Current Trends in EU Multilingualism and Legal English Translation

Abstract

Informed by an extensive literature review, this paper provides an updated account of the current issues concerned with EU multilingualism and the implications of legal English translation for the EU context and gathers into a unique, consistent and useful source the wide range of studies on the subject. It is argued that the reach of a legal Euro-English as a lingua franca, the spread of a Euro-English jargon and the prominence of English as a source working language amid other official languages pose several challenges to translators, such as the total inability to reconcile civil law with common law traditions, among others. The paper also attempts to address the possible changes to EU legal English translations in a post-Brexit scenario.