Does administrative language have to be incomprehensible? A close look at letters from authorities.
Cumbersome wording, endless words, paragraphs and complex sentence structures - this is what many people associate with letters from public authorities. It is indeed a challenge to formulate letters in a way that is both legally accurate and accessible, as can be seen from numerous examples. However, model projects that have already been successfully implemented in other cities show that there are practicable compromises. The citizens' resolution instructing the city to "use more friendly and supportive language in written and verbal communication with citizens" is therefore a welcome opportunity to bring together local linguistic expertise and the concrete application of technical language in public authorities in the "Better Notices" project. We would like to present this project in our lecture.
Speakers: Prof. Dr. Konstanze Marx-Wischnowski and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kesselheim (both University of Greifswald)
