Plain language is often equated with wording that is generally understandable. However, while "easily understandable" describes a subjective perception, plain language is based on clearly defined criteria, which are set out in the relevant standards. With the international standard ISO 24495-1, a global standard has been created, which defines principles and guidelines for understandable factual texts in plain language.
DIN 8581-1 adapts the generic language requirements of ISO 24495-1 to the specific characteristics of the German language. It takes account of language-specific characteristics and defines objective requirements that must be met for a German text to be considered "simple". This blog post sets out the key content of DIN 8581-1 and illustrates its significance for the creation of understandable factual texts in German.
What is Plain Language?
Plain language is a form of language that is consistently geared towards the needs of the reader. The aim is to prepare information in such a way that it is as easily understandable as possible - regardless of educational background or specialist knowledge. Specialist or expert knowledge is not required to understand the text. Instead, content is structured, linguistically simplified and communicated in a clear, direct manner.1
You can find out more about the difference between plain and easy language here.
DIN 8581-1 at a Glance: Content and Objectives
DIN 8581-1 is a national standard, which is based on the international ISO 24495-1 and adapts its recommendations to make them specific to German factual texts. While ISO 24495-1 sets out generic language principles for plain language, DIN 8581-1 takes into account the specific characteristics of the German language and adapts the general requirements to the German-language context. It serves as a practical foundation for creating understandable and accessible texts – particularly factual texts.
The standard focuses on four key principles, which had already been defined in ISO 24495-1: relevance, findability, understandability and usability. Even though DIN 8581-1 relates explicitly to factual texts, its recommendations can be applied to other text types.
The Four Levels of DIN 8581-1 for Understandable Texts
DIN 8581-1 structures its recommendations for creating understandable factual texts into four levels: text level, sentence level, word level and presentation. Each of these levels contributes to systematically improving the readability and understandability of a text.
At the text level, the focus is primarily on the content structure, recommended language style, text length and text structure. The standard provides guidance on structuring the text and on using summaries or glossaries as well as supporting elements that simplify the overall text.
The sentence level deals with aspects such as sentence length, sentence structure and the use of tenses. This level also includes the recommendation to opt for active language constructions over passive ones.
At the word level, the aspects addressed include the selection and length of words, their consistent use and the avoidance of technical terms. The aim is to promote a simple and clear choice of words.
The presentation level supplements the linguistic requirements with visual elements. This includes recommendations on typography, highlighting text sections and the targeted use of graphics, icons or multimedia content such as images, videos or audio. Long texts should be broken up with visual elements or lists to facilitate comprehension and keep the reader's attention.
Use of simple language in medicine and pharmacy
In medicine and pharmacy, specialist medical texts are often particularly complex – not only for laypeople, but also for experts from outside the field. In these sectors in particular, conveying information clearly and understandably is crucial to ensuring the safe use of medical devices or medicines, for example. Plain language can make a significant contribution here: The aim is for everyone to be able to find, understand and use the relevant information – regardless of their prior knowledge. This includes lay summaries of clinical study results, package leaflets and instructions for use as well as marketing and corporate communication documents.
mt-g translates patient information, medical instructions for use and selected study reports into layman’s terms. These translations are always performed by native-speaking specialized translators with medical expertise. We also generate texts in plain or easy language, optimize your existing texts or transfer your documents for a specialist audience into plain language or easy language.
You can find more information about converting texts into plain language or easy language here.
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