Equality of Albanian and Serbian languages in Kosovo: Do institutions respect bilingualism?

In 2007, the Assembly of Kosovo adopted the Law on the Use of Languages, making Serbian, alongside Albanian, an official language. This law mandates that both languages must be treated equally, meaning every document issued by institutions must be translated into both languages. However, after 17 years, the institutions themselves do not primarily respect the law, creating significant communication issues for Serbs in Kosovo. Interviewees from Kosovo Online believe there is much room for improvement in the law and that the responsibility largely lies with the Government of Kosovo.

The right to use one's language, as one of the fundamental human rights, was guaranteed by the 2007 law. According to it, Serbs in Kosovo have the right to be informed in their native language regarding institutional announcements, both politically and judicially.

"All institutions and public service providers are required to ensure the equal use of Albanian and Serbian in central and local institutions, the judicial system, the media, education, and public enterprises, as well as in the private sector," states the Law.

Due to non-compliance with the law by some institutions, this right is denied to Serbs, making language rights one thing on paper and another in practice.

While Kosovo officials speak of Kosovo as a multilingual society committed to promoting these values, the non-respect of language rights complicates daily life for Serbs. In Pristina, if they do not speak Albanian, they struggle even in shops, and the biggest problem is with judicial bodies, where it often happens that Serbs address them in their native language and receive responses only in Albanian, incurring additional costs for hiring translators.

Even when institutions provide a Serbian translation, it often contains numerous errors, causing the message to be misunderstood, often incorrectly.

Deputy Ombudsman Srdjan Sentic recently emphasized that Kosovo has an advanced legislative framework that guarantees the equal use of Albanian and Serbian languages, as well as other community languages at the municipal level, through constitutional and legal provisions. However, in practice, citizens face numerous problems in exercising their language rights.

"For Serbs and other communities that use the Serbian language and live in areas predominantly inhabited by Albanians, and for Albanians living in northern Kosovo, where the majority population is Serbian, the non-respect of language rights means limited access to legal documents, affecting access to employment, consumer rights, healthcare, education, and social services," said Sentic at a roundtable on "Respecting Language Rights in Kosovo."

Interviewees from Kosovo Online point out that there is much room for improving the Law on the Use of Languages but question whether there is the will from institutions to do so. They believe that the Government of Kosovo and the international factor bear significant responsibility for advancing this issue.

Journalist Zoran Stankovic from Gracanica noted that the non-compliance with the Law on the Use of Languages sends a message to Serbs in Kosovo that their voice does not matter.

Foreign actors are also aware of the non-respect of language rights, according to Stankovic, but do not take action on the matter.

He emphasizes that while the international community is not addressing this problem, Serbs in Kosovo face significant challenges in communication and exercising their rights.

"This is evident. In recent years, there has been a large campaign on the Serbian side, constantly speaking about the non-respect of language rights. I believe that foreigners in Kosovo are aware of this; everyone can notice it, but there are no changes. Whatever needs to change in Kosovo, a stronger hand from across the ocean would have to direct and order it. Until that happens, we will not manage. Our people cannot manage in Pristina, in official premises, not even in shops. Even where there is a sign in Serbian, it is crossed out and removed," Stankovic evaluates.

Serbs can function in municipalities inhabited by Serbian populations, given that local institutions' employees are mostly Serbs. However, the problem arises when they need a document issued by institutions in Pristina.

"When you leave Gracanica, you run into problems; you need language knowledge. The law is often not respected; no one who is supposed to have a translator or a person for communication in Serbian has one. Whether we go to court, a public institution, or the Municipality of Pristina, regardless of the resource, we cannot communicate and manage as best as we can," adds Stankovic.

He emphasizes that the non-respect of this right also hinders the performance of work duties. As a Serbian journalist in Kosovo, he often faces problems due to the lack of translation at various events, as well as poor translation in institutional statements.

"It often happens that we receive instructions, announcements, or invitations that are so unclear when translated into Serbian that it is impossible to understand what they are about," says Stankovic.

He notes that due to poor translations, journalists often disseminate incorrect information.

"I often wonder who translates and how this translator, who sends us an announcement, translates it. It often happens that we receive a statement from some ministry that is supposedly translated, but it is completely nonsensical, maybe they translate it via the internet," Stankovic adds.

According to him, everywhere in the world where two nations live, bilingualism is respected; however, this is not the case with Kosovo.

The message from Kosovo institutions to Serbs, he believes, is that their voice is not important and that they have no say.

"The message is: You are insignificant, your voice is not important at this moment, you have no say, and you must learn our language to communicate. We are aware that, for example, in Vojvodina, bilingualism exists, as it does in many countries, and everywhere where there are two nations, it must be represented. But the fact is that these standards do not exist in Kosovo or do not apply to everyone," concludes Stankovic.

On the other hand, linguist Nora Bezera believes that the very fact that the law was adopted indicates that the institutions had the will to implement it, but the biggest problem is the lack of staff.

Bezera told Kosovo Online that Kosovo institutions did not think enough about how to implement the Law on the Use of Languages.

She adds that the Law on the Use of Languages is largely applied, but the standards of the Serbian language are not respected, which creates problems.

"We all know that the Law on the Use of Languages was adopted long ago, but there is always room for improvement. The fact that it was adopted indicates that there was a desire and will from the institutions to implement it. However, the institutions did not think enough about how to do it, and in that sense, the main issue is the lack of staff. We do not have enough Serbian language translators, and that is probably the biggest problem. Even though the law is implemented, the standards of the Serbian language are not respected, translations are poor, and errors occur," Bezera emphasized.

When asked how to overcome the language barrier, Bezera said that one way is the "Balkanology" department at the University of Pristina, where Serbian is also taught.

"A small indication of the will is the opening of 'Balkanology,' within which the Serbian language is studied at the University of Pristina, and soon the first generation of students will graduate. They are now in their third year, and in a year, we will see what we have achieved," Bezera noted.

Bezera, who comes from the Office of the President of Kosovo, assessed that although there is room for improving the law, there are institutions in Kosovo that pay great attention to this issue.

"Besides the fact that there is a lot of room to do more, we also have some institutions that implement this law very well. An example is the Office of the Prime Minister; I have heard that they strive and are dedicated to implementing the Law on the Use of Languages. We have also had the Office of the President for a long time; you can check on the website, there is no act published that is not translated into all three languages," said Bezera.

Linguist Sanja Vukovic highlighted that the right to use language in Kosovo is not sufficiently respected and that institutions are the first to not apply the Law, placing significant responsibility on the Government of Kosovo.

Vukovic pointed out that the situation regarding the respect for the right to use language in Kosovo institutions varies depending on whether there are Serbian employees in those institutions.

"Institutions in Kosovo have not respected the law on the use of languages for many years. The situation varies from institution to institution. Where there are people in ministries or other institutions whose native language is Serbian, the situation is somewhat better. Where there are no Serbs, there is neither respect for the law nor the right to use the language," Vukovic said.

She added that the Law on the Use of Languages is increasingly less respected, and she attributes the responsibility for this situation to the Kosovo government.

"The situation is getting worse and worse. In previous years, we could still talk about the respect for the right to use the language. However, in the last few years, the situation has significantly deteriorated, and we can only say that the responsibility lies with the Government of Kosovo, which has led to this," Vukovic concluded.