Translating Law in 19th-Century Belgium: Criticisms of Official Translations of Laws and Decrees

From the late eighteenth century, nationalist winds blew over Europe, passing also through the new state of Belgium, seceded from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1830. Making use of French as the lingua franca in the political and administrative domains, and trying at the same time to engage the Flemish-speaking part of the population, the Belgian government committed itself to translate its legislative texts into Flemish. Yet, these official translations were broadly criticized by Flemish politicians, lawyers and journalists alike. Their response was to publish translations of key le... Mehr ...