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Linguistic diversity in Europe -
English (En)
The EU is
founded on the principle of diversity of cultures, customs and
beliefs.
This
includes languages. On a continent where so many languages are
spoken, this is natural. The official languages of EU countries
alone represent three language families: Indo-European,
Finno-Ugric and Semitic. And compared to other continents, this
is relatively few.
Linguistic diversity
has become more visible than ever because people now have much
more contact with foreigners than ever before.
They increasingly
face situations where they have to speak languages other than
their own, whether through student exchanges, migration and
business in Europe’s increasingly integrated market, tourism or
even general globalisation. Article 22 of the EU’s charter of
fundamental rights, adopted in 2000, requires the EU to respect
linguistic diversity and Article 21 prohibits discrimination
based on language. Together with respect for individuals,
openness towards other cultures, tolerance for others, respect
for linguistic diversity is a core EU value.
This principle
applies not only to the 23 official EU languages but also to the
many regional and minority languages spoken by segments of its
population. It is this that makes the EU what it is - not a
‘melting pot’ that reduces difference, but a place where
diversity can be celebrated as an asset. Translations is a must
for global communication.
27 COUNTRIES & 23 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF THE E.U. |
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The 23 official languages of the EU and their abbreviations:
Click on the
language
to reach the page in this particular European language |
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What is
translation ?
Translating and
interpreting are often confused. A translator works on written
texts (e.g. novels, user instructions,
letters, subtitles, websites) while an interpreter renders the
spoken words of someone else in another language.
Most translations are
"pragmatic" (manuals, official reports, financial reports, etc.)
while others are broadly "literary" (poems, novels, essays,
etc.).
Depending on the type of text,
the translation may call for technical knowledge of some kind,
for instance in electronics, finance, medicine, chemistry or
botany, or knowledge of cultural or stylistic factors (to be
able to match a rhyme or word-play).
Today, people learn foreign
languages more often than in the past. However, the need for
translation has not disappeared. On the contrary, phenomena such
as globalisation and the rapid pace of technological
development, with the related need for user guides for emerging
new products, as well as increasing numbers of TV channels, have
increased the amount of translation needed.
As regards the
value of machine translation, it can give you only a rough idea
of what is meant by a text written in a language you have no
knowledge of at all, but the risk of misunderstanding is quite
high.
Proper translation must take account of context,
structure and grammatical rules, style, and potential double
meanings from synonyms and plays on words. |
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