Abstract: This paper comprises a comparative analysis of the attitude towards diversity as mirrored by the linguistic policy of the European Union and that of the Habsburg Monarchy. Legal translations, which mainly pose terminological problems, are an indispensable element for multilinguistic contexts and are therefore relevant to this topic. The paper aims to identify similarities between the two approaches to multilingualism by also bringing the concept of equality into discussion. 

Key words: diversity, equality, European Union, Habsburg Monarchy, legal translation and terminology