European Union Language Research Articles

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Online Documents Readability: An Analysis Including 23 European Languages.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a complex disease with the vast burden to patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate readability of online electronic materials dedicated to HS. The terms "hidradenitis suppurativa" and "acne inversa" translated into 23 official European Union languages were searched with Google. For each language, first 50 results were assessed for suitability. Included materials were focused on patient's education, had no barriers and were not advertisements. If both terms generated the same results, duplicated materials were excluded from the analysis. Origin of the article was categorized into non-profit, online-shop, dermatology clinic or pharmaceutical company class. Readability was evaluated with Lix score. A total of 458 articles in 22 languages were evaluated. The overall mean Lix score was 57 ± 9. This classified included articles as very hard to comprehend. Across all included languages significant differences in Lix score were revealed (P < 0.001). No significant differences across all origin categories and Lix scores were observed (all P > 0.05). Despite the coverage of HS on the Internet, its complexity made it hard to comprehend. Dermatologist should ensure readable, barrier-free online educational materials. With adequate Google promotion, these would be beneficial for both physicians and patients.

Readability of Patient Electronic Materials for Atopic Dermatitis in 23 Languages: Analysis and Implications for Dermatologists.

Patients search on the Internet for information about various medical procedures and conditions. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the readability of online health information related to atopic dermatitis (AD). Online resources are becoming a standard in facilitating shared decision-making processes. With a pipeline of new therapeutic options like immunomodulators, understanding of the complexity of AD by the patients is crucial. The term "atopic dermatitis" translated into 23 official European Union languages was searched using the Google search engine. The first 50 records in each language were evaluated for suitability. Included materials were barrier-free, focused on patient education, and were not categorized as advertisements. Article sources were classified into four categories: non-profit, online shops, pharmaceutical companies, and dermatology clinic. Readability was assessed with Lix score. A total of 615 articles in Swedish, Spanish, Slovenian, Slovak, Romanian, Portuguese, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Irish, Italian, Hungarian, Greek, German, French, Finnish, Estonian, English, Dutch, Danish, Czech, Croatian, and Bulgarian were evaluated. The overall mean Lix score was 56 ± 8, which classified articles as very hard to comprehend. Significant differences in mean Lix scores were observed across all included languages (all P < 0.001). Articles released by non-profit organizations and pharmaceutical companies had the highest readability (P < 0.001). Low readability level was correlated with high article prevalence (R2 = 0.189, P = 0.031). Although there was an abundance of online articles related to AD, the readability of the available information was low. As online health information has become essential in making shared decisions between patients and physicians, an improvement in AD-related materials is needed.

Sustainable Education in Ukraine: Introducing the EU Language Policy Course into the Ukrainian Curriculum

This article describes the experience gained during the implementation of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module “European Union Language Policy” (EULP) in Ukraine. Ukraine has chosen a course of EU integration, a decision that has significantly affected its political, cultural, and social life. Participation in Erasmus+ projects facilitates Ukraine`s rapid and effective introduction to EU sustainable education practices. The EULP project team consisted of Ukrainian and Lithuanian academicians who together developed the programme of the course, focusing on five target groups: graduate students, post-graduate students, high school teachers, researchers, and civil society representatives. The EULP’s sustainable and multidisciplinary approach combines linguistic and cultural competences necessary for Ukrainian citizens in view, joining the European Union in the future. Our observations demonstrate that an increasing number of educational courses that combine professional training with expanding knowledge about the EU facilitate the process of reforming and integrating Ukraine into the common EU education area.

Assessing the Readability of Online Health Information for Colonoscopy - Analysis of Articles in 22 European Languages.

Patients often search on the Internet information about different medical conditions and procedures. This study aimed to evaluate online health information on colonoscopy, focusing on quantity and comprehensibility of internet resources dedicated to the colonoscopy. This information could be used by European Union (EU) colorectal cancer (CRC) screening providers to address patient's unfilled educational needs, fear of colonoscopy, and other barriers that deter from CRC screening. The term "colonoscopy" translated into 22 official EU languages was searched using the Google search engine. For each translation, generated list of websites was assessed with Google Translate. The first 50 websites in each language were assessed for suitability. Records in other languages were excluded. Included websites were free, focused on patient education, and did not have password. Readability assessments were performed with Lix score. A total of 588 websites in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish were evaluated. The overall mean Lix score was 56 ± 8 and was classified as very hard to comprehend. There were significant differences in mean Lix scores across the included languages (P<.001). There was not significant correlation (R2 = 0.1, P = 0.142) between Lix score and number of search hits. Although there was a wealth of online patient information on colonoscopy, the comprehensibility of the available information is low. Physician guidance to reliable resources could increase patient's willingness to undergo a screening colonoscopy.

