The first two Flemish translations of the Code civil (1804-1807): walking a tightrope

This article seeks to illuminate the emergence and development of a legal translation policy within a local context. It focuses, in particular, on the case of two Flemish translators navigating legal constraints, competing publishers, and shifting policies and perspectives during the final years of the French period in the former Southern Netherlands (1795–1815). At the heart of the discussion are two recently discovered lawsuits from 1807 involving these translators and competing “first” versions of the French Code civil (1804–1807). Strange as it may seem, the initiative, control, printing and publishing of such translations following Napoleon’s arrival in the annexed Flemish-speaking departments ceased to be the exclusive domain of official judicial authorities. The latter now shared with private institutions a newly emerged field, revealing divergent understandings of intellectual property rights, translatorial authorship, translation knowledges and techniques, commercial strategies, and career paths within local administrations.