The Language of Brussels, Translated
Should you have the misfortune of having to do business in the EU’s capital, we’ve got you covered.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Photo: Jasper Juinen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Welcome to EU-speak—the language used in the roughly one-square-mile area called the European Quarter in Brussels.
It sounds like English, but native speakers across the Channel struggle to understand it despite thousands of hours of intensive tutoring—otherwise known as Brexit negotiations. It’s mastered only by gray-suited mandarins, hindering communication between the European Union and the outside world, including voters on the continent.