Legal Design in the European Union: Toward Understandable Law

AbstractInforming the public is mainly about clear and effective communication. The information provided by public authorities should be simple and easy to understand. This is facilitated by the use of “understandable language.” The article analyzes the European Union language policy and ways to implement it in legislation. The need to use understandable language in legal documents and international legal regulation revealed the essence of the concept of “understandable language,” regarding the organization of texts (structure, presentation logic), design of materials, and word selection. “Clear language” is highlighted as a condition for a dialogue between authorities and citizens because the vagueness and the incomprehensibility of communication lead to confusion and lawlessness. The methodological basis of scientific research is anthropological, hermeneutics, formal-legal, comparative, dialectical, system-functional, formal-logical methods, and methods of abstraction and generalization. The study purpose is to find out the emergence, the essence of the concept of “clear language” and to determine practical recommendations for the implementation of this concept in public policy.

EU language policy under review

The challenges caused by the dominance of English in many domains across the European Union (EU), the lack of a viable programme to promote plurilingualism, as well as the problematic nature of having three procedural languages, are scrutinised against the call for Europe to come to terms with its language policy. Issues such as official EU standards for documentation, as well as school guidelines for language education, are investigated from the perspective of envisioning a sanctioned second-language variety of European English. The increased use of English in higher education as a result of Erasmus+ is brought forward as an example of the EU providing funds to support English at the expense of all other indigenous European languages. Moreover, the current order of allowing standard British English special status is criticised as a position which acts as an obstacle to European identity building. It is argued that recognising the importance of the ongoing nativisation processes currently taking place in the use of L2 English in the EU can pave the way for the citizens of the EU to take responsibility for the forms and functions which English will have for mainland Europe. Here, the goal of language learning to facilitate European and global cross-cultural communication is explored, as is the claim that a rendition of a European variety of English bolsters the prospects of identity formation in the EU.

The research into the European Union language policy and its mechanisms

The research into the European Union language policy and its mechanisms

Eiropas Savienības Tiesas spriedumu teksta interpretācija un analīze

The aim of the work is to analyse the texts of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), to study the influence of the language form on the interpretation of the content of these texts. The Court must ensure the uniform interpretation and application of European Union (EU) law in all Member States and all the official EU languages through translations from one language to another, thus affecting the form and content of judgments and making them difficult to read. This study uses discourse analysis to examine the narrative form of judgments – their syntactic and semantic macrostructure – to determine how such textual form affects the communication process in a situation where there is no single official language for communication between EU Member States. This paper finds that, although the structure of CJEU judgments is specific and difficult for many readers to understand, it serves as a key to the correct interpretation of these texts.

QUATERNARY PALAEOGEOGRAPHY AT THE LVIV UNIVERSITY: MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE XXI CENTURY AND PROSPECTS

The Department of Geomorphology and Palaeogeography of the Faculty of Geography at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv employs a group of palaeogeographers (A. Bogucki, O. Tomeniuk, A. Yatsyshyn, R. Dmytruk), which comprehensively studies Quaternary sediments in Western Ukraine and other territories of the country. The thematic focus of palaeogeographic research is very diversified: the study of key sections of Quaternary sediments; conditions of formation and structure of periglacial loess-palaeosol sequences; research of the deposits of the glacial complex; periglacial processes and forms; the role of tectonics in the formation of Quaternary sediments; interdisciplinary research of the Palaeolithic; engineering and geological investigations; geophysical research; mineralogical research; weathering of anhydrite; study of the Holocene stage of the formation of the Dnister River valley; river terraces; lithology of alluvium; study of the Vyshnia River valley; malacological research; research of travertines, history of geography, etc. The selected issues are a priority research topic of the palaeogeographic group of the Department of Geomorphology and Palaeogeography. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the department, an attempt to summarize the scientific achievements of palaeogeographers over the past twenty years, particularly in thematic directions of research, was made. A large amount of new original factual material has been received, a significant number of international and Ukrainian scientific grants have been implemented, ten PhD students have defended their theses and received a PhD degree, more than 500 scientific papers have been published, more than half of which are in European Union languages. Due to the limited scope of this article, the greatest attention among all of the publications is paid to selected monographic works, collections of scientific papers prepared by researchers, papers in the journals from Scopus and Web of Science databases, and some others. It is worth mentioning the close cooperation of palaeogeographers of the Faculty of Geography with researchers from Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, France, Belgium and other countries. Without doubts, there are all the reasons to talk about a progressive palaeogeographic school at the Faculty of Geography, whose work is gaining momentum. Key words: palaeogeography; key sections; loess-palaeosol sequence; Quaternary period; periglacial processes; Palaeolithic.

