The Translation Unit at the Center for Strategic and International Studies – University of Baghdad, led by Senior Chief Translator Sameera Ibrahim Abdulrahman, organized a virtual academic workshop entitled:
“Trump’s Language Policy: Instrument of National Cohesion or Mechanism of Marginalization?” The session was attended by a distinguished group of scholars and researchers.
The workshop focused on Executive Order 14224, issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, which designated English as the sole official language of the federal government. This decision sparked considerable controversy among legal, human rights, and political communities both within the United States and internationally.
Miss. Abdulrahman provided a comprehensive overview of the historical context surrounding the debate on official language policies in the United States. She analyzed the legal, political, and social dimensions of the executive order, particularly its implications for minority and immigrant communities—over 67 million of whom speak a language other than English at home.
The presentation emphasized that the revocation of Executive Order 13166, which had previously mandated the provision of federal services in multiple languages, could pose significant challenges to social cohesion and cultural diversity in the United States.
Drawing on international case studies from Canada, India, and Switzerland, Abdulrahman offered a comparative analysis of multilingual governance. She argued that embracing linguistic and cultural diversity need not conflict with efforts to build a cohesive national identity; on the contrary, it can serve as a source of resilience and stability.
The workshop generated active academic engagement and concluded with a set of recommendations, highlighting the need to strike a balance between national identity and the linguistic and cultural rights of diverse communities within democratic systems.
