In June 2023, the EMN Slovakia, coordinated in Slovakia by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), spoke at the international EMN conference about its long-standing national expertise on migration terminology and on promoting correct use of migration and asylum terms among experts and the wider public.
During the migration terminology conference in Georgia. Photo © International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2023.
Together with examples from Finland, Latvia and other European countries, we discussed best practices leading to suitable translation of migration terms into national languages and showed various online and offline ways to explain migration terms to audiences with different backgrounds.
Every professional field has its own, unique language. This especially applies to the field of migration, where the need of a common language is not limited to only national or organizational frames, but goes beyond, embracing countries with differing systems and legislation for migration management. To enhance the consistent use of migration terms across the EU, the EMN Asylum and Migration Glossary was established more than 10 years ago and has grown into an impressive collection of more than 570 terms and concepts defined jointly by the EU Member States as well as some non-EU countries.
The hybrid conference A Commonly Understood Language as a Tool in Migration Management: The EMN Glossary on Asylum and Migration was organised in Tbilisi on 7 June 2023 by EMN Georgia and EMN Latvia. The event highlighted the essence of the EMN Glossary and its meaning for the EU and non-EU countries. It also enabled sharing knowledge and experience on different approaches to the application of migration related terminology and the challenges arising when dealing with translation or adjustment of certain terms to national professional vocabularies.
You can find more about the EMN Glossary at our website in the Migration glossary section.