Communication in a Democratic Multilingual Europe: European Union Language Policy Evaluation from a Critical Perspective

Communication in a Democratic Multilingual Europe: European Union Language Policy Evaluation from a Critical Perspective

Myths and realities of European Union language policy

Myths and realities of European Union language policy

Linguistic Justice for whichDemos? The Democratic Legitimacy of Language Regime Choices

AbstractIn the European Union language regime debate, theorists of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism have framed their arguments in reference to different theories of justice and democracy. Philippe Van Parijs advocates the diffusion of alingua franca, namely English, as means of changing the scale of the justificatory community to the European level and allowing the creation of a transnationaldemos. Paradoxically, one key dimension of democracy has hardly been addressed in this discussion: the question of the democratic legitimacy of language regime choices and citizens’ preferences on the different language regime scenarios. Addressing the question of the congruence of language policy choices operated by national and European elites and ordinary citizens’ preferences, this paper argues first that the dimension of democratic legitimacy is crucial and needs to be taken into account in discussions around linguistic justice. Criticizing the assumption of a direct correspondence between individuals’ language learning choices and citizens’ language regime preferences made by different authors, the analysis shows the ambivalence of citizens’ preferences measured by survey data. The article secondly raises the question of the boundaries of the political community at which the expression of citizens’ preferences should be measured and demonstrates that the outcome and the fairness of territorial linguistic regimes may vary significantly according to the level at which this democratic legitimacy is taken into account.

Translating Legislation: The European Union Experience

This article sets out to identify, from a practitioner's viewpoint, some of the features of legislation that make it difficult to translate.It is hard to determine precisely what legislation means because it generally forms part of a larger framework designed to regulate on a long-term basis situations which are often highly complex. Its provisions are expressed in a formal style and are divided into small discrete units. It is generally produced in a lengthy multilayered process involving many participantsThis article looks at the European Union language regime and its legislative process and legislative drafting and translation in the EU institutions. The EU has developed its own particular language which poses challenges to both drafters and translators.This article suggests that the EU translators need to take a cautious approach to the translation of legislation, making sure that they are familiar with all the drafting rules and approaching the task of interpreting the text in the source language as a lawyer would rather than as a linguist.

Towards reducing inequalities: European Standards of Care for Children with Cancer

Despite the increase of cure rates in the treatment of children with cancer there is a significant discrepancy in the outcome within Europe. Data are showing us that there is a difference of 20% in outcomes for young people with cancer when comparing North and Western Europe with Central and Eastern Europe. One of the most important necessities, in order to be able to have comparable results and equitable outcomes about inequalities, is to have the Principle Treatment Centres, meeting a minimum level of standards and being accessible to continuously updated ‘best practice’.The European Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) has initiated a study in order to monitor the current situation of the European Standards of Paediatric Oncology Centres. The results of the study showed disparities of Standards of Care in the Treatment Centres across Europe. Therefore SIOPE initiated a project aimed at improving the Quality-of-Care of children and adolescents with cancer and to assess the relevant organisational aspects within paediatric oncology.At the first European Union (EU) Conference in Warsaw 2009, an agreement was obtained from all involved stakeholders to initiate the creation of Pan-European guidelines entitled ‘European Standards of Care for Children with Cancer’. The guidelines outlined in this document represent the minimum standards of care that should be implemented at the EU level. Describing the different aspects of Care over 15 chapters and available in more than 16 different EU languages these guidelines are used as tools for both professionals and parent/patients groups in order to advocate ‘improved standards across EU’.

Underlying Paradox in the European Union's Multilingualism Policies

The European Union (EU) has developed comprehensive policies in recent years to promote multilingualism. In this article, major EU policy statements on multilingualism are analyzed to demonstrate how their underlying language ideology produces paradox by both encouraging multilingualism and regulating its definition within the EU. The first section provides conceptual grounding regarding (1) language ideology as the basis for language regulation and language privilege and (2) paradox as a rhetorical trope. The second section provides a brief overview of official EU language policy. The third section examines five key statements of EU language policy and philosophy to demonstrate the nature of paradox as well as the underlying language ideology. The last section considers the multilingualism agenda since 2009, when the organizational arrangement for multilingualism policy and programs was changed in the EU. Recent reports from working groups dealing with multilingualism are discussed, as well as the current challenges facing the EU.

