Careers in interpreting

To work as an interpreter for the European Parliament, an interpreter must:

• hold a recognised university degree in conference interpreting or

• hold a recognised university degree in any subject and a postgraduate qualification in conference interpreting or

• hold a recognised university degree in any subject and have documented experience in consecutive and simultaneous conference interpreting (not to be confused with court interpreting, liaison interpreting, etc.)

To cover its needs while maintaining the requisite flexibility, the European Parliament employs both staff interpreters (officials), on a permanent basis, and freelance interpreters.

While all official EU languages are treated on an equal footing, the ability to work from a less widely known language is a considerable advantage, as is the ability to work both into and out of your mother tongue. Language combinations should also include the more widely spoken languages, such as English, French, German, Italian and Spanish - especially for two-way interpretation.

To work as a staff interpreter for the European Parliament

The European Institutions organise recruitment competitions for staff interpreters through the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) whenever vacant posts are to be filled. Competitions for those wishing to become officials of the European Parliament are announced on the EPSO website.

The relevant conditions are published in the Official Journal of the European Union (Series C), which contains the notice of competition, a detailed guide to the procedure and the mandatory application form.

The Official Journal also details the entry conditions, languages required and the precise tests involved. These are determined for each competition in accordance with the needs of the Interpreting Service.

To work as a freelance interpreter (ACI) for the European Parliament

Candidates may apply to sit an interpreting test in order to be registered on the list of auxiliary conference interpreters whose services are called upon by the European Institutions.

Tests for freelance interpreters are organized interinstitutionally by the interpreting services of the three institutions, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Court of Justice. All three institutions are represented on the test panel.

Successful candidates will be added to a joint list of freelance interpreters and accredited to work for all three Institutions. Details about the conditions and the online application form are only available on the interinstitutional web page 'Interpreting for Europe'.

For further information see:

EPSO website

Official Journal of the European Union

Interpreting for Europe

Traineeships for conference interpreters