task it should help them complete. The instruction “Please write more simply” on its own leaves important decisions open.

Easy read simplifies more heavily and also takes layout and comprehension testing into account. Plain language can be a good starting point for many general website texts. The terms should not be used interchangeably, because they raise different expectations of the result.

Don't just shorten: explain how things connect

Short sentences alone do not make a text understandable. Explain unfamiliar terms, name who does what and put steps in the order they actually happen. An important reason must not disappear just because the sentence becomes shorter without it.

“The required supporting documents must be submitted” could become “Send us the documents on the list”, for example. The list and a way of sending them that people can actually use must then follow immediately. Check deadlines, costs and eligibility conditions especially carefully to make sure the simplified version conveys the same message.

Use AI as a drafting aid with a clear brief

Give the AI an approved source text and a specific goal. It should not add conditions, contacts or legal consequences that are not in the original. Don't use unnecessary personal or confidential data. Then compare the draft systematically with the source.

Have numbers, dates, exceptions and instructions checked separately. The label “AI draft for easy read” makes the editing status clear. An unreviewed suggestion should not be promoted with a quality seal or a confirmed target-group review.

Review and layout are part of the result

The current guide from the BMAS (Germany's Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs) explains the rules and practical project work for easy read and also covers the use of artificial intelligence. For a reliable publication, your process should include an expert check and a comprehension test with people from the target group.

Also check the presentation: clear headings, short paragraphs, suitable images and a mobile view that works well. An understandable text loses its value if the link to it is hard to find or the page is only available as an inaccessible image.

Defining mandatory public content correctly

For public bodies within the scope of the federal rules, § 4 BITV 2.0 provides for certain explanations in easy read and German Sign Language, for example about the main content and the navigation. This does not create a general obligation to translate every complete website into easy read. Federal states and municipalities must check their own relevant rules separately.

An easy-read version of accessibility information must match the approved source text. If contacts, navigation or procedural steps change, the simplified version should be reviewed too.

Checklist before publishing

1. 1Set out the target group, the task and the desired language form in writing.
2. 2Approve a factually correct source text and create a clearly labelled draft.
3. 3Compare statements, numbers, deadlines, exceptions and contact channels with the original.
4. 4Test comprehension with the target group and incorporate the feedback.
5. 5Test layout, mobile use and findability; name who is responsible for later changes.