In short and in plain language
This post shows how to order Easy Language texts. Easy Language is written in a very simple way. It helps many people understand texts better.
There are now common guidelines for it. They describe what good Easy Language looks like.
First pick the key texts. Then write a clear brief. It names the goal, the readers and the pictures.
People with learning difficulties check the text. Only then is it approved. After that, the text must be easy to find on the site.
We turn your texts into Easy Language and have them checked.
Commissioning a text in German Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) is not the same as ordering a translation. The result only works once people from the target group have read it, understood it and signed it off, once images and layout match the text, and once the pages can actually be found on the website. Since March 2025 there is a common reference for this for the first time: DIN SPEC 33429, “Guidance for German Easy Language” (DIN Media). The German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs states in its announcement that Easy Language can help more than 10 million people understand texts better (BMAS). This article walks through a commission in five stations, from the source text to publication, and lists what clients should pin down in the quote and the briefing. It draws on the descriptions of the DIN SPEC by DIN Media and the ministry, on the ministry’s two-booklet guide to Easy Language (Heft 1 and Heft 2) and on the BITV 2.0 regulation.
Key takeaways
- DIN SPEC 33429, dated March 2025 (DIN Media), brings together uniform recommendations for German Easy Language for the first time (BMAS); the accessible 60-page PDF is available free of charge (DIN Media).
- Select first, then translate: federal authorities need four explanations in Easy Language on their home page (§ 4 BITV 2.0); everyone else starts with contact options, the core offer and procedures with deadlines.
- The briefing covers goal, audience, medium, word splitting, gender-inclusive wording, images, rights for later changes and disclosure of whether an AI program helps write the text (BMAS, Heft 2).
- Good Easy Language has been reviewed by at least 2 people with learning difficulties (BMAS, Heft 2). The review panel signs off the text, and the review log gives the client proof of the review.
- Easy Language content on federal authority websites must be left-aligned, start every sentence on a new line, use type at 120 per cent or larger and no more than two typefaces (BITV 2.0, Anlage 2 Teil 2).
- Compare per-page quotes only once review panel, review log, images, implementation and maintenance are settled. Easy Language pages need a clearly visible button at the top of the page (BMAS, Heft 2).
What DIN SPEC 33429 covers
DIN SPEC 33429 is titled “Empfehlungen für Deutsche Leichte Sprache” (Guidance for German Easy Language) and carries the issue date March 2025 (DIN Media). It was produced under the PAS procedure: a temporary consortium drafted the document rather than a standing standards committee (DIN Media). The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs commissioned the work. The consortium brought together experts from research and academia, public administration, translation and review, visual design and organisations of people with disabilities, as well as people with technical expertise and people with learning difficulties (BMAS). The document has 60 pages and can be downloaded free of charge as an accessible PDF (DIN Media).
In substance, the DIN SPEC goes well beyond sentence rules. According to its introduction, it contains language recommendations at word, sentence and text level, recommendations on visual design and on use in different media formats, a description of the production process and recommendations on the qualifications of writers, reviewers and designers (DIN Media). It explicitly addresses clients as well (DIN Media). One sentence at the end of the description matters most in practice: the recommendations can serve quality assurance and act as criteria in tenders (DIN Media). Anyone commissioning Easy Language now has a shared reference point for the specification and for acceptance.
The DIN SPEC is still not binding. The Easy Language guide, published by the ministry and written by a working group of the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache to match the DIN SPEC, says so plainly: the DIN SPEC contains recommendations, not rules (BMAS, Heft 2). It often lists several options, for example texts with or without images (BMAS, Heft 2). For clients this means the chosen option belongs in the commission. Otherwise the translator decides, and both sides later cite the same DIN SPEC in support of different readings.
Plain language is covered in a separate article
Who needs Easy Language and who has to provide it
Easy Language is designed primarily for people with learning difficulties. The ministry’s guide puts their number in Germany at about 2 million (BMAS, Heft 1). Then there are people who cannot read well, about 6 million according to the same guide (BMAS, Heft 1). According to the ministry, people with functional illiteracy, aphasia, prelingual hearing loss or dementia also benefit, as do people whose first language is not German (BMAS). The announcement of the DIN SPEC states that Easy Language can help more than 10 million people understand texts better (BMAS). The figure comes from the minister’s quotation in the announcement, which does not cite a survey for it.
