EU's 23 languages make Bad English a linguistic currency in Brussels

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Since New Year the European Union now has 23 official languages. Bulgaria and Romania entered the bloc as full members adding their national languages to the previously 20 languages. Also, Irish, the traditional Gaelic language of Ireland has gained official status since January, 1st.

Yet the EU is challenged, Deutsche Welle writes. "The EU, already burdened with 20 official languages, officially promotes linguistic diversity but often defaults to English." The addition of Bulgarian, Romanian and Gaelic is "further complicating Europe's ability to communicate."

While multilingualism is a brand of the EU, English often ends up being the language used in official business in the back-offices and meetings in Brussels.

"The diversity of languages is our common richness and the promotion of this diversity is a clear priority," Europe's commissioner for multilingualism, Jan Figel is cited by Deutsche Welle.

Currently, the EU's three main institutions employ approximately 4,000 interpreters and translators and about 1,500 freelancers. The costs for these language services annually add up to almost 1 billion euros ($ 1.3 billion). However, this represents less than one percent of the total budget the Commission keeps reminding its critics.

As DW reports, despite the huge budget, the EU still reports a lack of skilled translators and interpreters, "particularly those who are fluent in less frequently spoken languages."

A solution adopted by the Directorate is the relay system, where an interpreter makes use of the output of a colleage, who translates into English. This way a speech given by a Maltese politician can be translated into all languages with a minimum of linguists.

Those working in Brussels are "under constant pressure to learn more languages," Patrice Liberman, a Belgian interpreter working for the EU since 1991 is cited. Liberman already speaks eight: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish.

The demand is growing with every addition of a language or expansion of the EU and is already higher than the services that can be provided by the linguists. This results in a denial of the multilingual concept at informal meetings. Increasingly, EU officials tend to speak English themselves or listen to English translations of remarks and questions.

As DW puts it, "This makes bad English a linguistic currency in Brussels and frustrates translators."

Source: Deutsche Welle