Plain language litterature
In the list below, you can find various links to English language litterature concerning plain language, with special focus on the European Union. (Many of the web pages listed below also present the same information in the other official EU languages.)
-
Dictionaries
-
The ScadPlus glossary
A glossary containing some 250 terms relating to European integration and the institutions and activities of the EU.
-
Eurodicautom
The European Commissions multilingual term bank.
-
TIS on the Web
This is a simplified version of the terminological database used by terminologists and translators working in The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.
-
EUR-Lex: the portal to European Union law
The EUR-Lex website is the single entry point to the complete collections of EU legal texts in all the official languages, and contains explanatory texts on EU legislative procedures, as well as a glossary and descriptions of the decision-making process in the 'About EU law' section.
-
Style guides
-
Interinstitutional style guide
The Interinstitutional style guide gathers standard drafting conventions for all the European Union institutions in all the official languages, and are obligatory as guidance for all those involved in document production within the institutions.
-
English Style Guide from the European Commission (pdf)
This style guide has been produced by, but not just for, the English units of the European Commission's Translation Service.
-
Writing for translation / Écrire pour être traduit
This bilingual (French and English) booklet is intended for writers of EU texts for translation. There are tips on how to structure your texts to make them concise, unambiguous and easy to read, as well as advice on how you can help a translator convey your words successfully into another language. The booklet is based on the Swedish document Tala för att tolkas. Skriva för att översättas, published by the Swedish Government Offices. The Swedish document is a translation and adaptation of the Finnish guide, Käännetäänkö tekstisi, tulkataanko puheenvuorosi?, written for the Finnish EU presidency during the second half of 1999.
-
Drafting
-
Plain English Manual
Manual for draftning from the Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
-
Clarifying Eurolaw (pdf)
By rewriting an EC directive, the British language consultant Martin Cutts shows how EC directives could be written in a clearer way, thus being easier to understand for the citizens of the European Union.
-
Clarifying EC Regulations (pdf)
This is Martin Cutts' and Emma Wagner's follow-up of the previous title Clarifying Eurolaw, focusing on how an EC regulation could be rewritten.
-
Joint Practical Guide for drafting of Community legislation
The Joint Practical Guide of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission for persons involved in the drafting of legislation within the Community institutions. The guide is intended to be used by everyone who is involved in the drafting of the most common types of Community acts, and serve as inspiration for any act of the institutions.
-
Important agreements
-
2003: Agreement on better law-making (pdf)
In December 2003, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission adopted this Interinstitutional agreement on better law-making.
-
1998: Agreement on the quality of drafting (pdf)
In December 1998, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission adopted this Interinstitutional agreement (of 22 December 1998) on common guidelines for the quality of drafting of Community legislation.
