‘Simplification’ and ‘accessibility’ in diaphasic intralingual translation

Abstract As translational phenomena, ‘simplification’ and ‘enhanced accessibility’ are phenomena that are especially associated with diaphasic, or interregisterial, intralingual translation of the expert-to-lay variety, i.e., adaptation of specialized LSP source texts for a lay target audience (henceforth Diaph-intra ). Previous research into simplification and enhancement of accessibility in Diaph-intra has mostly focused on shifts at the levels of lexicogrammar ( Hill-Madsen 2015a , 2015b , 2019 , 2022 , Muñoz-Miquel 2012 , Ezpeleta Piorno 2012 ) and context ( Hill-Madsen 2024 ), whereas the level of semantics has largely been bypassed. To remedy this shortcoming, this chapter offers a semantic interpretation of ‘simplification’ and ‘enhanced accessibility’ as intralingual translation strategies. Three semantic parameters are relevant to lay-oriented Diaph-intra, viz. epistemic-semantic density (concerned with the complexity of epistemic/denotational content in wordings), semantic gravity (concerned with degrees of concreteness/abstractness) and interpersonal engagement (presence/absence of interpersonal meanings). Using source-target pairs from the field of medicine, the article illustrates shifts within all three semantic dimensions.