A Pilot Feasibility Study of a Questionnaire to Determine European Union-Wide CAM Use

Background: No questionnaire specifically measuring the core components of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been validated for use across European Union (EU) countries. We aimed to determine the face validity, acceptability and the participants’ comprehension of a pre-existing questionnaire designed to measure ‘CAM use’, to provide a comparative, standardised questionnaire for use by health care providers, policy makers and purchasers throughout Europe. Methods: Established procedures were employed to translate the questionnaire into 4 EU languages. The translated questionnaires were piloted on 50 healthy adults from each country who may never have used CAM. 10 participants per country also took part in audio-recorded think aloud interviews about the questionnaire. The interviews were transcribed and analysed in the language in which they were conducted; findings were summarised in English. Questionnaire data were pooled across countries, and patterns of completion and missing data were analysed. Results: The questionnaire was translated into Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Romanian. The mean age of the participants was 43.6 years. 34% were male, 87.4% were either light or heavy CAM users, and 12.6% were non-users. Qualitative analysis identified common problems across countries including a ‘hard-to-read’ layout, misunderstood terminology and uncertainty in choosing response options. Quantitative analysis confirmed that a substantial minority of respondents failed to follow questionnaire instructions and that some questions had substantial rates of missing data. Conclusions: The I-CAM-Q has low face validity and low acceptability, and is likely to produce biased estimates of CAM use if applied in England, Romania, Italy, The Netherlands or Spain. Further work is required to develop the layout, terms, some response options and instructions for completion before it can be used across the EU.

Empire of Languages: EU's Multilingualism Policy and the Turkish Language

Despite its crucial role in sustaining better integration, multilingualism is not discussed as widely as the other topics of multiculturalism within the context of the European Union (EU) enlargement. The accession process requires Turkey to take notice of the opportunities and shortcomings as well as the challenges of European multilingualism and to communicate the relevance of the Turkish language to the completeness of European multiculturalism. The present article aims to assess the EU language policy in light of the future imperative of incorporating Turkish into Europe's linguistic family by referring to the EU's laws, norms, and values as well as NGOs' reports and opinion papers.

Overview of e-Bug: an antibiotic and hygiene educational resource for schools

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing community problem and is related to antibiotic use. If antibiotic use could be reduced, the tide of increasing resistance could be stemmed. e-Bug is a European project involving 18 European countries, partly funded by The Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) of the European Commission. It aims to develop and disseminate across Europe a junior and senior school teaching pack and web site (hosting the lesson plans and complementary games) that teach young people about prudent antibiotic use, microbes, transmission of infection, hygiene and vaccines. The aim of e-Bug is to increase young people's understanding, through enjoyable activities, of why it is so important to use antibiotics correctly in order to control antibiotic resistance, and to have good hand and respiratory hygiene to help reduce the spread of infection. Within the senior school pack the sexual transmission of infections has also been included, as the peak age of chlamydial infection is in 16-24 year olds. Teachers, young people and the consortium of 18 countries were closely involved with agreeing learning outcomes and developing the resource activities. Young people helped create the characters and microbe artwork. The resources have been translated, adapted for and disseminated to schools across 10 countries in Europe, and endorsed by the relevant government departments of health and education. The web site has been accessed from >200 countries. The resources will be translated into all European Union languages, and have been used to promote European Antibiotic Awareness Day and better hand and respiratory hygiene during the influenza pandemic in 2009.

Addiction Research Centres and the Nurturing of Creativity. Monitoring the European drug situation: the ongoing challenge for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is the designated hub for drug-related information in the European Union. The organization's role is to provide the European Union (EU) and its Member States with a factual overview of European drug problems and a common information framework to support the drugs debate. In order to achieve its mission, the EMCDDA coordinates and relies on a network of 30 national monitoring centres, the Reitox National Focal Points. The Centre publishes on a wide range of drug-related topics, across epidemiology, interventions, laws and policies. Every November, the EMCDDA publishes its Annual Report, providing a yearly update on the European drug situation, translated into 23 EU languages. In line with its founding regulation, the EMCDDA has a role acting as an interface between the worlds of science and policy. While not a research centre in the formal sense, the results the Centre generates serve as catalysts for new research questions and help to identify priorities. Current challenges facing the agency include continuing to increase scientific standards while maintaining a strong institutional role, as well as supporting European efforts to identify, share and codify best practice in the drugs field.

The 2011 Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: an economic impact assessment of the EU’s proposed pharmaceutical intellectual property provisions

Canada and the European Union (EU) are currently negotiating a comprehensive economic and trade agreement. This study examines how the proposed EU language in the draft negotiating text would affect the pharmaceutical market in Canada. Our key finding is that the EU proposals will considerably lengthen the period of exclusivity for innovative drugs in Canada, so that Canada would have the most extensive structural protection of innovative drugs of any country in the world. Payers – consumers, businesses, unions, and government insurers – would face substantially higher drug costs as exclusivity is extended on top-selling prescription drugs, with the annual increase in costs likely to be about $2.8 billion per year. The EU proposals would lead to an average extension of pharmaceutical exclusivity likely to be over 2 years. The purpose of exclusivity rights granted to innovators is to create an incentive for research and development investments into new drugs. However, the amount of additional investment in pharmaceutical innovation that would result from the implementation of the EU’s proposed pharmaceutical intellectual property provisions would likely be a small fraction of the additional costs to Canadians.