When is German Easy Language required?
Section 4 of BITV 2.0 requires the home pages of German federal public-sector websites to provide explanations in German Easy Language and German Sign Language. These explanations cover the site's essential content, navigation, and the essential content of its accessibility statement. The German Accessibility Strengthening Act does not impose a general requirement to use Easy Language.
German Easy Language, or Leichte Sprache, is not the same as Plain Language or simply writing clearly. It follows recommendations for wording, sentence structure, layout, visual design, and the production process.
The rules: what makes Easy Language
Important foundations include the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache rulebook and DIN SPEC 33429, published in March 2025. Both provide recommendations for language, design, and comprehensibility:
- Short sentences. One sentence contains one statement. Subordinate clauses are avoided or broken out into separate sentences.
- Familiar words. Foreign words and technical terms are explained or replaced with everyday words. If a technical term is necessary, the explanation follows directly in the text.
- Active phrasing. Passive constructions are avoided. “The application was rejected” becomes “The authority rejected the application.”
- One word per concept. Synonyms cause confusion. If something is called an “application,” it stays an “application” throughout the text—not “request” here and “submission” there.
- No abbreviations. Or only ones that have been introduced and explained beforehand.
- Clear layout. Legible type, sufficient spacing, well-structured paragraphs, and suitable images support comprehension.
In March 2025, DIN Media published DIN SPEC 33429: “Recommendations for German Easy Language.” A DIN SPEC is not a full DIN standard. It is a technical specification that makes recommendations, complements existing rulebooks and can give clients a basis for tenders and quality control.
Easy Language vs. Plain Language
The two terms are often confused, but they are not interchangeable. If a particular item must be provided in Leichte Sprache, a Plain Language version does not automatically meet that requirement.
German Easy Language follows rulebooks and recommendations such as DIN SPEC 33429. Under the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache's own rulebook, at least two people with learning difficulties review each text. That rule must be distinguished from the requirements agreed for a particular commission.
Plain Language is aimed at a broader audience and is less heavily simplified. DIN 8581-1 sets general rules for German factual texts and expressly does not address readers with cognitive impairments. DIN Media also states that the standard provides for target-group testing to assess comprehensibility. Any such test is arranged on the client's side.
Where Section 4 of BITV 2.0 requires explanations in German Easy Language, a Plain Language version is not sufficient. For other content, Plain Language may be the appropriate level.
The target audience: who needs Easy Language
DIN SPEC 33429 primarily addresses people with learning difficulties and other people who benefit from German Easy Language. The appropriate language level depends on the content and its intended readers.
- People with learning difficulties are the main user group expressly named by DIN SPEC 33429.
- People who find reading difficult may also benefit. The 2018 LEO study describes low literacy, but it does not automatically determine the right language level for every person.
- People with limited German are also named in guidance published by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Whether German Easy Language or Plain Language is more appropriate depends on the purpose.
A blanket assignment would therefore be misleading. The actual requirements of the intended readers are what matters.
Review groups under the Netzwerk rulebook
Under the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache rulebook, at least two people with learning difficulties review each text. Other clients may agree different quality requirements or use another rulebook.
Reviewers read the text and report unclear wording, missing explanations, or images that do not help. Their feedback can then be incorporated into the text.
A language model can simplify wording and produce drafts. It does not replace subject-matter review or feedback from an agreed review group. I provide language and content quality assurance for AI-assisted drafts.
Legal basis
The applicable requirements depend on the organisation, medium, and specific content:
- Disability Equality Act (BGG), Section 11: public bodies should make greater use of Easy Language and build the necessary skills for it.
- BITV 2.0, Section 4: German federal public-sector websites must provide explanations in Easy Language and German Sign Language on the home page. These cover essential content, navigation, and the essential content of the accessibility statement.
- BFSG (in effect since June 28, 2025): no direct obligation to use Easy Language, but requirements for understandable and accessibly provided information for certain products and services.
For private-sector organisations, the key question is whether their products, services, and information fall within the scope of the BFSG and its implementing ordinance. The BFSG does not impose a general requirement to use German Easy Language.
What a good text in Easy Language costs
Rewriting a text in German Easy Language changes its structure, wording, and often its organisation. The fee depends on the file format, complexity, language, and deadline.
Before work begins, you receive a written quote defining the agreed scope. Any target or review-group testing remains identifiable as a client-side step. Describe your project.
Three things Easy Language is not
- Child-speak. Easy Language is aimed at adults. The tone is respectful and matter-of-fact, not patronizing.
- Bad German. The simplified structure follows a set of rules. It is the result of professional work, not linguistic carelessness.
- Superfluous if you “just write clearly.” Clear writing matters. German Easy Language follows more specific recommendations and may be expressly required for particular content.
Sources
- LEO study 2018: 6.2 million adults with low literacy, University of Hamburg—leo.blogs.uni-hamburg.de
- Netzwerk Leichte Sprache: Rules for Easy Language (updated May 2025)—netzwerk-leichte-sprache.de
- BMAS / DIN Media: DIN SPEC 33429 “Recommendations for German Easy Language,” March 2025—bmas.de
- DIN 8581-1: Plain Language—Application for German, May 2024—dinmedia.de
- BITV 2.0, Section 4 and Annex 2: explanations in Easy Language and German Sign Language for German federal public-sector websites—gesetze-im-internet.de
- Section 11 BGG: Comprehensibility and Easy Language—gesetze-im-internet.de
- BMAS: Easy Language guidance—bmas.de
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