Marina Gil Aranda
Without a doubt, the coexistence of two or more languages within a territory is a sign of cultural richness. Languages embody cultures and therefore considering their representation in a given system becomes essential in order to ensure the protection of a country’s cultural heritage. An example of this multilingual phenomenon is the Swiss Confederation, a federated republic of 26 cantons with four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.
This paper aims to describe and analyse the Swiss multilingual language policy and the role of translation in this context. Firstly, we will focus on the treatment given to the four languages in the Swiss legal system and how this is reflected when drafting legislative texts. Secondly, we will discuss the role of translation as a backbone of the Swiss multilingual language policy and, consequently, the work carried out in this context by the linguistic services of the Federal Chancellery. Thirdly, we will consider the place of English as a language of intra-systemic communication. To this end, we have employed a descriptive qualitative methodology based on a study of the applicable regulations.
Keywords: linguistic policies, translation, Switzerland, plurilingualism.