Studies

Language and translation in international law and EU law

Answers some of the language-related questions that arise once law goes beyond national boundaries. Case studies: translation of product labels and patents.

[18-07-2012]

Crowdsourcing translation(1.29 Mb)  

Crowdsourcing is on the rise — also for translation. Insights about its potential, the risks and how it may transform translation practice (or the way it is perceived).

[09-08-2012]

The status of the translation profession in the European Union

Analyses which mechanisms define a translator's status — offering a strong plea for strengthened certification systems.

[09-08-2012]

Intercomprehension

Some languages (Italian & Spanish, Czech and Polish) are so close that speakers of one can understand the other to some degree. How to use this asset for a diverse European society?

[14-08-2012]

Quantifying quality costs and the cost of poor quality in translation

Shows how quality efforts in public translation services can be measured — and that poor quality in translation comes at a cost.

Mapping best multilingual business practices in the EU

Case studies and recommendations for improving multilingual business practices in an age where digital communication has erased national and linguistic boundaries.

Lingua Franca: Chimera or Reality?

Starting from a historical perspective, the paper looks into the pros and cons of a lingua franca.

Contribution de la traduction à la société multilingue dans l'Union européenne

Economic, cultural, legal and political dimensions of translation in the EU, and different countries' perceptions of translation.

• Study summary in English(240 Kb)  

Lawmaking in the EU multilingual environment

On the role played by drafters, translators, editors and lawyer linguists in making laws in 23 languages. Includes case studies and comparisons with other multilingual systems.

Size of the language industry in the EU

A study on the rapid growth of the language industry, covering translation, interpreting, software localisation, website globalisation, language technology and related fields. Includes country factsheets.

• Conference on study findings (video file)
• Conclusions(15 Kb)  

Programme for quality management in translation(272 Kb)  

Overview of measures taken by the European Commission's translation service to ensure sustained quality management in translation.

Web translation as a genre

Why is translating for the web fundamentally different from translating legal texts? This study sheds some light on the work translators do for EUROPA — the EU's multilingual website.

La traduction à la Commission: 1958-2010(10.32 Mb)  

Some evidence why translation was crucial to the building of Europe — and how our translators help to make the European Union accessible to all.

• Conference on study findings (video file)