Multilingualism in the European Union not only expresses national identity and cultural diversity, but is also associated with growing communication problems and transaction costs. Already, the European Union has to operate on the basis of eleven officially equal official and working languages. In the course of the forthcoming enlargement, this number could soon double.
The conference proceedings reproduce the papers and discussions of an interdisciplinary symposium held by the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg, which involved linguists, legal scholars, sociologists, and practitioners such as interpreters and translators. The aim was to discuss the central problems of the European language issue, to propose solutions and to point out future perspectives.
The volume is aimed at all those who are concerned with this problem, both academically and practically.
Senator (ret.) Dr. Hans-Joachim Seeler is President of the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg and former Member of the European Parliament. Prof. Dr. Thomas Bruha is Director of the Institute for International Affairs at the University of Hamburg.
