A high-level delegation from the European Commission visited our Bath campus to celebrate the strong links between the EU institutions and our successful interpreting and translating courses, and to share tips and advice with current students hoping to secure interpreting jobs after graduating.

The delegation included Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, Director-General of DG Interpretation (DG SCIC); and Morag Neath, Head of the English and Irish Interpreting Unit. DG Calavera was also representing the interpreting services of the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the EU.

During their visit, they met Vice-Chancellor Professor Phil Taylor to discuss future requirements for interpreters and translators; as well as Professor Peter Lambert, Head of the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies (PoLIS); Dr Karoline von Oppen, Head of Languages; Miguel Fialho, Director of Studies for Postgraduate Programmes in Interpreting and Translating; and Louise Jarvis, Coordinator of the European stream of our MA Interpeting and Translating (MAIT) course.

They also fielded questions from current students studying interpreting and translating courses at Bath about topics like developing a career within the European institutions and how to get started.

DG Calavera and Morag Neath passed on two very important messages to students. First, that despite Brexit, English will continue to be an important language in the EU and that there is currently an acute shortage of English mother-tongue interpreters. Second, they explained how, despite advances in artificial intelligence, there are many reasons why the EU will continue to need human interpreters who embrace new technologies, and that new generations of professionals will be instrumental in shaping this evolution.

The University’s MAIT course is a real success story. A significant number of interpreters working in the English booth in the European institutions were trained at the University, whilst many other graduates go on to forge impressive careers interpreting for international organisations all over the world.

The course offers both a European stream and a Chinese stream.

European stream classes are taught from five languages into English (French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish). On the Chinese stream, students interpret from English to Chinese and Chinese to English, mirroring the linguistic setup at major international organisations such as the EU and the UN. The course also includes prestigious placements for students with the European institutions and the United Nations.

Director-General Genoveva Ruiz Calavera spoke enthusiastically about the relationship between the University and EU interpreting institutions:

English is an official language of the European Union and therefore interpreters and other linguistic professionals with English as their mother tongue are still very much needed to facilitate multilingual communication in the EU institutions.

We have enjoyed a long-standing cooperation with the University of Bath and many alumni from its MA in Interpreting and Translating (MAIT) work today as staff or freelance translators and interpreters for the EU, the UN and other international organisations. The interpretation services of the EU institutions are very much looking forward to welcoming new cohorts of interpreters who after passing our accreditation tests will have the opportunity to work in a fascinating profession that builds bridges between the citizens of our Member States and beyond.

The profession is constantly evolving, creating exciting prospects for younger generations, willing to embrace new technological developments. With a steady stream of retirements, there are many job opportunities for graduates willing to embark on this professional path. We very much look forward to welcoming you to our ranks here at the EU.

MAIT Director of Studies, Miguel Fialho, added:

We were delighted to welcome Director-General Calavera and Morag Neath to campus on the first day of the new academic year. It was a wonderful opportunity to understand how the interpreting industry is evolving and showcase the strong links our programmes have with the institutions of the European Union.

It was particularly encouraging to learn that there is still a strong need for interpreters with English as their mother tongue and that Bath consistently produces talented graduates who go on to pass the EU’s stringent accreditation tests. This is testament to the quality of our programmes and excellent calibre of our students.