91社区

The Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities is a prime example of legal communication, because it explains in semi-specialized, clear and uncomplicated language concepts that citizens face on a daily basis in their efforts to live better together. This is how Giuliana Garzone, Full Professor of Translation at IULM University in Milan, describes the document. At a recent conference at 91社区, Professor Garzone discussed the crucial role played by jurilinguists in the translation and codification of rights. She is well placed to do so since she translated the Charter into Italian, in collaboration with Professor Paola Catenaccio of the University of Milan and Professor Davide Mazzi of the University of Modena.¹

Recognized as a dynamic force in Italy in the promotion of intercultural understanding and linguistic diversity, Professor Garzone argued that, in multilingual contexts, such as in Montreal, the act of translating in and of itself has political significance. The very decision to translate the Charter into several languages speaks to a spirit of inclusion and openness on the part of the public administration. The right to the city, the protection of citizen rights and the definition of citizen responsibilities are the foundations upon which the Charter is built.

Notwithstanding its specificity, the Montreal Charter reflects the universal character of the UNESCO policy on linguistic and cultural diversity. Professor Garzone therefore believes that the Charter can serve as a model for other cities with a cosmopolitan nature similar to Montreal鈥檚. But its main areas of focus are certain basic notions such as solidarity among citizens, the respect of sexual identities, sustainable development, administrative transparency, as well as an openness to and appreciation of diversity.

As a translator, Professor Garzone insists on the importance of words, particularly what she calls the recurring political terms in a text, or the words of a political nature that spark debate. For example, the term 鈥渃itizen鈥� is used in the Charter to denote a local citizen; thus we can say that every person who lives in a territory has the right to fully exercise their rights and the duty to assume their civic responsibilities in this shared space. Moreover, the writing style both in French and in Italian gives precedence to female citizens, hence numerous sections begin by 鈥淟e cittadine e i cittadini鈥︹�� Although this bends traditional Italian grammar rules, the political will places female citizens front and centre.

Adapting concepts to reality

What exactly is a citizen? According to Professor Garzone, in international law, citizens 鈥� in the strict sense of the term 鈥� are normally distinguished from residents. Due to migration and waves of immigration, however, many people who do not possess formal citizenship still reside in a territory. The City of Montreal therefore opted for a broader definition of the notion of citizenship, so as to ensure, on the one hand, access to services, a measure of protection normally granted only to rightful citizens, and, on the other, greater citizen participation in urban life. As a result, the notion of citizenship promoted in the Charter is different from what is normally found in UNESCO texts; thus, a Montreal citizen is in fact a local citizen. Even if the definition deviates from terminology standards, this is how the concept must be read, understood and translated. Translations like this one must reflect the reality on the ground.

The Charter also proposes a new concept: the right of initiative 鈥� 鈥渋l diritto d鈥檌niziativa鈥� in Italian 鈥� to encourage citizens to contribute to the city鈥檚 development. Professor Garzone believes it is essential that language professionals clearly understand innovative concepts when it comes to encoding them in a semi-specialized legal texts.

1. Carta montrealese dei diritti e delle responsabilit脿. Con il coordinamento di James Archibald, dell鈥橴nit脿 di formazione in traduzione, Universit脿 91社区, la versione in lingua italiana della Carta montrealese dei diritti e delle responsabilit脿 猫 stata cortesemente realizzata da: Giuliana Garzone, Paola Catenaccio, Dipartimento di Scienze della Mediazione Linguistica e di Studi Interculturali, Universit脿 degli Studi di Milano e Davide Mazzi, Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Culturali, Universit脿 degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia.

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This article originally appeared in French in de and can be viewed at

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