Research project
LangPro: Professional Opportunities in the Early Modern Language Sector (1550-1650)
In early modern Europe, as today, men and women with expertise in languages were indispensable to the functioning of societies and economies. However, we know remarkably little about these language specialists and their impact because they have never been studied as a distinct professional group.
- Duration
- 2026 - 2031
- Contact
- Alisa van de Haar
- Funding
- ERC Starting Grant
The LangPro project aims to change this by mapping the early modern language sector; that part of the economy that revolved around professional language skills. It examines the financial, professional, and social opportunities the language sector offered, with particular attention to the role of women in this field. In doing so, the project sheds new light on the significance of language expertise in the early modern labour market and in society more broadly.
The early modern period witnessed a surge in the use of language skills: the spread of the printing press marked a media revolution that both exploded and shifted professional opportunities for anyone who possessed language skills and wished to exploit them. While the printing industry sought out proofreaders, translators, and typesetters, there was no less need for writing experts mastering the various scripts customary for each language and context. The rocketing number of printed and manuscript books coming onto the market boosted the demand for librarians, and secretaries and interpreters were highly sought after since increasing levels of bureaucracy and global trade marked early modern Europe.
Recent research suggests that language professionals—individuals who used their language skills such as reading, writing, or knowledge of multiple language professionally—were a distinct professional category, since the diverse language-based occupations were often combined: language teachers doubled as translators, scribes, or correctors. However, the breadth and impact of early modern language professions, in contrast with crafts such as the textile or even painting industry, has not been mapped beyond stand-alone studies on printers, calligraphers, or language professors. This lacuna is problematic on multiple fronts: it causes an underestimation of the historical value of language as a skill; it skews insight into the makeup of the early modern workforce; and it conceals the societal impact of language professions.
To address this gap in research, LangPro will study language professionals in North-West Europe from 1550 to 1650, a region and time marked by a stark growth in the demand for language expertise. The project team will collaboratively develop a database of early modern language professionals. Individual sub-projects examine the social status and cultural representation of language workers; their organization in guilds and other professional associations; financial flows within the language industry; and the opportunities this sector offered to early modern women. By addressing these themes, LangPro will lay the groundwork for historical research putting the spotlight on language professionals.
