English loses dominance in European Commission as interpreters retire

ENGLISH WILL soon be overtaken as the dominant linguistic force within the European Commission’s interpreting services.

The commission said yesterday it is set to lose one-third of its English language interpreters by 2015 due to retirement and a shortage of new recruits, which means there will soon be more French, German and Italian interpreters working within its institutions.

A large number of native-speaking English linguists were recruited from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s after Ireland’s and the United Kingdom’s accession to the then EC in 1973.

But as they reach retirement age, they are not being replaced at the same rate as other interpreters. The situation has prompted a recruitment drive by the commission to attract young English-speaking graduates to the profession. There is “a tangible deficit” in the number of English booth interpreters available at peak times, the commission said.

“Although the universities are beginning to produce a steady flow of good candidates for our accreditation tests, as yet the numbers coming on stream are not sufficient to meet present or projected demand, particularly in view of the age pyramid in the English interpreting unit,” it said.

Director of the European Commission representation in Ireland Martin Territt said: “DG Translation, the commission’s service responsible for translating documentation, is facing a major generational change. Demand for translation into English has increased 45 per cent over the last five years. We need the best translators with English as a first language. Irish people are in a unique position to work in a stimulating and rewarding career,” he said.