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LAST UPDATE12 12 2023

Translation at the EU institutions

The work of the various EU institutions, agencies and bodies relies on high-quality written translations by professional linguists.

This – and other language-related services – involves converting texts from and into the 24 official EU languages, as well as some non-EU languages.

Alongside internal working documents (reports, minutes, etc.), the overarching task is to ensure that the laws (and case law) passed by the EU – which come with binding rights and obligations – can be understood by people and businesses, and the courts that have to enforce them.

The other core task of translation is to produce public information and communication material – such as press releases, speeches and social media. Doing this in every EU language brings the institutions closer to the public and promotes transparent and democratic decision-making.

How we work

Our translation staff generally translate into their mother tongue. This means, for example, that texts intended for Danish readers will be produced by a native speaker of Danish – essential for ensuring the message in the original text is conveyed both accurately and clearly.

For maximum efficiency, we use modern translation technologies, such as computer-assisted translation, translation memories, machine translation, terminology databases and other online resources.

Part of the translation work may be outsourced to freelance contractors.

Translation issues across all the different EU institutions are coordinated by a central forum, the Interinstitutional Committee for Translation and Interpretation.

Working with us

Social and technological changes in the way we work call for different profiles. Besides translators, we also need terminologists, language technology specialists, lawyer-linguists, editors, proofreaders and intercultural and language experts.

For full details of the different job types available, see the links for each institution below.

By institution