The European Commission is one of the most ambitious places to work for an interpreter.
The
fact that there is a lack of Italian interpreters at the European
Commission is quite serious. The Italian booth is present in
approximately 45% of the meetings organised by DG Interpretation of the
Commission, in 58% of the meetings organised by DG Interpretation of the
European Parliament and in about 50% of all hearings before the three
jurisdictions that make up the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Bruxelles
is now warning that in the next 10 years the Commission might suffer
from a real deficit of Italian interpreters. About 40% of Italian
interpreters either employed by the Commission or working as freelancers
will be retiring by 2020, leaving a considerable void that needs to be
refilled as soon as possible in order to provide the coverage needed at
meetings where there is the Italian booth.
Obviously the attention
should be focused on the preparation of the future Italian
interpreters. The academic path to become an interpreter is a long one,
but it is maybe one of the most fascinating careers one may aspire to
undertake.
Italian interpreting schools are not many in number but
very prestigious. Academic preparation is based on building the most
required language profile. One of the most popular language profiles for
Italian interpreters is made by combining French, German and English.
Other profiles are taken into account depending on the needs of the
various institutions, however. Thanks to the possibility of lifelong
learning, the young performers can then consolidate and enrich their
language combination. In addition to excellent knowledge of their
passive languages, the interpreter is clearly required to have an
absolute mastery of the mother tongue, an essential business tool in the
process of communication that forms an interpreter's work.
Certainly
not every Italian interpreter will or may be able to work at the
European Commission, but the good aspect of studying translation and
interpreting is that they open various possible career paths.
Being
fully proficient in foreign languages and having an interpreting degree
allows aspiring interpreters access to a varied range of jobs where
languages play a very important role. The biggest mistake when talking
about translation and interpreting lies in the idea of conceiving the
study of language as a very restricted field.
Translators are not
just working in publishing. Translators work in theatre and cinema.
Thinking about cinema, Italy is home to some of the most well respected
dubbing schools in the world where translators are indeed frequently
required. And so it is the same for interpreters. The need for
interpreters is not only for EU institutions, but also for ONGs,
embassies, international companies, advertisement agencies and last but
not least tourism.
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