Call for Papers and Presentations

KLAARA 2027 – 5th International Conference on Easy Language

28–30 May 2027 | Hildesheim, Germany

In recent years, research and practice in the field of Easy Language have gained considerable international visibility and relevance. Current publications, research projects and practice-based reports from different countries and institutional contexts show that comprehensibility-enhanced language varieties are increasingly understood as a key component of accessible communication, social participation and inclusive information (see, for example, Ahrens 2025; Deilen et al. 2023a; Husel 2022; Lang 2021; Leskelä et al. 2022; Lindholm/Vanhatalo 2021; Maaß 2020, 2026; Pedrini 2024). Their areas of application now extend far beyond legal and administrative communication (for an overview of Easy Language in legal and administrative communication, see, for example, Fioravanti 2024; Husel 2022; Lang 2021; Rink 2020) and include, among others, health (see, for example, Ahrens 2025; Ahrens et al. 2022; Pedrini 2024), education (see, for example, Ruta-Korytowska/Wrześniewska-Pietrzak 2024), culture (see, for example, Randaccio 2022; Rantamo/Schum 2019; Scheele 2020), and media (see, for example, Hernández Garrido, forthcoming; Matamala 2022, 2023; Pujadas-Farreras/Matamala 2025). At the same time, participatory approaches are becoming increasingly important. Such approaches systematically incorporate the perspectives, needs and preferences of target groups into development, translation, evaluation and research processes (see, for example, Goldbach/Schuppener 2017). Technological developments, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, are also changing the production, revision and quality assurance of Easy Language texts, as well as the related competence and professionalisation profiles (see, for example, Ahrens et al. 2025; Deilen et al. 2023b, 2024a, 2024b, 2026; Maaß et al. 2025; Stodden 2026). These developments create new opportunities while also raising questions concerning quality, transparency, accessibility, representation and responsible design. Given this background, KLAARA 2027 addresses current research questions, innovative practical approaches and future perspectives for the development of Easy Language and accessible communication. The conference provides an international forum for exchange between research and practice and for a joint discussion on the further development of the field. It will take place in Hildesheim (Germany) from 28 to 30 May 2027.

About KLAARA 2027

KLAARA is one of the major international conferences in the field of Easy Language. It brings together researchers, practitioners, target groups, translators, interpreters, teachers, students and other stakeholders from different countries and disciplines.

The fifth edition of KLAARA will take place in Hildesheim from 28 to 30 May 2027. It is organised by the Research Centre for Easy Language at the University of Hildesheim in cooperation with PFH Private University of Applied Sciences Göttingen.

For the academic programme, we invite the international research and practice community to submit papers and presentations. We welcome articles and presentations on current research studies, innovative practical projects, methodological developments and interdisciplinary perspectives on Easy Language.

Thematic areas

Submissions are particularly welcome in the following areas:

• New developments in research and practice: Current theoretical, technological, social and institutional developments in the field

• Research methods for Easy Language and accessible communication: Empirical approaches, participatory research, evaluation, quality research and methodological reflection

• Easy Language from a translation studies perspective: Translation, interpreting, quality, competences and professionalisation

• Easy Language and artificial intelligence: Potentials, limitations, quality assurance, ethical issues and applications of AI-supported systems

• Health communication in Easy Language: Accessible information, health literacy, healthcare provision and communication in healthcare settings

• Legal and administrative communication in Easy Language: Implementation of international standards, multimodal concepts and legal terminology

• Easy Language and special needs education: Concepts, applications and research at the intersections of education, participation and support services

• Inclusive higher education: Structures, teaching and learning provision, counselling, study organisation and participation (in Easy Language)

• Easy Language in audiovisual media: Audiovisual translation, subtitling, audiovisual communication formats, digital media and accessibility

• Easy Language in culture and museums: Communication and mediation, cultural participation, exhibitions, museums, memory culture and cultural education

• Literature in Easy Language: Adaptations, literary texts, reception, production, mediation and didactic potential

Contributions on further topics in the field of Easy Language are also expressly welcome.

