Translation into Easy Language: the unexplored case of podcasts

Podcasts have recently become very popular and ubiquitous in contemporary media. They can vary depending on their content, target audience, and communicative purpose. Podcasts are typically planned in advance, written to be spoken, and may display complex and inaccessible linguistic features due to their informative nature. Certain groups of users, such as low-language-proficiency users, individuals with cognitive or intellectual difficulties, and language learners, may require simplified and highly listenable aural input to comprehend and enjoy podcast content. This chapter focuses on the simplification strategies that could be implemented when translating a podcast intralinguistically – namely, from one language into an easy-to-understand version of the same language – while also enhancing its listenability. The chapter focuses on the episode “Jane Fonda” from the She’s So Cool podcast, an empowerment nonfiction narrative podcast, as our case study. The chapter further outlines the particularities of this widespread type of podcast and provides potential recommendations for making such content more comprehensible and enjoyable for marginalized and disadvantaged audiences, as well as language learners.