merrion street

• Launch event hosted by Sharon Ní Bheoláin
• Translator competition offering 62 posts launched today

Up to 180 jobs for Irish language speakers are expected to become available in the EU institutions in Brussels and Luxemburg between now and the end of 2021. A recruitment campaign for the first 62 Translator positions has just been launched.

The announcement of the positions was made today at a briefing in Dublin which was hosted by RTÉ’s Sharon Ní Bheoláin. The event was attended by Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Sean Kyne TD, Mr Rytis Martikonis, DG of Translation at the European Commission and Ms Sarah Rooney of the European Personnel Selection Office.

Sean Kyne TD, Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs, said that this announcement demonstrates practical reasons for people to study Irish. “Often, school students have felt there were only very limited careers arising out of Irish language studies. This is a wonderful opportunity to pursue a rewarding international career and to raise the profile of our national language across Europe.”

Mr Rytis Martikonis, Director General of Translation at the European Commission, encourages Irish linguists to apply for these jobs: “It’s a stimulating time for the Irish-speaking community. The EU institutions are fully committed and will work in close partnership with Ireland in meeting the challenges ahead. These positions represent great professional and personal opportunities and I urge you all to apply and participate actively in the competition.”

Applications can be made via the recruitment website www.jobs.eu-careers.eu. The competition is open to university graduates, including those graduating this summer, with an excellent command of Irish and a thorough knowledge of at least two other official EU languages including English, French or German. The salary scale for the positions starts at €4,384 per month. Successful candidates may also qualify for additional allowances depending on their personal circumstances.


Note for Editors
Irish was recognised as an official and working language of the European Union in 2007. Since then, a derogation on the level of Irish language services to be provided has been in place. In December 2015, the European Council adopted a regulation aimed at ending the derogation by the end of 2021. EU institutions are now preparing to gradually provide Irish language services at the same level as those provided for the other official languages of the EU. With this in mind, this competition to recruit Irish language translators has opened today and will close on July 12th. The competition is to fill up to 62 positions for Irish-speaking linguists based in Brussels and Luxembourg.