Submission of papers and presentations

If you would like to contribute a presentation to KLAARA 2027, two submission formats are available: you may submit a paper with a presentation or a presentation only.

Submitted papers will undergo a double-anonymous peer review. Accepted articles will be published in the KLAARA 2027 conference proceedings. The volume will be published by Frank & Timme in the Easy – Plain – Accessible series, edited by Prof. Dr Silvia Hansen and Prof. Dr Chris Maaß. Publication of the proceedings is planned for the first day of the conference, 28 May 2027, the International Easy Language Day.

Further information on the conference proceedings and the formal requirements for submitting papers is available on the KLAARA 2027 website.

Participation with a presentation is also possible without submitting a paper. In this case, please submit an abstract for a presentation relating to one of the conference themes. Further information on abstract submission and formal requirements is available on the KLAARA 2027 website.

Key deadlines and dates:

• 15 November 2026: Deadline for submission of papers, including abstracts (for a contribution to the proceedings and a presentation in the on-site programme)

• 10 December 2026: Deadline for submissions without a full paper (for a presentation in the on-site programme only, without a contribution to the proceedings)

• 15 December 2026: Completion of the review process for papers and notification of acceptance or rejection

• 15 January 2027: End of early-bird registration

• 30 January 2027: Deadline for revision of accepted papers

• 15 March 2027: Publication of the KLAARA 2027 programme

• 28 May 2027: Opening of KLAARA 2027, presentation of the conference proceedings and KLAARA Award ceremony

Further information on deadlines, submission formats and organisational procedures is avalaible on the KLAARA 2027 website.

Registration and participation fees

Registration for KLAARA 2027 is carried out via the Eveeno platform. Participation is possible both online and on site. To register, please complete the online form on Eveeno. Registration via Eveeno is mandatory for all participants, regardless of whether they attend the conference online or on site.

The following participation fees apply:

• Online participation: EUR 105.00

• On-site participation at the early-bird rate (including catering): EUR 185.00

• Regular on-site participation (including catering): EUR 205.00

The early-bird rate applies to registration completed by 15 January 2027.

Further information on registration is available on the KLAARA 2027 website.

Programme and networking

KLAARA 2027 provides an open, internationally oriented setting for professional exchange, discussion and networking. The three-day programme combines plenary sessions, scientific sessions, workshops, poster presentations, as well as cultural and digital formats

On 28 May 2027, the programme will focus on keynote and plenary lectures. It will also include welcoming addresses by representatives of the organising institutions and political representatives, the KLAARA Award ceremony and the presentation of the conference proceedings. The programme of the first conference day will be streamed online.

On 29 May 2027, parallel sessions will be held in which accepted presentations will be delivered and discussed. Workshops focusing on research and participation will complement the programme.

On 30 May 2027, the conference will conclude with a cultural programme in Hildesheim, digital sessions and a poster presentation. A public viewing event is also planned for on-site participants. On this day, the University of Hildesheim will provide rooms for collaborative work for participants wishing to work together on joint projects and project proposals.

Further information on the programme will be published on the KLAARA 2027 website on an ongoing basis.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to welcoming the international Easy Language community to Hildesheim in May 2027. Information on registration, accommodation and further programme items is available on the KLAARA website.

Contact: klaara2027@uni-hildesheim.de

References:

Ahrens, Sarah. 2025. Einfache Sprache in der Gesundheitskommunikation. Patientinnenaufklärung für Frauen mit Deutsch als Zweitsprache. Berlin: Frank & Timme

Ahrens, Sarah, Rebecca Schulz, Janina Kröger, Sergio Hernández Garrido, Loraine Keller, and Isabel Rink, Eds. 2022. Accessibility - Health Literacy - Health Information. Interdisciplinary Approaches to an Emerging Field of Communication. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Ahrens, Sarah, Silvana Deilen, Sergio Hernández Garrido, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, and Christiane Maaß. 2025. „Evaluation of Machine Translation Errors in German Plain Language Texts in the Domain of Health Information“. Proceedings of the 21st Conference on Natural Language Processing (KONVENS) Volume 2: Workshops: 176–85.

