Splendours and miseries of French in the European institutions: in meeting rooms and interpretation booths
Abstract
SPLENDOURS AND MISERIES OF FRENCH IN THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS: IN MEETING ROOMS AND INTERPRETATION BOOTHS
The language of diplomacy and a lingua franca for centuries, French remained important in post-war Europe, particularly thanks to the European Communities with six founding countries and originally four official languages. We examine briefly European integration, including EU enlargements, which brought new countries and languages. We ask why French is no longer the most widely used language among EU staff, delegates at EU meetings and for interpreters as relay and retour language. We offer a partial answer, providing a nuanced picture of the current situation. Is the change due to enlargement to Scandinavia and above all central and eastern Europe, who used English as lingua franca, as EU terminology in their languages was quasi-inexistent on accession? Or because within the EU institutions they could communicate primarily or exclusively in English? A generational problem? Globalisation? Does the problem lie with interpreters and their working languages? Why is French no longer the first-choice language for relay and retour? We sketch out the functioning of a team of interpreters. We conclude by looking at the knowledge and use of active French among interpreters from countries which joined the EU as of 2004, and how francophone interpreters have learned, know and use the languages of those countries, giving some examples and based on official figures. The situation is both surprising and paradoxical, and neither Brexit nor covid-19 have brought much change, rather the contrary.
