Àmbit jurídic i normalització lingüística

Resum

Ten years after the language standardization process was initiated in Catalonia, the use of Catalan in the courts and the legal profession is still the area the least progress has been made. It was not until 1993 that the Catalan Autonomous Government and the General Council of the Judiciary signed an important cooperation agreement regarding language standardization. The agreement was a result of the 1992 trial programs carried out by the Consortium for Language Standardization as part of the Pilot Scheme in the Field of the Administration of Justice (EPCAJ). Until 1992, standardization measures carried out in the legal field did not bring about spectacular advances, since they were not a part of an overall plan to change language habits. In the face of such a situation, the Consortium for Language Standardization devised the EPCAJ, based on the fact that institutional language use determines, in a decisive fashion, individual language use. Given the low level of use and knowledge of Catalan in the court system, the implementation of the EPCAJ meant hiring language planners (acting as translators, advisers, or facilitators) in eight courtrooms in Catalonia. In light of the totally positive results achieved by the EPCAJ, language standardization in the legal system should be urgently undertaken. A more effective new measure, in accordance with the priorities indicated by EPCAJ, is to increase to the maximum the number of courts having a language planner. Catalan courses should also be organized for court personnel in courts having a planner, so that in the future the planner will no longer be indispensable. He would then be free to perform language standardization functions with other groups that make up the legal field (lawyers, notaries, etc).