Deilen, Silvana, Silvia Hansen-Schirra, Sergio Hernández Garrido, Christiane Maaß, and Anke Tardel, Eds. 2023a. Emerging Fields in Easy Language and Accessible Communication Research. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Deilen, Silvana, Sergio Hernández Garrido, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, and Christiane Maaß. 2023b. „Using ChatGPT as a CAT tool in Easy Language translation“. arXiv preprint arXiv:2308.11563. https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.11563.

Deilen, Silvana, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, Sergio Hernández Garrido, Christane Maaß, Julian Hörner, Vanessa Theel, and Sophie Zimmer. 2024a. „Towards AI-supported Health Communication in Plain Language: Evaluating Intralingual Machine Translation of Medical Texts“. Proceedings of the First Workshop on Patient-Oriented Language Processing (CL4Health) @ LREC-COLING 2024.

Deilen, Silvana, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, Sergio Hernández Garrido, Julian Hörner, Christiane Maaß, Vanessa Theel, and Sophie Zimmer. 2024b. „Evaluation of intralingual machine translation for health communication“. Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference of the European Association for Machine Translation.

Deilen, Silvana, Sergio Hernandez Garrido, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, Christiane Maaß, and Annie Werner. 2026. “Evaluating Intralingual Machine Translation Quality: Application of an Adapted MQM Scheme to German Plain Language”. In: Information. 17. 53. DOI: 10.3390/info17010053.

Fioravanti, Chiara. 2024. „Legal Design and Easy Language: Creating a Set of Images to Illustrate Administrative Texts Aimed at Migrants“. Legal Design Journal, 1(1) https://doi.org/10.82305/4TJJ-Y941.

Goldbach, Anne, and Saskia Schuppener. 2017. „Die Bedeutung des partizipativen Vorgehens in der Erfoschung Leichter Sprache“. In „Leichte Sprache“ im Spiegel theoretischer und angewandter Forschung, edited by Bettina M. Bock, Ulla Fix, and Daisy Lange. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Hernández Garrido, Sergio (forthcoming). Campañas de salud multimodales para grupos vulnerables: El ejemplo de la comunicación en salud en Colombia. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Husel, Elena. 2022. Leichte Sprache in der Bundesverwaltung. Was? Wer? Wie. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Lang, Katrin. 2021. Auffindbarkeit, Wahrnehmbarkeit, Akzeptabilität. Webseiten von Behörden in Leichter Sprache vor dem Hintergrund der rechtlichen Lage. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Leskelä, Leealaura, Arto Mustajoki, and Aino Piehl. 2022. „Easy and Plain Languages as Special Cases of Linguistic Tailoring and Standard Language Varieties“. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 45 (2): 194–213. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0332586522000142.

Lindholm, Camilla, and Ulla Vanhatalo, Eds. 2021. Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Maaß, Christiane. 2020. Easy Language - Plain Language - Easy Language Plus. Balancing Comprehensibility and Acceptability. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Maaß, Chris. 2026. Leichte Sprache, Einfache Sprache, Leichte Sprache Plus. Aktuelle Entwicklungen von DIN bis KI. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Maaß, Christiane, Ekaterina Lapshinova-Koltunski, and Julian Hörner, Eds. 2025. Einfache Sprache mit KI-Tools: Ein Leitfaden für die redaktionelle Praxis. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-47867-4.

Matamala, Anna. 2022. „Easy-to-understand language in audiovisual translation and accessibility: state of the art and future challenges“. XLinguae 15 (2): 130–44. https://doi.org/10.18355/XL.2022.15.02.10.

Matamala, Anna. 2023. „Easy audios for easy audiovisual content: an overview“. In The Making of Accessible Audiovisual Translation, edited by Carmen Pena-Díaz. Peter Lang.

Pedrini, Giulia. 2024. Medical Communication between Plain Language and Einfache Sprache. A Corpus Analysis of Layperson Summaries of Clinical Trials in English, German, and Italian. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Pujadas-Farreras, Marina, and Anna Matamala. 2026. „Creation and translation of audiovisual content in oral Easy-to-Understand Language: insights from interviews with professionals“. Hermēneus. Revista de traducción e interpretación, Nr. 27 (Januar): 447–81. https://doi.org/10.24197/2jbfgs25.

