Further reflections on popularization and plain language in legal discourse: some recent developments

In this paper I focus on two developments that only came to light recently where the question of plain language relating to the legal sphere plays a key role. The first is the so-called ‘Good law’ initiative set up by the UK Office of the Parliamentary Counsel which was officially launched on 16 April 2013. The second is the report on Document Quality Control in Public Administrations and International Organisations coordinated by Silvia Ferreri which was published in July 2013 and presented by Silvia Ferreri and Jacqueline Visconti at the 3rd Translation Studies Day at the European Commission in Brussels on 25 October 2013. Both projects are concerned with issues relating to the drafting of legally binding texts and with finding satisfactory ways of overcoming the inherent complexity of legal texts and of making them more comprehensible, and also more easily accessible, to a wider public. The first is aimed primarily at a readership residing in the UK, whereas the second is much more international in scope, reaching beyond the confines of the European Union and taking into consideration also non-EU countries such as the USA, Canada, Switzerland and India. I begin by looking at the main characteristics of the ‘Good law’ initiative before going on to outline the salient features of Document Quality Control in Public Administrations and International Organisations. I then proceed to analyse both projects in particular from the perspective of plain language in legal discourse before providing some conclusions.