Officially, the European Parliament gives all MEPs the right to speak in any of the 24 official EU languages. EU law mandates that instant interpretation must be provided in all official languages, including Maltese, to ensure that all EU citizens and their elected representatives can effectively participate in the EU’s democratic processes.

Since Malta joined the European Union in 2004, the European Parliament hasn’t been able to provide interpretation into and from Maltese on an effective and consistent basis. If other MEPs cannot understand Maltese through interpretation, how can Maltese MEPs contribute to the EU’s decision-making process in their native language?

Rule 174 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament stipulates that interpretation into every EU language has to be provided at every committee and delegation meeting. The subsequent rule provides leeway for a derogation of Rule 174 in the case that there aren’t enough interpreters available. This derogation is currently in place for the Maltese and Irish languages. After discussion with Giancarlo Zucchetto, the Acting Head of the Maltese and Italian Booths in the European Parliament, he provided us with further insight about the nature of the derogation.

Zucchetto asserted that the derogation is a necessity due to the lack of Maltese interpreters available. He explained how the derogation is not the cause of the lack of supply but an effect of it. It was made so that priorities were set for the active interpreters. With the limited resources present, priorities have to be set in places where Maltese will be requested. Plenary sessions will be covered, unless extraordinary circumstances arise, as they are top priority. For other meetings, such as group meetings and committees, it will depend on the importance of meeting.

Earlier this year, the issue of the derogation resurfaced when MEPs voted on its extension. This naturally left Maltese MEPs disappointed, with some claiming to have voted against it. The blame was passed around between the President of the European Parliament and the Maltese Prime Minister. Months have passed and nothing has changed. In order to find out how to meet this high demand, one must find out why there is such a low supply. 

The Head of Unit of Maltese Interpretation at the European Commission, Peter Mifsud, shared what he personally thinks are the reasons behind this. “The first problem is lack of awareness of the profession,” he stated. A contrast was made between the high demand for Maltese interpreters from EU institutions and the lack of demand for the same profession in the local private market. Pointing out that the profession is still in its early stages in Malta, Mifsud highlights that the low supply comes from a lack of awareness from the public on the profession itself, what it offers, and what the requirements are. He said that young people, especially youths that are still making up their minds on their future career path, need to be better informed about this option.

Currently, there are 28 Maltese interpreters in the EU working on a freelance basis, plus nine full time staff interpreters at the European Commission based in Brussels. The 28 freelance interpreters are in a common pool from which all EU institutions recruit. This means that other EU institutions might recruit these interpreters and hence less will be available to work at the European Parliament at a given time. In order for one to become a freelance interpreter at the EU, one must pass the EU Accreditation Test. To be eligible to apply for this test, one must have a graduate or postgraduate degree in interpreting and “must have a perfect command of one EU language and a thorough command of at least two others.”

But why are the only interpreters at our disposal working on a freelance basis instead of full-time if the demand is so high? When asking a former student of interpreting at the University of Malta about the lack of Maltese interpreters, they had this to say: “There is a massive lack of Maltese interpreters in the EU. I think one of the main problems is that this career is not on students’ minds.” According to them, there have been years where no one has sat for the Accreditation Test. They showed their concern about how many students are not aware of what an interpreter does and the social implications that this has on the Maltese culture and identity. 

Whereas many believe apathy from students about this job has stemmed from the misbelief that the EU only employs Maltese interpreters on a freelance basis, a graduate of the EU accreditation test told us what they think about this. The student states that the EU employs people who pass the accreditation test on a freelance basis, in the short term. The reasoning behind this is for prospective employees to familiarise themselves. After this, the prospective employee might be offered a permanent position if the EU institution they have been working for deems them fit. They stated that working on a freelance basis grants one more freedom and doesn’t oblige them to relocate to Brussels permanently.

The Heads of Booths, who are responsible for Maltese interpretation in their respective institutions, also shed light on why the majority of Maltese interpreters work on a freelance basis. Working on a freelance basis offers one more freedom, in contrast to being a staff interpreter, which means one has to be based in Brussels. Giancarlo Zucchetto added that the Maltese Booth is constantly looking for permanent recruits.

On top of this, they emphasise the hunger the Maltese booth in the EU has for more interpreters and how there aren’t enough students to satisfy this demand. The high demand stems from the fact that each meeting requires a team of three interpreters, and there aren’t enough Maltese interpreters for this. Zucchetto explained the need for three interpreters. Simultaneous interpreting (meaning interpreting into another language as the speech is being delivered) is a tough task mentally, as one needs to process what is being said, turn it into another language and speak the translated version. Interpreting from one language to another can prove to be a difficult task as one can’t translate what is being said literally, but the idea of what is being said. Due to the cognitive challenge, an interpreter usually works in periods of 20 minutes. Hence, in groups of three, interpreters can constantly switch between themselves.

In retrospect, all the three people that were interviewed shared similar sentiments. They have a passion for languages and interpreting, and wish to see more awareness being raised about it.

The thought behind this article was to clear out any ambiguities about this career and hopefully inform the public about the real world of interpreting into/from Maltese, encouraging more prospective students and employees to enter this crucial field. 

Main photo: European Parliament/JAVIER BERNAL REVERT