EU Language Legislation

In the previous chapter, you learned that there was EU language policy in place. Now you will find out more details about it. You will work with a website explaining the policy in the official EU languages, you will learn to recognize the language codes of the EU languages and use them in translation.

The EU currently has 23 official languages. The basic principles underlying its language policy are that EU citizens should:

  • be able to contribute to the building of the EU
  • be informed about what the EU is doing in their name
  • have access to EU law in a language they can understand.
The EU’s very first piece of legislation, Regulation No 1 of 1958, lists the official languages and specifies how they are to be used. New languages have been added as new countries have joined the EU.

The EU’s founding treaty states that EU citizens have the right to communicate with the EU institutions in the official language of their choice, and to receive a reply in the same language.

Ikona iDevice otázky Multiple choice
Check your understanding of the text on the following questions.

 

 

 

Among the basic principles underlying the EU language policy is not:

 

  
the possibility for EU citizens to participate in the building of the EU
the possibility for EU citizens to modify EU law in their own language
the possibility for EU citizens to gain information about current EU actions and practices

The principle that EU citizens have the right to communicate with the EU institutions in the official language of their choice is prescribed by
  
EU constitution

Ikona iDevice Task

Go to the website EU Languages and Language policy

http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/

languages-of-europe/index_en.htm

and create a table with all official languages in English and Czech and corresponding translations of the document title Official EU languages in the particular language. The language codes above the article will help you. There is a drop down menu providing the language options on the toolbar in the top righthand corner, which you could use as well.
 

Official language in Czech

Official language in English

Document title

bulharština

Bulgarian

Официални езици на ЕС

čeština

Czech

Úřední jazyky EU

dánština

angličtina

English

Official EU languages


 

 


If you are stuck with the language codes, the following website can help you.
Ikona iDevice Now you can
  • recognize language codes which EU uses for the official and working languages
  • use these codes to quickly look up the translation of a term, phrase or even a whole article when there is a document translated into multiple languages.

If you are interested and want to get more information about languages in the EU, see the following publications.