Linguistic diversity is enshrined in the European law, in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and in the Treaty on establishing the European Union. The coexistence of languages in the EU is a powerful symbol of the Union’s aspirations for unity through diversity, EU Ambassador David Geer said Saturday addressing the eighth annual international conference “At Future’s Doorstep: Beyond 2020” hosted by the Macedonian Association of Translators and Interpreters (MATA).
The translators and interpreters, Geer said, are an important link between the EU and North Macedonia, from the first steps of the country on its European path.
“In Europe, linguistic diversity is part of everyday life. This diversity is a source of strength and richness. The EU has around 450 million citizens, 27 member states, three alphabets and 24 official languages. Some 60 other languages are part of the EU heritage and are spoken in particular regions or by specific groups,” Geer said.
He underlined that the EU promotes multilingual learning through various programs, such as Erasmus + and Creative Europe, so that young people can speak at least two other languages in addition to their mother tongue.
Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov said that multilingualism is one of EU’s core values and the principle of linguistic equality of the European Union with its 24 official languages and over 500 linguistic combinations, sets the translation and interpretation as a key condition for its smooth functioning.
“In line with EU policies for language equality and authenticity, the Macedonian language will enjoy the status of an equal and official language of the EU once our country becomes a full EU member. Therefore, the translation of EU legal acts must respond to the standards of the Macedonian language, and yet to reflect the spirit of the EU jargon, which will provide enrichment, but also protection of our language. The Macedonian language will become an equal member in the EU’s multilingual club, therefore, the citizens must be able to understand and respect the legal act that will directly affect their lives,” Dimitrov noted.
As EU candidate country, he said, we must achieve one of the key elements hidden between the Copenhagen criteria and our precondition for EU membership and that is the translation of EU legislation into Macedonian.
“EU legislation is a set of legal instruments that are transposed into national legislation, and their translation is the most significant and extensive translation project ever realized in the history of specialized translation. The translation of EU legislation is a long-term process, because it contains more than 160,000 pages,” Dimitrov added.
“Given the number of pages that must be translated, now is the time to use the opportunities and contribute to the standardization of our own language which is extremely important. The Secretariat for European Affairs aims to become a promoter of research activity in the field of EU jargon or European legal language to supplement old and create new glossaries and specialized terminology,” he said.
MATA president Ana Popova Manasievska said that the number of members is increasing and currently the association has 110 members.
“I believe that the number will increase and the influence and power of the association to really improve things in the profession. As a country on the doorstep to start EU accession today we will hear more what it means for us and our profession and how to better prepare,” Manasievska said.
The conference which is held online coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Macedonian Association of Translators and Interpreters.
