ABSTRACT
The number of languages appears to distinguish multilingualism from bilingualism, although in sociolinguistics at least the latter term has come to encompass the former. Another assumption underlying many definitions is the idea that the languages involved share the same space: public space in an officially multilingual country such as Switzerland, page space in a book, brain space in multilingual individuals. The target texts created by and through translations are intended to be autonomous, to lead their own lives, separate from their source texts. Translations are usually read on their own, not alongside original versions, except in specific settings such as foreign-language classes. In TV series and movies, the foreign language is often restricted to dialogue, or to written material such as street signs and billboards. Romantic discourse about language has profoundly affected the ways in which languages are viewed, learned and hence used in literature, drama and film.
