The 1st State Meeting of Registrars, Notaries of Extrajudicial Offices and the General Internal Affairs of Justice of the State of Tocantins (CGJUS), held on August 14th and 15th in the city of Palmas, had the opportunity to foster dialogue about the use of simple language in communications made by extrajudicial offices throughout the State.
The Simple Language Program of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (TJTO) - SimpleTOC was presented on Thursday afternoon (August 15th) by the coordinator of the Legal Department of the General Directorate and co-manager of the Program, Roberta Maciel. Speaking about the initiative, she pointed out that the program seeks to ensure that all citizens can easily understand the documents and services offered by the Judiciary, without relying on intermediaries. This approach, in line with a global trend, prioritizes empathy and transparency in public communication.
In the context of extrajudicial registries, she highlighted some of the benefits of the simple language for registrars and notaries. These include accessibility, which allows people to understand documents on their own, and strengthening public trust by making information clearer and more understandable. She also stressed that simple language contributes to efficiency by reducing the need for clarifications and rework.
“Simple language is reader-centered communication, taking into account what they need to know, their level of knowledge and the context in which the documents are used. Clarity allows information to be easily found, understood and used.”
Roberta also gave participants some practical tips, such as avoiding the use of technical terms, passive voice and acronyms; and giving preference to the use of commonly used words or more simplified explanations. The organization of information is also essential, and should be structured in a coherent way, with short, objective sentences, as well as the use of visual resources, such as tables and graphs, to make it easier to understand.
SimpleTOC
In December of 2023, the Judiciary of the State of Tocantins created the SimpleTOC Program, according to the Joint Ordinance No. 16/2023, which brought a single annex with a version in Simple Language, created with the civil servers of the institution in a learning workshop.
The project has a partnership with the General Internal Affairs of Justice Department and the Inovassol Innovation Center, and arose from the product of research carried out by the legal advisory coordinator of the General Directorate, Roberta Maciel, who is studying for a master's degree in Judicial Provision and Human Rights at UFT/Esmat.
The partners of the program are the State Prosecution, the Ombudsman's Office, the BAR and the TRE, as well as the academic community and the state and municipal executive powers.
