Translating in Town: Local Translation Policies During the European 19th Century

Translating in Town is the first attempt to uncover administrative and cultural multilingualism and translation practices in multilingual European communities during the long 19th century. Challenging the traditional narrative of nationalist, monolingual language ideologies, this book focuses instead upon translation policies which aimed to accommodate complex language situations with new democratic principles.
Covering a time-frame from 1785 to 1914, the book offers a mosaic of translation policies and practices in major and minor cultural centres. Arguing that translation operated as an interactional model of language relations, chapters investigate towns and cities in the heartland of Europe, such as Barcelona, Milan and Vienna, as well as those on its outer rim, including Nicosia, Queenstown and Tampere. Highlighting the conflicts and negotiations that took place between official language(s), local language(s) and translation, this book explores the impact on both represented and non-represented monolingual and multilingual citizens. In so doing, Translating in Town highlights the subtle compromises obtained between official monolingualism, multilingualism and translation, and between competing views on official and private translation and transfer techniques, during this fascinating era of European history.