Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1520947
12 EWROPEJ maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 MAY 2024 MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt A new language question for the Maltese: interpreters THE European Parliament is a multilingual environment with 24 languages used by staff and translators. It is at the core of the EU as a political project that multi- lingualism ensures that all EU citizens can follow the work of their democratic represent- atives in any of the 24 official languages. Language representation, says the EP's director-gener- al for interpretation Agniesz- ka Walter-Drop, is a principle, something that underlines the sense of belonging of EU mem- ber-states to the project. "It was the first ever regulation of the European community – the of- ficial languages – in 1958; back then it was four, today it is 24." And this is certainly Wal- ter-Drop's mission: ensuring that this principle, the official language being used, is fully re- spected and employed. Which is why Walter-Drop also has a problem: a shortage of Mal- tese-language interpreters, the lack of which has been almost politicised between Malta's two parties about who, or what, is responsible for the dearth of in- terpreters inside the European Parliament booths. For now, the Maltese and Irish languages benefit from a der- ogation from the EU law that makes translation and interpre- tation into national languages mandatory. But the concern for the Maltese language is clear, says Walter-Drop, who wants to ensure that a national effort is also underway to produce high-quality interpreters who are ready to take up the Brussels career option as a long-term in- vestment. Walter-Drop is herself part and parcel of the European pro- ject. She had been chief of staff for the Polish negotiating team at EU accession, like Malta and entrant back in 2004. Since then, she has lived the 20-year development of the 'new' Union as part and parcel of its exten- sive civil service. "Having been part of the acces- sion process, 20 years on I can see where we are as a country, and where Malta is. It's been a success for all countries. But it's also a moment when there's al- so a lot of public attention as to how Europe works – our pres- ence as member states and cit- izens in EU policymaking," she says while in Malta, where she held meetings with University of Malta staff to monitor the progress in encouraging more interpretation graduates to take up the Brussels career option. Malta has been hit by a dearth in interpreters who are quali- fied enough to make the grade in Brussels as fully-fledged staff members. Instead, the Maltese language is serviced by free- lancers, some of whom do not necessarily live in Brussels or even in Malta. The freelance situation has allowed the EP's interpretation service to make efficient use of the Maltese in- terpretation effort: with six MEPs present in fewer commit- tees and other configurations outside the plenary, a team of 22 freelancers can be managed to tailor specifically for inter- pretation needs. But the interpretation service goes further: staff members work on other support services, training the new generation of interpreters, preparing outreach campaigns, as well as organising meetings, booking facilities and managing some 100 meeting rooms, conference missions, re- mote participation… it's a com- bined effort. "With six Maltese MEPs, we need interpreters for the plenary sessions, the biggest political groups – EPP and S&D – and other legislative activity. So we have a problem because we cannot recruit enough peo- ple to cover this demand. On top of that, we are yet to see two interpreters retiring, so recruit- ment is question of sustainabili- ty," Walter-Drop says. While the University of Malta is actively enrolling students to embark on the demanding ca- reer of an interpreter, the road from graduation to Brussels is not always exactly a smooth one. "We must help young people understand their potential," Walter-Drop says. "This is one of the things we want to convey: people who want to become in- terpreters need to be very open and flexible. They need to be able to work under stress, have a capacity to understand com- plex situations, and process in- formation quickly. "You need to have an interest in many subjects and curiosi- ty. A very specific quality is the ability to understand not only the language, but also the cul- tural context. For example, in translation, you can check some terms. In interpretation, you need to have it at your finger- tips." This challenge is not a small one: if university graduates can- not match up to the standards that Brussels requires when it comes to interpretation, as well as being au fait with the cultur- al context of the MEPs they are interpreting for, accessing this career may be harder than ex- pected. "We are working with uni- versities to find a way to talk about this career. There are many challenges in this work, but for many people, this can be attractive. You can get peo- ple who want to contribute to something which is important for European society, who want to work in an international en- vironment, who want to be part of the European institutions. It requires a lot of investment in education, practice, and train- ing. We are ready to support this," Walter-Drop says. From a language point of view, it means that the better candi- dates for these Brussels postings tend to be interpreters whose understanding of language goes beyond mere 'translation'. "You need to be able to lis- ten carefully and understand," Walter-Drop says. "You need to follow the speaker and under- stand the context. You need to have the capacity to put your- self in the shoes of the speaker. This requires a certain quality of empathy and understanding of the speaker's intentions. It's about transferring not only the words but the meaning behind them. It's not about the literal translation. It's about conveying the message, the meaning, and intent. You need to be able to capture the tone and the emo- tions. This is a very demanding and specific skill. But it can be very rewarding." Walter-Drop insists that en- suring the future of Maltese as a language that is readily available for interpretation is also a mat- ter that hits at the core of Euro- pean identity and UE member- For the European Parliament's director-general for interpretation Agnieszka Walter-Drop, making sure Malta can produce high-quality interpreters for the EP is part of her mission