The legal obligations fall mainly on public bodies. Under § 4 BITV 2.0, websites of federal public bodies must offer four explanations on the home page in Easy Language and in German Sign Language: information on the main content, notes on navigation, an explanation of the main content of the accessibility statement and pointers to further information in Easy Language and sign language (§ 4 BITV 2.0). Many federal states have their own regulations requiring state authorities to publish Easy Language information on their websites as well (BMAS, Heft 2). The Disability Equality Act goes further: public authorities should increasingly provide information in Easy Language, and on request they should explain notices, forms and public-law contracts in Easy Language to people with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities when an explanation in simple and understandable terms is not enough (§ 11 BGG).
For companies the situation is different. The German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) does not require Easy Language, but it does require understandable information (BMAS, Heft 2). How hotline, email and contact forms become accessible support services is covered in our article on accessible customer service. WCAG 2.2 addresses the topic in success criterion 3.1.5 at the highest level, AAA: if a text requires reading ability beyond lower secondary education, supplemental content or an easier version should be available (W3C, WCAG 2.2, SC 3.1.5). For companies, Easy Language is therefore usually a voluntary service. For care services, utilities or housing companies with many affected customers, it is still often an obvious addition.
Budgeting for 2027
Station 1: choose the source text
The most common mistake happens before the first sentence: whatever happens to be available gets translated instead of what the audience actually needs. The guide therefore starts with planning questions: who exactly the texts are for, what they are meant to achieve, which media they will appear in, who handles quality control, how much money and time are available and which rights to texts and images need to be settled (BMAS, Heft 2). It also recommends asking people with learning difficulties during selection which information they need (BMAS, Heft 2).
For a website this means: not everything, but the right things. On Easy Language pages, users should learn what the website is about and how to get in touch (BMAS, Heft 2). Federal authorities add the four explanations from § 4 BITV 2.0. Next come content items that trigger an action or have consequences: applications, appointments, deadlines, prices, cancellation and help.
- Home page: what the site is about, how it is structured, how to use it
- Contact options by phone, email and form, each with short instructions
- The core offer or core service in a few paragraphs
- Procedures with consequences: application, appointment, deadline, cancellation, payment
- Accessibility statement including how to report barriers
- A note on which other content is available in Easy Language
A word of warning about buttons that convert an entire website into Easy Language automatically. The guide considers this a bad idea: it produces too many texts, the relevant information becomes hard to find, and unreviewed texts cause problems (BMAS, Heft 2). It is just as clear on budget: better to do less, but do it well. Poor Easy Language can even cause harm, for example when an explanation of an application form leaves out important information and the application is rejected as a result (BMAS, Heft 2).
The briefing: what belongs in the commission
The guide assigns the roles clearly. The client decides what the text is meant to achieve, what it is for and what needs special attention, such as a particular audience (BMAS, Heft 2). The translator then agrees with the client on gender-inclusive wording, how long words are split and who the contact person for the commission is (BMAS, Heft 2). People with learning difficulties should be involved from the start and be able to say which information matters, what order the text should follow and which words need an explanation (BMAS, Heft 2).
Word splitting shows why this coordination is needed. For Easy Language on federal authority websites, BITV 2.0 requires compound nouns to be split with a hyphen (BITV 2.0, Anlage 2 Teil 2). The guide also mentions the interpunct as an option, as in “Kinder·zimmer”, while using only the hyphen itself (BMAS, Heft 1). Which spelling applies on your own website belongs in the briefing and then consistently in every text.
| Briefing item | What gets decided | Why it belongs in the commission |
|---|---|---|
| Goal and audience | inform, instruct or set rules; for whom exactly | length, wording and examples depend on it |
| Medium | web page, PDF, booklet, video | design and review differ by medium |
| Word splitting | hyphen or interpunct | one spelling for every text on the site |
| Gender-inclusive wording | form of address and terms for people | readability and consistency across all pages |
| Images | drawings, photos or existing pictograms | images belong to the text and are reviewed with it |
| Review | number of reviewers, review log, order of sign-offs | makes quality verifiable at acceptance |
| Use of AI | whether and for what an AI program is used | disclosure to client and review panel |
| Rights of use | own edits, updates, image rights | the version has to keep pace with the original |
Rights of use are often overlooked. Whoever wrote a text or made an image is its author. The client receives a right to use it but usually may not alter the text or image (BMAS, Heft 2). If prices, deadlines or procedures change later, the Easy Language version has to follow. The contract should therefore state whether the client may make changes or whether updates are handled by the provider on fixed terms. How to record such points in accessibility contracts in general is covered in our article on acceptance and defect rights.
