Brussels, 20/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission adopted a new communication in which it revises and adjusts the strategy adopted last year for its translation services. It draws lessons for the future, particularly in terms of the future introduction of new official languages, in order to reinforce the role of translation in the decision-making process.
In May 2004, the Commission adopted an initial communication providing for a series of practical measures, including a system aiming to guarantee the respect for the standard length of the documents to be translated. This action plan had been adopted further to the accession of 10 new Member States, which led to nine new official Community languages, to bring demand for translation within the Commission into line with its translation capacities. Absolute priority was accorded to the translation of European legislation. The action plan also set limits on length for other documents which the directorates general and the services of the Commission submit for translation. These measures have been successfully applied, and will be maintained with the current adjustments, until the end of the transition period, says the Commission. The new communication stresses the following aspects: -the Commission has reinforced its translation capacity by recruiting over 400 temporary and permanent members of staff, increased its translation antennae in the Member States, stepped up training for its translators, redirected its staff depending on needs and taken measures to improve the flow and organisation of the work; -the main changes made today to the action plan consist of translating financial documents into all official languages and increasing the tolerated length of the explanatory memorandum accompanying proposals by the Commission. A more flexible approach will also be applied to the length of press releases to be translated, and resources allocated for the translation of Internet pages will be doubled. The new communication concludes that translation will remain at the heart of the preparation of policies, and must be included, from the very beginning, in preparatory work to avoid hindering the work of the Commission. Experience shown since the 2004 wave of enlargement must, furthermore, be used to prepare for the arrival of new official languages in any future wave of enlargement. Commissioner Jan Figel welcomed the increase in translation capacities of the Commission last year, which has allowed it to respect the legal obligations incumbent upon it in virtue of the treaty. "Multilingualism is now an integral part of a portfolio, and the communication adopted today is a contribution to the multilingual system and the democratic legitimacy of the Union", he added.