EU translation needs many scientific and technical disciplines
The upcoming renewal of the translation staff in Brussels and Luxembourg presents a unique opportunity for inter-sectoral collaboration that could enrich the Greek language.
In 1981, when Greece became the 10th member of the European
Communities, there were no established translation faculties. Treaty texts were translated by teams of linguist lawyers and the translation units of EU institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg were staffed with linguist graduates from various disciplines, who had received training in schools abroad or had gained practical experience in translation. These early translators were not only lawyers, but engineers of all specialties (civil, mechanical, etc.), architects, chemists, physicists, pharmacists, biologists, mathematicians and economists. They were all fluent in foreign languages and, most importantly, they had excellent writing and oral skills in Greek.
Slowly, as translation and interpretation university departments were being established, first the department at the Ionian University in 1986, then at the
University of Athens in 1998 and finally at Aristotle University in 2003, translation units in Brussels and Luxembourg started recruiting translators with no specialized technical background.
Today, this first generation of translators of scientific and technical background is gradually retiring. Over the next few years, a significant number of active specialized translators will end their careers. Of course, the question arises whether translators of general duties will be sufficient to meet the translation needs of EU institutions. Especially considering the fact that EU texts to be translated are becoming more complex. The translation of complex organic compounds in Greek using the accepted nomenclature is a difficult task even for experienced chemists. The texts for heater/cooler energy specifications, with their complicated terms and definitions, require knowledge of mechanical engineering. The specifications for the European railway system, aviation, fishing gear and fish stocks also pose considerable terminology issues. Not to mention the financial documents to be translated for the new European Semester procedures or the excessive deficit procedures. Finally, the texts for research programs in areas such as nanotechnology, robotics and distributed computing often require specialized knowledge and above all understanding of basic scientific concepts with which graduates of a theoretical (humanities) background are not always familiar.
How could we tackle this problem? In the short-term, we could encourage participation of specialized scientists of all disciplines in the open competition scheduled for 2014 in order to ensure the short-listing of successful candidates to be hired as translators. The essential requirements would be knowledge of, apart from Greek, at least two of the 24 official languages of the
Union (one of which must be English, French or German).

In the mid- to long-term, it is hoped that the existing postgraduate programs in the field of translation will co-operate with the respective science university departments to achieve the following: Firstly, to admit graduate engineers, physicists, pharmacists and biologists, and any other scientist who would like to work as a translator. It is noted that translation schools already have courses for the translation of legal and financial texts and also some terminology courses, however the participation of scientists would certainly have a much more tangible and positive impact. Secondly, to train translators in technical and scientific fields, so that they may understand and translate successfully difficult technical texts.
The translation services of EU institutions need translators from the language industry. But they cannot overcome the need for specialized translators with technical knowledge in many subject areas to cover all EU fields of action.
Translation into all official languages of the European Union is not an unnecessary luxury. The European Union generates law directly applicable to citizens who are entitled to be informed in their national language about the laws that affect them. The very first regulation issued by the forerunner of today's Union, i.e. the European Economic Community, was about the language regime. Through the successive accessions of new Member States, the Union now has 24 official working languages. Multilingualism is a fundamental feature of the Union to the point that translation is known as the official language of the Union!
Nevertheless, translation does not necessarily need to be a "betrayal", as claimed by the Italians (“Traduttore, traditore” is a typical Italian expression that literally means "translator, traitor"). Indeed there is no room for betrayal when it comes to the technical, and often complex, texts translators are asked to translate for the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the
European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, the
European Court of Justice, the Committee or the Translation Centre for the
Bodies of the European Union. Because it is these texts that often affect the everyday life of Greek citizens who have every right to be properly informed in their own language. Into Greek, one of the 24 official languages of the
European Union...