Legislative translation and minority language rights: mapping the implementation of Article 9(3) of The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Legislative translation and minority language rights: mapping the implementation of Article 9(3) of The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Summary/Abstract: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is at the core of the Council of Europe’s efforts to safeguard Europe’s linguistic diversity, putting forward a set of provisions in favor of regional and minority languages from which states may “serve themselves”. This paper examines the implementation of Article 9(3) of the Charter, which requires states that have accepted this provision to make the most important statutory texts available in the relevant regional or minority language(s). Drawing on state reports, the evaluations of the Committee of Experts, and the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers, the paper outlines the diversity of approaches adopted across Europe in implementing this obligation, ranging from full compliance to partial, symbolic, or minimal measures. The paper argues that legislative translation, by enhancing the accessibility of the law, is a key component of legal certainty, with significant prospects in light of advances in Large Language Models, thereby contributing to the effective realization of minority language rights and the rule of law.

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