The briefing now also needs to address AI programs. The guide recommends disclosure: the translator tells the client and the review panel whether and for what an AI program was used (BMAS, Heft 2). In the guide’s assessment such programs cannot yet translate on their own because they still make too many mistakes; examples it gives are replaced technical terms and misrepresented figures (BMAS, Heft 2). For texts that stay in use for a long time, such as on a website, it describes a fixed sequence: draft with the program, check by a translator, then the review panel (BMAS, Heft 2). Only for very urgent, short-lived notices such as a severe weather warning does it allow a text without a review panel: content and completeness are still checked, and a note underneath states that an AI program wrote it and no review panel checked it (BMAS, Heft 2).
Station 2: translation by a trained writer
According to the guide, translators need suitable qualifications: training or a degree in a social field, or another degree such as languages or media, in each case with Easy Language training, or a degree in Easy Language, or several years of experience with it (BMAS, Heft 2). The training ends with a test based on a text of one’s own, and the training is led by an inclusive team of people with and without learning difficulties (BMAS, Heft 2). The DIN SPEC also contains recommendations on the qualifications writers need (DIN Media). A quote should therefore state who writes the text and how that person is trained.
Before writing, translators and reviewers plan together which content matters, in which order the information appears and which difficult words need an explanation (BMAS, Heft 2). The result is not a sentence-by-sentence copy of the original. A good translation contains all important information from the source, leaves out what is unimportant and reproduces everything correctly (BMAS, Heft 2). Technical terms that have to stay are explained in the text. A glossary at the end is a fallback, because searching a long list is very hard for many people with learning difficulties (BMAS, Heft 1).
Example: one sentence becomes four
Factual accuracy remains the client’s responsibility. Only the client can judge whether a deadline, a price or a scope of service is still correct after simplification. This check should appear in the schedule as a separate step with a fixed date, because the order of the remaining work depends on it. If the client translated a text in-house and only has it reviewed, the guide says the review log is especially important (BMAS, Heft 2).
Station 3: the review panel decides
Review by people with learning difficulties is what separates Easy Language from mere simplification. The DIN SPEC contains its own recommendations on involving people with learning difficulties when Easy Language products are created (BMAS). In the guide’s foreword the ministry sums it up: the recommendations also say to have texts and products in Easy Language reviewed (BMAS, Heft 2). As a quality criterion, the guide states that at least 2 people with learning difficulties have reviewed the text (BMAS, Heft 2). According to Heft 1, more than 2 reviewers are better, because it is then easier to tell whether the text is good or still hard to understand (BMAS, Heft 1).
The review is not just about whether individual words are understood. Typical questions are whether all information is understandable, whether anything is missing, whether the order works, whether difficult words are explained and whether the text is well designed. For web pages, reviewers also check whether they can find and operate the page and quickly find the Easy Language texts (BMAS, Heft 2). As an example of the procedure, the guide describes reviewers first reading the text on their own and then reviewing it together as a group (BMAS, Heft 2).
The reviewers sign off the text.
The panel is supported by a review assistant, a person without learning difficulties. The assistant schedules enough time, provides a quiet place, asks suitable questions about the text and may not change the reviewers’ opinion (BMAS, Heft 2). The assistant writes the review log, which shows the client what was difficult for people with learning difficulties and which images did not fit (BMAS, Heft 2). For clients, this log is the key acceptance document: it proves that a review took place and shows what should change for the next text.
For the order of the factual check and the review, the guide describes 2 options (BMAS, Heft 2). Either the client checks the content first and the review panel then reviews the revised text, or the review panel starts, the client follows and the panel looks at the changes again. We usually recommend the first option: if the client changes content after the review, a second review round becomes necessary, and that takes time. If you are also planning usability tests with disabled participants, our article on usability testing with disabled participants covers the method.
