ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the interaction that takes place between the idea of legal order and linguistic diversity, in arrangements known as legal bilingualism or multilingualism: the organisation of legal systems to function in two or more languages. It examines complications and challenges associated with such legal-linguistic structures. Legal translation is one of the first issues to arise when contemplating how to develop law in multiple languages. But translation is only one aspect of a more complex multilingual legal practice. Legal meaning is sometimes extremely difficult to determine even by close reading of one single, authoritative text of a given law. The challenges associated with translation between legal languages are formidable. Beyond translating authoritative sources of law multilingual jurisdictions also need to ensure linguistic access to other forms of legal communication. The complicated linguistic and legal situations highlight important contemporary challenges in how language and law relate to one another.
