Emergence and evolution of translation policies in Belgium (1830-1914): an interdisciplinary inquiry into multilingual citizenship.

The historical study of Belgian language policies has hitherto neglected the crucial issues of translation rights of minority groups, as well as the concrete translating practices while communicating with the latter and their effects on issues of citizenship and responsiveness towards linguistic justice. This project will focus on translation policies towards the Dutch/Flemish language communities between 1830 and 1914, i.e. a period of national centripetal forces regulating communication between official French institutions and Dutch/Flemish addressees. Translation being however a sensitive barometer of the complex and often conflicting relations between senders and receivers, our research will explore three main areas of translation policy: (1) national laws vs. localized regulations about translation by court districts and legal administration; (2) official translation practices vs. localized ones; (3) changing effects of regulation and praxis on multicultural citizenship (participation, solidarity, national identity).

Keywords:translation policies

Disciplines:Linguistics