Station 4: design and images
Easy Language is more than text. The DIN SPEC contains guidance on the visual design of type and imagery and on suitable media formats, their design and technical requirements (BMAS). As guide values, the guide recommends a type size of 14 or larger for printed texts (BMAS, Heft 1) and a line spacing of at least 1.3 (BMAS, Heft 1). For Easy Language on websites of federal public bodies the requirements are binding: left-aligned text, every sentence starting on a new line, a light single-colour background, type at least 1.2 em or 120 per cent (BITV 2.0, Anlage 2 Teil 2), and no more than two typefaces (BITV 2.0, Anlage 2 Teil 2).
In Easy Language, images belong to the text. The guide recommends images made specifically for that text (BMAS, Heft 2), and they sit directly next to, above or below the information they belong to (BMAS, Heft 1). On web pages they need alternative text that is also written in Easy Language (BMAS, Heft 2). How to write good alternative text is covered in our article on images and alt text. Typeface choice, line length and spacing are covered in the article on accessible typography.
Once the text is laid out as a web page, flyer or PDF, the review panel checks again whether everything is understandable and fits together. Sometimes the design has to be revised afterwards (BMAS, Heft 2). This second review should be stated explicitly in the quote, because during layout images can drift away from the text, sentences can break awkwardly or buttons can become hard to find. PDF versions must also meet the requirements for accessible documents, which we implement as part of our accessible PDF service.
Station 5: publish and make it findable
Few websites are entirely in Easy Language. Easy Language pages therefore have to be easy to find, ideally through a clearly visible button at the top of the page; on smartphones the entry point is often in the menu (BMAS, Heft 2). The DIN SPEC also proposes a uniform Easy Language icon, which the ministry offers as a free download (BMAS). Within the section, an overview lets users jump straight to individual pages, and at the end of every page a link or arrow leads back to the home page (BMAS, Heft 2).
Links deserve particular care. Link texts should state in Easy Language what the link is for and where it leads. Web addresses are unsuitable as link text, and a link to a page in standard language carries a note such as “This page is not in Easy Language” (BMAS, Heft 2). Technically, the standard version and the Easy Language version are both German. An hreflang annotation therefore cannot tell them apart; the connection comes from clear, reciprocal links between both versions.
Then maintenance begins. When the standard version changes, the Easy Language version has to follow, otherwise the same website makes two different statements. In practice it helps to link each Easy Language page to its source page and to treat every change at the source as a translation task. The accessibility statement should state which content is available in Easy Language. Federal authorities have to explain the main content of that statement in Easy Language anyway (§ 4 BITV 2.0).
Comparing quotes: how to recognise good Easy Language
A price per standard page is quick to compare. It only becomes meaningful once it is clear what it includes. The guide lists as quality criteria that the text suits the audience, is well structured, follows the Easy Language rules and correct spelling, matches the source text and has been reviewed by a review panel (BMAS, Heft 2). From this you can derive questions that every quote should answer.
Who reviews?
Number of reviewers per text, their training and the review assistant. Good Easy Language has been reviewed by at least 2 people with learning difficulties (BMAS, Heft 2).
Is there a review log?
The log shows what was difficult and which images did not fit. At acceptance it is the proof that a review took place.
Are images included?
Custom drawings, photos or existing pictograms, and who holds the rights of use, including for later changes.
Who writes?
The translator’s qualifications and a statement of whether and for what an AI program is involved.
How does maintenance work?
Terms for later changes and whether the client may adapt texts in-house.
Who implements it?
Integration into the content management system with button, overview and link notes, plus a fresh review of the finished page.
With us, review by affected people is included in the price for Easy Language. We charge from €119 per standard page, net (BFSG-Experte). A standard page has 1,800 characters including spaces (BFSG-Experte), the minimum order is €249 net (BFSG-Experte), prices as of September 2026 (BFSG-Experte). Every text is documented with its source document and review log. We agree in advance which pages come first and what implementation costs; details are on our Easy Language page.
Public clients can include the DIN SPEC as a reference in the specification; according to its description, its recommendations can serve as criteria in tenders (DIN Media). In that case the specification should also state which of the options listed there apply. How accessibility is evidenced in procurement procedures overall is covered in our article on public procurement. We summarise our services for authorities and public bodies on the page for the public sector.
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