Accueil>The Language(s) of Politics: Multilingual Policy-Making in the European Union
12.06.2023
The Language(s) of Politics: Multilingual Policy-Making in the European Union
À propos de cet événement
Le 12 juin 2023 de 13:00 à 14:30
Seminar
Joint seminar with AxPo & Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE), Sciences Po
Sciences Po, 1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, 75007 Paris
Registration
Abstract
Multilingualism is an ever-present feature in political contexts around the world, including multilingual states and international organizations. Increasingly, consequential political decisions are negotiated between politicians who do not share a common native language. “The Language(s) of Politics” uses the case of the European Union to investigate how politicians’ reliance on shared foreign languages and translation services affects politics and policy-making. It not only shows that multilingualism is an inherent and consequential feature of EU politics, but also that it depoliticizes policy-making by reducing its political nature and potential for conflict. That is because both foreign language use and reliance on translation result in communication that is simple, utilitarian, neutralized, and involves commonly share phrases and expressions, which masks the national and political backgrounds, preferences, and priorities of EU actors. Policy-makers also tend to disregard politically charged language because it might not reflect what a speaker meant to say, and they are constrained in their ability to use vague or ambiguous language to gloss over disagreements by the need for consistency across languages. Multilingualism thus affects the EU’s political culture, by shaping perceptions of political differences, polarization of opinion, intensity of debate, and the resonance of arguments and evidence.
Speaker
Nils Ringe, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Discussant
Olivier Rozenberg, Sciences Po, CEE