Cross-border Language Accessibility in Public Life
As a result of the historical changes and the transformation of state borders after the Treaty of Trianon, many minorities live in the Carpathian Basin, in countries bordering Hungary. Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, an increasing number of Ukrainian citizens have chosen to reside in various countries of the European Union, temporarily or even long-term, mostly in neighbouring states. The situation of minorities living in the territory of nation states largely depends on the opportunities for using the language of the minority (or the neighbouring country) in the territory of the country concerned. The protection of minority languages has been an important milestone in the creation of the European Union, which is why the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages was adopted. This protection has been made most relevant by the experience that, in most cases, language issues have emerged as a significant trigger for international conflicts in Europe. Another important aspect is that the interoperability of borders is intended to encourage economic cooperation, and the promotion of successful collaboration is in most cases dependent on good communication. A successful business might potentially lose clients if it publishes information in only one certain language (in most cases the state language). In an era of globalisation and international cooperation, language accessibility is key to ensuring equal participation for all in public life. The conference aims to explore the challenges and opportunities of language accessibility in cross-border communication, and to identify solutions and present existing multilingual practices already in place in different segments of public life, such as public administration, mass media, service sector or health care.