Translation Practice at the EU Institutions. Eurojargon and Translation Problems

Within the European institutions, language – the so-called Eurojargon – is characterized by specific traits that are thought to facilitate communication between all member states and reflect the unique reality of the EU. The supranational nature of this language makes it a good candidate for making intercultural identity possible in a context where geographical, historical, and cultural differences are generally subsumed under a common European identity. Eurojargon is first elaborated by the instutions internally and then ‘exported’ to the member states and their citizens. The underlying assumption is therefore that people within the institutions are familiar with this language. EU translators play the role of mediators, transferring EU terms and expressions from one “national” Eurojargon to another. But is this special language always intelligible to them? By looking at data collected from a specific translation aid tool used on a daily basis by EU translators, I seek to establish to what extent EU-related expressions are problematic for translation and the kind and nature of these translation problems.