Randaccio, Monica. 2022. „Museums, museum AD and Easy Language: some critical insights“. Rivista Internazionale di Tecnica della Traduzione (Trieste), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.13137/2421-6763/.

Rantamo, Eeva, and Swenja Schum. 2020. „Museumstexte - Zum Abbau sprachlicher Barrieren in Museen und Ausstellungen“. In Handbuch Barrierefreie Kommunikation, edited by Christiane Maaß and Isabel Rink. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Rink, Isabel. 2020. Rechtskommunikation und Barrierefreiheit. Zur Übersetzung juristischer Informations- und Interaktionstexte in Leichte Sprache. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Ruta-Korytowska, Karolina, and Marta Wrześniewska-Pietrzak. 2024. „Literature for all in Poland? Opportunities and challenges of easy to read standard in special education for the d/Deaf students in primary school - preliminary remarks“. Frontiers in Education 9: 1501191. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1501191.

Scheele, Finja. 2020. „Multimodale Texte im barrierefreien Museum: Audioguides in Leichter Sprache“. In Leichte Sprache - empirische und multimodale Perspektiven, edited by Anne-Kathrin Gros, Silke Gutermuth, and Katharina Oster. Berlin: Frank & Timme.

Stodden, Regina. 2026. Automatic German Text Simplification: Data, Evaluation, and Models. Easy – Plain – Accessible 21. Frank & Timme.

Submission of papers

Academically sound papers may be submitted for publication in the KLAARA 2027 conference proceedings. Submission of a paper entails a presentation as part of the conference programme. Accepted papers will be published in the KLAARA 2027 conference proceedings following a double-anonymous peer review. The conference proceedings will be published by Frank & Timme as part of the Easy – Plain – Accessible series.

Papers should cover one of the key thematic areas listed in the Call for Papers and Presentations. Contributions on other topics relating to Easy Language are also expressly welcome.

In particular, empirical studies, theoretical or methodological papers, literature and research reviews, conceptual papers, evaluation studies and academically grounded practical projects may be submitted. Reports from practice-oriented, participatory and target-group-centred projects may also be submitted as papers for the conference proceedings.

Formal requirements

Submissions must meet the following formal criteria:

• The paper contains a meaningful title.

• The paper must be submitted in German or English. The text must be linguistically correct, scientifically appropriate and comprehensible for an international academic audience.

• The length of the manuscript should not exceed 22,500 characters (excluding spaces). This corresponds to approximately 15 pages.

• The bibliography and any appendices are not included in the maximum character count.

• The paper includes an abstract of no more than 1,000 characters (excluding spaces).

• The abstract briefly outlines the research question or objective, the theoretical or practical context, the methodological approach, and the key findings or expected insights.

• The paper must be accompanied by three to five keywords in the language of the paper.

• The paper must be submitted in an editable file format, preferably as a DOCX document. An additional PDF file may be attached, but this does not replace the editable version.

• The manuscript must be formatted uniformly. Please use Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5 line spacing. Page numbers should be centred at the bottom of the page.

• Sources must be cited thoroughly and in a way that allows them to be verified. The bibliography should contain only those works cited in the text.

• Illustrations, tables, photographs, screenshots and other third-party materials may only be used if the necessary licence rights have been obtained or the materials are properly cited. Authors are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright regulations.

In the case of empirical research, the relevant requirements relating to research ethics, data protection and, where applicable, institutional requirements must be met. Personal data must be appropriately anonymised.

Anonymisation and Peer Review

All papers are reviewed as part of a double-anonymous peer-review process. The reviews are carried out by the Scientific Committee of KLAARA 2027.

A fully anonymised version of the paper must be submitted for review. The manuscript must not contain any names, institutional affiliations, acknowledgements, project details, references to funding bodies or any other direct or indirect information that might reveal the authors’ identities.

Self-citations and references to one’s own previous work must be worded in such a way as to ensure anonymity during the peer-review process. For this purpose, the terms ‘author, year’ or ‘anonymised’ may be used, for example.

