Status and Use of the National Languages in the European Union

摘要

The current linguistic regime in the institutions of the European Union is highly complex. The EU considers that equal status for its official languages goes to the heart of what the Union is all about. The right of the citizens of the EU to communicate in one of the official languages has considerable organizational and financial implications. A great number of translators and interpreters is required to assure the communication with these citizens. However, 'de facto' in language use some languagesare more equal than others; English, French and to a lesser degree German are the in-official working languages of the European Union. Although the language problem in the European Union is an important one, politicians, commercial and industrial leaders, and the general public are not seriously concerned about it, or at least do not analyze the phenomenon in any depth. There is widespread acceptance of the increasing dominance of English, whether or not this development accords with politically accepted principles or views such as equality, language and cultural diversity, human and language rights, efficiency, etc.