Plain English drafting/Muster-Gesetzestexte
am 13.08.2007 von Transblawg
Legislative drafting in plain English is the topic of Clarity for May 2006 (PDF file), the latest online issue. (Shallower link for Clarity the organization)
I have been busy so I offer this for further reading, but I haven't read much of it myself.
This is a report on a workshop at the 2005 Boulogne conference, at which instructions for a bill to regulate queueing were given and a number of people prepared draft bills (I expect at a later date), three of which are given as examples of plain English drafting.
Part of the instructions:
The government is of the view that the time has come when in all appropriate circumstances queues must be formed and that they must be regulated to promote fairness and avoid confusion and violence. Draftsmen are
therefore requested to draft an appropriate Bill to be put before the legislature. It may be entitled “The Queues Act , 2005”.
Non-British readers should not that this is not a serious intention.
Not all translators want to translate into plain English, but this offers everyone food for thought, especially the summary at the end by Vicki Schmolka, who compares both these three drafts and some (unpublished) drafts on concealing information as to noise when selling a house.
She discusses and gives examples of the title, table of contents, definitions (if any), he/she etc., notes and examples, placement of penalty provisions, section numbering, use of lists and and/or, and must/shall.
Note, for instance, on definition:
None of the drafters used a system, such as italics, underlining, or an …
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