Commission to launch drive for more translators

By Martin Banks

Date: 04/11/04

THE European Commission is to mount a massive recruitment campaign after failing to hire enough translators.

In the wake of EU enlargement, as the number of official languages rose from 11 to 20, the Commission's work is being undermined by a shortage of translators.

Only 189 translators have so far been recruited from the ten new member states - well under the required number of 455.

The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament are in the same predicament - and that is before the expected arrival of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007.

Karl-Johan Lonnroth, director-general for the Commission's translation services, said that the Lithuanian, Latvian, Maltese and Slovenian languages presented the biggest challenge.

So far, there are only between 13-18 translators for each of these languages, when the target figure is 50-55.

The Commission has had more success recruiting for the five other new official languages, for which there are about 130 translators.

But this still falls well short of the number of translators for the EU's original 11 official languages for which there are 90-150 translators per language.

Lonnroth, whose 2,000-strong directorate is one of the biggest in the Commission, said: "The situation is actually a lot better than it was on 1 May when we started with only ten translators for each of the new official languages.

"We now have between 20-30 translators per language and, by 1 January, I hope to have 50-55.

"That will still be short of the desired figure but a major improvement on the current situation."

Commission translators, who are based in Brussels and Luxembourg, handle all written communications relevant to the launch of EU legislation, including green and white papers, reports and citizens' letters.

This year, they will translate an estimated 1.6 million pages of text.

Lonnroth, who heads what he says is the world's biggest linguistic service, admitted that to help tackle the problem, the Commission's translators have "had to prioritize" work.

"For example, priority has been given to translating documents which have financial and legal implications, and less to reports," he said.

Staff have also been asked to produce shorter documents. Before 1 May, the average Commission communication was 37 pages. Now it is 15 pages. In addition, the Commission had to employ temporary and freelance translators. Some 90% of the current 189 translators from new member states are on one-year contracts.

Lonnroth, a Finn, admitted that "the current shortfall is causing a lot of problems".

"We have a legal obligation to translate all legislative proposals into each of the 20 official languages.

"Before they are translated and published in the Official Journal proposals cannot enter into force in the member states. If even one paragraph in a legal act has not been translated, we have a problem," he said.

The Commission now plans a "special effort" to recruit more translators, particularly in Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Malta, but Lonnroth believes that the executive faces a big challenge.

"We will be sending out teams of recruiters to these countries and will also ask member states and universities to help us find suitable candidates," he said.

Article reports that the European Commission is to mount a massive recruitment campaign after failing to hire enough translators. Prior to November 2004 only 189 translators were recruited from the ten new Member States - well below the required number of 455.