Is there Scope for A More Professional Approach to EU Multilingual Lawmaking (original) (raw)

The theory and practice of legislation, 2015

Abstract

Abstract This article discusses whether EU multilingual lawmaking could be carried out in a more professional way. What does it mean to work in a professional manner? Who are the people involved? What skills and competences do they need at each stage of the process? How do they acquire these skills and competences? Are they rather taken for granted? The premises for the reflection is the fact that 23 language versions of the EU law are drafted by translators and the 24th, mostly the English, by non-lawyers or non-native speakers. Reference is made to the Interinstitutional Agreement on Common Guidelines for the Quality of the Drafting, the Joint Practical Guide for the Drafting of EU legislation, the European and ISO Standards on Service Requirements for Translation Services and the ISO Standards on terminological working methods. The article concludes that there is scope for further improvement, both as regards awareness-raising, competence-raising and workflow integration. It suggests that the way forward implies further implementation of the Interinstitutional Agreement from 1998 and that the understanding we have of legislative drafting and legal translation affects both the way we organise the work and the end result of it.

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