TUMANYwords - Applying Simple Language to TUM's Web Sites

Let us introduce you to the team and explain what we plan to do as scholarship holders.

Simple Language is a term referring to the use of a language that has been simplified in terms of vocabulary and grammar. The goal is to use a limited range of words to express things and to always choose the most understandable way to communicate information. Although the concept has been around for some time, it lacks implementation in many areas of daily life and academia. The ultimate goal is to make information understandable for an audience as broad as possible.

The core of our project is to

  • investigate language simplification models, especially in academia.
  • learn how simplifying texts in all types of media can help readers to better understand its content.
  • find out how structurally simplifying things (content display on websites, for example) can make user experience much better.
  • apply our findings to the real world - e.g., university application processes.

Why do we think Simple Language is necessary?

  • We want to destigmatise the use of simple, easy-to-follow linguistics, especially in academia.
  • We want to make content understandable for a wider audience - including people who do not have the required language skills to access unnecessarily complex written and badly structured information.

Team

  • Euridice Pinheiro Vieira Harke (Biochemistry)
  • Veronika Hofmann (Mathematics in Science and Engineering)
  • Inés Velasco Martínez (Aerospace)
  • Peter Ridilla (Informatics)
  • Ziwei Wang (Biochemistry)

Tutors

  • Bernhard Häfner
  • Sebastian Zäpfel

Supervisors