Clarity2010 Conference on Unclear language contributed to the global crisis in Lisbon, Portugal
12 October 2010 - 14 October 2010
Portugal
Come to Lisbon and exchange ideas with the top specialists in clarity from 12 to 14 October. The Clarity2010 conference will be held in Lisbon Portugal and will bring together plain language specialists, information designers and legal experts from around the world to discuss ways of clarifying legal and administrative language.
Experts point to clarity as a way of preventing a new crisis
An international group of communication, management and law experts claim that one of the main reasons for the global financial crisis was the use of unclear language. According to them, financial documents are so complex that even experts have trouble understanding them.
Faced with this challenge, several countries have already adopted plain language in the public and private sectors.
What is plain language
In a nutshell, it is language that the reader can easily understand. It can be used in laws, contracts, forms, letters - every document used to communicate with the public. In many countries, the use of plain legal language is mandatory for governments, legislators and companies.
Before the conference, attend the Clarity2010 seminars
These specialized half-day sessions, taking place on 12 October, offer an opportunity to catch up with the latest developments in four different areas: Law, Business & Finance, Government & Public Administration, and Health & Social Services.
The Law seminar will include:
- Redrafting hallowed text: the US federal court rules
Joseph Kimble, renowned north-American Law Professor, will present the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence, which earned him the Burton Award for “Reform in Law”.
- The voice of a Law firm’s brand
Christopher Balmford is the President of Clarity. In this presentation, he will speak on how the style of a law firm’s documents needs to authenticate the claims the firm makes about itself –claims that might be about client service, transparency or innovation.
- Plain legal language in Canada and in the world: linguistic and legal challenges
Nicole Fernbach has a broad experience in legal translation and drafting. In this seminar, she will analyze the best practices in legal French, used by lawyers and drafters searching for clarity of expression, structure and design.
- Mixing the new with the old: a plain drafter’s nightmare
Eamonn Moran is Law Draftsman in the Department of Justice of Hong Kong. Here, he will speak about the dilemmas of producing amendments to laws dating from centuries ago in the style of their times. Should you compromise modern drafting principles to produce an amendment that fits better within the context of the whole document?
During the afternoon, delegates will attend one of the two hands-on sessions:
- Write clear legal documents: a plain language workshop
Candice Burt is a plain-language lawyer from South Africa. The main focus of Candice’s work is simplifying legal and financial information. In this 3-hour workshop, delegates will have the opportunity to apply plain language techniques to their own documents.
- Legal Information Mapping – visual information for lawyers
Susanne Hoogwater, legal information designer, creative author, lawyer and trainer, will demonstrate how to make Law more accessible with information graphics. Afterwards, Candy Chang will present the Street Vendor Project, a collaboration with the Center for Urban Pedagogy of New York. Candy designed a fold-out guide of the council’s rules with illustrations and minimal text (in English, Bengali, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish) about vendors’ rights and the most commonly violated rules.
See Words and Beyond by Christopher Balmford, Australia or the website:http://www.wordsandbeyond.com.
To register at the conference and its program please see: http://www.clarity2010.com(opens in new window).
or contact Rita António – rita.antonio@portuguesclaro.pt | 21 888 63 65 | 96 893 76 62
Experts point to clarity as a way of preventing a new crisis
An international group of communication, management and law experts claim that one of the main reasons for the global financial crisis was the use of unclear language. According to them, financial documents are so complex that even experts have trouble understanding them.
Faced with this challenge, several countries have already adopted plain language in the public and private sectors.
What is plain language
In a nutshell, it is language that the reader can easily understand. It can be used in laws, contracts, forms, letters - every document used to communicate with the public. In many countries, the use of plain legal language is mandatory for governments, legislators and companies.
Before the conference, attend the Clarity2010 seminars
These specialized half-day sessions, taking place on 12 October, offer an opportunity to catch up with the latest developments in four different areas: Law, Business & Finance, Government & Public Administration, and Health & Social Services.
The Law seminar will include:
- Redrafting hallowed text: the US federal court rules
Joseph Kimble, renowned north-American Law Professor, will present the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence, which earned him the Burton Award for “Reform in Law”.
- The voice of a Law firm’s brand
Christopher Balmford is the President of Clarity. In this presentation, he will speak on how the style of a law firm’s documents needs to authenticate the claims the firm makes about itself –claims that might be about client service, transparency or innovation.
- Plain legal language in Canada and in the world: linguistic and legal challenges
Nicole Fernbach has a broad experience in legal translation and drafting. In this seminar, she will analyze the best practices in legal French, used by lawyers and drafters searching for clarity of expression, structure and design.
- Mixing the new with the old: a plain drafter’s nightmare
Eamonn Moran is Law Draftsman in the Department of Justice of Hong Kong. Here, he will speak about the dilemmas of producing amendments to laws dating from centuries ago in the style of their times. Should you compromise modern drafting principles to produce an amendment that fits better within the context of the whole document?
During the afternoon, delegates will attend one of the two hands-on sessions:
- Write clear legal documents: a plain language workshop
Candice Burt is a plain-language lawyer from South Africa. The main focus of Candice’s work is simplifying legal and financial information. In this 3-hour workshop, delegates will have the opportunity to apply plain language techniques to their own documents.
- Legal Information Mapping – visual information for lawyers
Susanne Hoogwater, legal information designer, creative author, lawyer and trainer, will demonstrate how to make Law more accessible with information graphics. Afterwards, Candy Chang will present the Street Vendor Project, a collaboration with the Center for Urban Pedagogy of New York. Candy designed a fold-out guide of the council’s rules with illustrations and minimal text (in English, Bengali, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish) about vendors’ rights and the most commonly violated rules.
See Words and Beyond by Christopher Balmford, Australia or the website:http://www.wordsandbeyond.com.
To register at the conference and its program please see: http://www.clarity2010.com(opens in new window).
or contact Rita António – rita.antonio@portuguesclaro.pt | 21 888 63 65 | 96 893 76 62
Keywords
Plain Legal Language