2. Transylvanian Saxons - A Portrait

II. Transylvanian Saxons – A Portrait

3. Maintaining independence despite changing national affiliations.
   An overview of a nearly 900-year history
4. Transylvanian Landlers
5. Emigration and integration in America: Canada and the USA
6. The reasons for emigration and the integration process in Germany
7. Legal traditions
8. Religion and ecclesiastical history
9. Economic achievements
10. Science and Technology
11. The school system of the Transylvanian Saxons
12. Transylvanian-German literature and theatre
13. Transylvanian Art and Artists, then and now
14. Architecture, more than fortified churches
15. Music in Transylvania and Transylvanian-Saxon musicians
16. Customs and community life
17. The dialect of the Transylvanian Saxons
18. Poetry in the mother tongue (dialect poetry)
19. Transylvanian Saxon identity
20. Transylvanian-Saxon coats of arms and logos

III. Attachment: Transylvanian-Saxon associations today

21. Political associations
22. Religious institutions
23. Cultural and scientific associations
24. Social associations
25. Youth organizations
26. Other Transylvanian-Saxon associations

Multilingual publication in German, English and Romanian

The migration movements of the 20^th century also led to a change in the importance of the language as a unifying bond of the Transylvanian-Saxon community. On the one hand, the dialect is spoken by fewer and fewer descendants, and on the other hand, the understanding of it has even been lost in some cases.

Most Transylvanian Saxons and those interested in Transylvanian Saxon cultural heritage have German as their mother tongue.

The Transylvanian Saxons, some of whom have been living in the USA and Canada since the end of the 19^th century, speak English as their first language, understand little German and very few understand the Transylvanian Saxon dialect. Furthermore, English is now the lingua franca; without adequate translations into English, the Transylvanian-Saxon cultural heritage cannot be optimally introduced into the global public discourse.

In German schools in Romania, over 90 per cent of the pupils are of another nationality, usually Romanian. A significant proportion of these pupils show a strong interest in the Transylvanian Saxon cultural heritage and are willing to learn about and develop it. Moreover, the presence of numerous cultural assets in Transylvania merits particular attention. The preservation of these cultural assets is contingent on the cooperation of Romanian society and the Romanian state. Consequently, efforts should be made to ensure that translations into Romanian are of high standard.