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What Jargon Detector does
Tax notices, job-center letters, rental contracts - German administrative language loves nested sentences, heavy nouns and formulas that sound as if they deserve their own legal paragraph. "The assessment is made subject to review." What is that supposed to mean? The Jargon Detector answers exactly that question, word by word.
You paste your text and start the analysis. The tool scans against a dictionary of hundreds of typical bureaucratic phrases and highlights each hit in yellow within the original text. Clicking a highlighted spot opens a small tooltip: the phrase in the original at the top, the plain-language translation below, plus the category - tax, social, immigration, housing, legal, insurance or general.
The Bureaucracy Index makes it measurable. It shows as a percentage how many words of your text are jargon, and translates that into a tangible sentence like "Every 7th word is bureaucratic jargon". There is also a rating from "Jargon-free" to "Maximum bureaucracy achieved" - with a wink, but genuinely informative.
If you want not just to understand the text but to clean it up, the "Replace all" function helps. It swaps every detected phrase for its plain-language variant in one go, and you can copy the streamlined text. Handy when you have to write an understandable letter or summary yourself.
The categories help you place a text. One full of "social" phrases probably came from the job center, one with many "housing" terms from tenancy law. The category overview after the analysis shows at a glance which bureaucratic jungle you are currently in.
The Jargon Detector is a comprehension aid, not legal advice. The translations explain what a phrase means in everyday terms - they do not replace the legal interpretation of a specific case. For the actual decision whether to object or sign, a look at the original and, when in doubt, an expert remain essential.
No text to hand? Three examples - a tax notice, a job-center letter and a rental contract - are ready to try. They instantly show how dense bureaucratic German can be and how much clearer the same content becomes in human language.
Features
Phrases highlighted in the text
Every detected bureaucratic phrase is highlighted in yellow, right where it appears in the original text.
Plain language on click
One click on a highlight shows the plain-language translation plus the category of the phrase.
Bureaucracy Index
A percentage and a line like "Every 7th word is jargon" show how dense the text is with phrases.
Seven categories
Tax, social, immigration, housing, legal, insurance and general - colour-coded for quick orientation.
Replace all
Swap all phrases for plain language in one go and copy the cleaned text for your own use.
Severity rating
From "Jargon-free" to "Maximum bureaucracy" - an honest, tongue-in-cheek rating of your text.
Three example texts
A tax notice, job-center letter and rental contract to try immediately without your own text.
How it works
- 1
Paste the text
Copy your official text, tax notice or rental contract into the input field - or pick an example.
- 2
Analyze
Click Analyze or press Ctrl+Enter. The tool highlights every phrase and computes the Bureaucracy Index.
- 3
Tap the phrases
Click the yellow highlights to see the original, the translation and the category in the tooltip.
- 4
Clean up and copy
Use "Replace all" to streamline the text and copy the readable version.
Who needs this
Frequently asked questions
How many phrases does the detector know?
The dictionary covers hundreds of typical bureaucratic phrases across seven topic areas. The exact number is shown in the tool and grows over time. New phrases from real notices are added regularly.
What does the Bureaucracy Index mean?
It measures the share of detected phrases relative to your text word count and expresses it as a percentage. The higher the value, the denser the jargon. A line like "Every 7th word is jargon" makes it tangible.
Does the tool change my original text?
Only if you want. The analysis merely highlights. Phrases are swapped for plain language only when you click "Replace all" - and even then it stays your local copy, which you can copy out.
Is the Jargon Detector legal advice?
No. It translates phrasings into everyday language so you understand what is meant. The legal meaning in a specific case may differ. For decisions with consequences the original remains authoritative and, when in doubt, an expert.
Can I check rental contracts with it?
Yes, rental contracts are a classic use case and included as an example. The detector explains terms like cosmetic repairs, advance service-charge payments or termination for personal use. It does not replace a legal clause review, though.
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