The decision regarding the submitted papers may be as follows:

• Acceptance

• Acceptance with revisions

• Rejection

Submission and deadlines

Please submit your anonymised paper via email to:

klaara2027@uni-hildesheim.de

Please include the following details separately in the body of your email:

• Full names of all authors

• Institutional affiliations of all authors

• Email address of the corresponding author or of all authors

• ORCID, if available

The deadline for submitting papers, including abstracts, is 15 November 2026.

The peer review process for submitted papers will be completed by 15 December 2026. Authors will then be informed whether their papers have been accepted, accepted subject to revisions, or rejected.

Revisions of accepted papers must be submitted by 30 January 2027.

Note on conference registration: The early-bird rate applies to registrations received by 15 January 2027.

Declaration upon submission

By submitting their paper, the authors confirm that it has been written independently, does not infringe the rights of any third party, and has not been submitted simultaneously to any other publication or event for publication.

If artificial intelligence was used in the preparation of the paper, the relevant sections and the specific AI output must be clearly identified. In all cases, the authors remain responsible for the content, the academic quality, the traceability of the references and compliance with academic standards.

By submitting a paper, the authors agree to its publication in the KLAARA 2027 conference proceedings, published by Frank & Timme as part of the Easy – Plain – Accessible series.

Papers submitted by the deadline and accepted for publication entitle the authors to present their work as part of the KLAARA 2027 conference programme, provided that at least one authorised person is registered for the conference.

— Link to conference registration —

Submission of abstracts

Participation in KLAARA 2027 is also possible without submitting a paper. For a presentation as part of the conference programme, please submit an abstract on one of the key themes listed in the Call for Papers and Presentations.

Abstracts relating to other aspects of Easy Language and accessible communication are also welcome. Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee of KLAARA 2027. The Scientific Committee will decide if the presentation is accepted based on the submitted abstract.

Important note: Abstracts will not be published in the KLAARA 2027 conference proceedings. Submitting an abstract to participate with a presentation but without a paper cannot be supplemented at a later stage by submitting a paper for the conference proceedings. If you wish to have a paper published in the conference proceedings, please submit a full paper, including an abstract, by the deadline specified for this purpose.

Formal requirements

Please submit an anonymised abstract containing the following items:

• Title of the presentation

• Abstract of no more than 1,000 characters (excluding spaces). References are not included in this limit.

• Relevance to one or multiple key thematic areas of KLAARA 2027

• The abstract must be accompanied by three to five keywords in the language of the paper.

The abstract should present the aim of the presentation, the theoretical or practical background, the approach or methodology, and the key findings or expected insights in a clear and concise manner.

Abstracts may be submitted in German or English. The text should be grammatically correct, scientifically accurate and comprehensible to an international academic audience.

Anonymisation and Peer Review

Abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the Scientific Committee of KLAARA 2027. A fully anonymised version must be submitted for peer review.

The abstract document must not contain any names, institutional or organisational affiliations, country details, contact addresses or any other direct or indirect information that could identify the authors or the presenter.

All personal details must be provided separately in the body of the submission email. This includes:

• Full name(s) of all authors or presenters

• Institutional or organisational affiliation

• Country

• Contact address or email address

• ORCID, if available

Submission and deadline

Please submit your anonymised abstract by email to:

klaara2027@uni-hildesheim.de

The deadline for submitting abstracts for participation with a presentation but without a paper is 10 December 2026.

Once the peer review process has been completed, authors will be informed whether their submission has been accepted or rejected. Accepted submissions will be included in the KLAARA 2027 conference programme, provided that at least one presenter is registered for the conference.

Declaration upon submission

By submitting their abstract, the authors or presenters confirm that it has been written independently, does not infringe the rights of third parties, and has not been submitted simultaneously to any other event or for publication elsewhere.

If artificial intelligence was used in the preparation of the abstract, the relevant sections and the respective AI output must be clearly identified. The authors or presenters remain responsible for the content, the academic quality and compliance with scientific standards.

— Link to conference registration —