Agora 13: International Law and Philology/Linguistics

Philology and linguistics matter per definitionem for the analysis of legal texts, for instance, as regards techniques/canons of interpretation and text analysis. They are of even greater importance to international law as a multilingual discipline. The necessary translation and subsequent interpretation of treaty texts authenticated in different language versions is only one example. Questions of philology or linguistics gain increased significance since treaties are often deliberately imprecise, reflecting the inability or unwillingness of the negotiating parties to agree upon clear standards.
This agora will expand on these issues, addressing questions such as: To what extent can international law draw on the disciplines of philology/linguistics? Should it make increasing use of their methods? Is there a need for more interaction between the disciplines with regard to the education and training of experts/professionals?