Should translators use plain language? Joanna’s extensive experience, particularly in legal language, leads her to believe in the importance of plain language in the public sphere, especially when documents are translated.
In this presentation Joanna looks at common arguments for and against using plain language in translation. Presenting examples and evidence from international organizations such as the EU and the UN, Joanna proceeds to argue the case for using plain language in translation.
Joanna Richardson is a British native who has made her home in Argentina for over 30 years. With a degree in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American literature from King’s College London, she worked as an ESL teacher in Salta and as a literary translator in the 90s in Buenos Aires. Since 2001, Joanna has worked in the field of plain language, teaching Spanish-speaking lawyers from Argentina’s largest law firm, Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, how to write in plain English. Inevitably her work involves translation too, hence her interest in the crossover of these two fields.