GENDER-APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE: WHY THE LANGUAGE SHIFT IS ALSO MAKING ITS WAY INTO TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Dr. Simone Burel

Even in 2021, the Council for German Orthography has not yet committed itself to a gender standard. The debate on gendering is emotional, as gender-appropriate language is a form of language change – which has always generated fear and criticism. Often, however, the groups making judgments about "right" and "wrong" language have little experience with discrimination or language interactions. What is needed is a less emotionalized debate and more awareness of the positive economic impact of gender-equitable language. After all, gender-equitable language has long since arrived in society: 16 out of 30 DAX companies already use gendering. Technical documentation is not unaffected by this change in language and, in the absence of external standards, must find its own ways of implementing inclusive language.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS IN DIGITAL FORM: WHAT CHANGES DOES THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION'S DRAFT OF A NEW MACHINERY REGULATION MAKE?

Dr. Claudia Klumpp

The form of instructions for use (i.e., paper or digital) has not yet been regulated in the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. In §255, the legally non-binding guide for the application of the Machinery Directive sees the digital form merely as a supplement to the leading paper form. Many market surveillance authorities follow the outdated view of the guide, meaning that, due to the unclear legal situation, many companies have decided against digital forms of provision for the time being.

The European Commission published an initial draft of the new Machinery Regulation on April 21. This draft contains a special regulation for instructions for use in digital form in Annex III. This is a complete departure from the view previously expressed in the Guide to the Application of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC - Edition 2.2.