Swedish easy-to-read newspaper 8 SIDOR is since 2005 involved in an international partnership funded by the European Union. Seven partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have been involved in the project. At present four of them are in the process of creating a pan-European web-based newspaper. The first two years of the Socrates/Grundtvig 2 partnership have been devoted to exchanging ideas, making an inventory of the present status of easy-to-read language in Europe and creating effective working methods.
8 SIDOR (8 Pages) publishes a news weekly, a daily web paper, a web based facts service and educational booklets for readers who prefer short news summaries in easy-to-read Swedish. Target groups include reaaders with mild intellectual disabilities, school children, immigrants, dyslexics and people suffering from aphasia and other disabilities. The editing staff consist of four journalists and a photografer.
Similar papers are produced by Klar Tale in Norway, Overblik in Denmark, Okee in the Netherlands, Selko/Uutiset in Finland and Wablieft in Belgium. Plain English Campaign in the UK is an commercial organization which sells its adapted plain language products to paying customers.
The first Grundtvig2 project was aimed at creating a working network with a view to finding future ways of cooperation. The results of the project were many and varied and include a manual on how to produce easy-to-read papers, standards on typography, language recommendations, plans for awareness campaigns, testing and evaluation methods, web strategies and market strategies. Four of the partners have decided to move on with a new application for a Learning Partnership to the Socrates authorities. This time the main goal is to develop and run an easy-to-read web news site in English, Swedish, Danish and Flemish. News on current events will be published and translated by all partners so as to give all readers the possibility of reading the same material no matter what country they live in or which language they speak. Other partners and countries may participate in the web paper by paying a fee. Ultimately the goal is to have all EU languages represented on the web site.
The democratic goals behind these plans are obvious: In many countries of the EU 25 percent or more of the adult population cannot use written information effectively to cope in everyday life. Everybody has the right to information on their own conditions. The use of plain or easy-to-read language may help all people with reading or writing difficulties to become a full member of the EU society.
Mats Ahlsén
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