The Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament organised with a great success the Conference “Plain Terminology for Citizens”. It took place on 24 February, from 9h to 13h in the Schuman Hemicycle, Luxembourg.
During the seminar, which was opened by the Director – General of Translation, Mr. Valter Mavrič, the over 200 participants heard and discussed about terminology-related challenges of using clear language when addressing the citizens. Moreover, speakers focused on how EU terminology can be adjusted in a way to help an accurate yet comprehensible communication in this context. The speeches of Mrs. Cathy Waibel (Head of Clear Language and Editing Unit) and Mrs. Otilia Dragomir (Head of the Romanian Translation Unit) focused on the approach of the European Parliament regarding the communication with the citizens in clear language. After a short health break, the invited keynote speaker, Mr. Martin Cutts, the Research Director of the UK Plain Language Commission, talked about the importance of terminology in this respect. After the end of speeches, an interesting workshop on five specific topics were held with the speakers and members of TermCoord.
Guest speakers:
Cathy Waibel, Head of the Clear Language and Editing Unit.
Otilia Dragomir, Head of the Romanian Unit.
Martin Cutts, Director of the Plain Language Commission in the UK. He is a writer, editor, and teacher. Mr Cutts founded the Plain English Campaign in 1979, and in 1994 he co-founded Plain Language Commission. He gives writing-skills courses in companies, government departments, and law firms. He is a leading voice in the international plain-language movement.
Access the presentations below:
- Cathy Waibel’s presentation at Plain Conference and Plain terminology for citizens presentation
- Otilia Dragomir’s presentation
- Martin Cutts speech