Welcome to the Center for Multilingualism in Law (ZeMiR)

In the summer semester of 1929, Zaccaria Giacometti gave a lecture at the University of Zurich in Italian entitled “Diritto costituzionale ticinese” (Ticino Constitutional Law). It was a bold and forward-looking initiative, but it remained without continuation: the course was not offered again, partly due to the low number of enrollments.

Nearly a century has passed, and today the situation is very different. At the Faculty of Law of the University of Zurich, not only are degree programs offered in English, but numerous courses and seminars are also held in French and Italian, as well as events in Romansh.

With the aim of making this linguistic richness visible and further strengthening it, the Center for Multilingualism in Law (ZeMiR) was established.

The Center pursues several objectives. First, it seeks to institutionally anchor and make more visible the unique nature of Swiss multilingualism. Second, it aims to better coordinate and more fully utilize the existing potential within the Faculty of Law. Another central feature is its interdisciplinary approach: multilingualism is not addressed solely from a legal perspective, but also through exchange with other disciplines.

The Center will highlight what already exists. Through a central platform, all relevant information on courses, seminars, and academic opportunities in different languages will be brought together—including the possibility of writing seminar papers and theses in French or Italian.

In addition, the Center will serve as a point of contact for students and researchers interested in multilingualism, facilitating exchange and access to practical opportunities, such as internships in French- or Italian-speaking contexts.

Furthermore, it will strengthen dialogue between the university and practice, particularly through collaboration with public institutions and contributions to discussions on the role of languages in law and society.

Finally, the Center will create spaces for shared reflection, such as conferences and interdisciplinary events, with the aim of further developing this field academically.

While Giacometti’s lecture in 1929 remained an isolated experience, today there is an opportunity to take a decisive step: to bring together the many existing initiatives into a coherent and visible strategy, thereby strengthening multilingualism as a central element of Swiss and academic identity—as an expression of linguistic harmony, which is one of the cornerstones of constitutional coexistence in Switzerland.

Elisabetta Fiocchi, Director of ZeMiR