Post on 24-Oct-2014
Directorate-General for Translation
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Translation at the European Commission (DGT): Traineeships, Translation
Competitions and Freelance Translation
Alberto RivasNovember 2009
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1. GENERAL BACKGROUND
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The European Union: 493 million people – 27 countries
Member states of the European Union
Candidate countries
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Eight enlargements
1952 1973 1981 1986
1990 1995 2004 2007
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23 official languages
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Official languages: 1958 - 2008
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The treaties – basis for democratic cooperation built on law
1952The European Steel and
Coal Community
1958The treaties of Rome:
ECC + EURATOM
1987The European Single Act: the Single Market
1993Treaty of
European Union – Maastricht
1999Treaty of
Amsterdam
2003Treaty of Nice
2007Treaty of Lisbon
(signed)
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The new Lisbon Treaty
Signed in December 2007, it will enter into force on 1 December 2009
The Treaty will make the European Union:
More efficient – “Qualified” majority voting in the Council (instead of unanimity), full-time president for the Council.
More democratic - Stronger role for the European Parliament and national parliaments, "Citizens initiative“ (1 million people), the Charter of Fundamental Rights will be legally binding.
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The Lisbon Treaty
and also…
More united on the world stage - a reinforced High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, extended EU’s role to disarmament operations, military advice and assistance, and helping to restore stability after conflicts.
More secure - new provisions strengthening the EU’s ability to fight international cross border crime, illegal immigration, trafficking of people, arms and drugs, etc.
Social objectives: promotion of a high level of employment
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How is the EU’s money spent?
Total EU budget 2008: 129.1 billion euro = 1.03% of Gross National Income
Citizens, freedom,security and justice
1%
Other, administration6%
Sustainable growth:new jobs, cohesion,
research45%
The EU as a global player:including development aid
6%
Natural resources:agriculture,environment
43%
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Some examples of EU policies
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Fighting the climate change
To stop global warming, EU leaders decided in 2007 to:reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by
2020 (30% if other developed countries do likewise) improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020raise the share of renewable energy
to 20% by 2020 (wind, solar, hydro power, biomass)
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Improving growth and employment
Challenges:Demography: Europeans live longer, have fewer
children Globalisation: European economy faces
competition from other parts of the worldClimate change: Emission of greenhouse gases
must come down Solutions: European leaders have therefore agreed on a joint strategy for:
More research and innovationA more dynamic business environmentInvesting in peopleA greener economy
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Promoting research
Spending on research and development in percentage of Gross Domestic Product, 2006
1.8%
3.0%
1.3%
2.6%
3.3%
EU EU objectivefor 2010
China Japan United States
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Investing in less well-off EU regions through social, regional and cohesion funds
2007-2013: 347 billion euro invested for infrastructure, business, environment and training of workers for less well-off regions or citizens Regional fund Social fund Cohesion fund
Convergence objective: regions with GDP per capita under 75% of the EU average. 81.5% of the funds are spent on this objective.
Regional competitiveness and employment objective.
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The euro – a single currency for Europeans
EU countries using the euroEU countries not using the euro
Can be used everywhere in the euro area
Coins: one side with national symbols, one side common
Notes: no national side
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The single market: freedom of choice
Since 1993:
2.5 million new jobs prices of phone calls and airfares halved
Four freedoms of movement:
goods
services
people
capital
©G
etty
Imag
es
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Freedom of people’s movement
“Schengen space”:No police or customs checks at
borders between most EU countries Controls strengthened at EU
external borders More cooperation between police
from different EU countries You can buy and bring back any
goods for personal use when you travel between EU countries
©C
orbi
s
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More opportunities to study abroad
Over two million young people have studied or pursued personaldevelopment in other Europeancountries with support from EU-programmes: Comenius: school education
Erasmus: higher education
Leonardo da Vinci: vocational training
Grundtvig: adult education
Youth in Action: voluntary work andnon-formal education©
Get
ty Im
ages
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Mesures to improve health and environment
Pollution knows no borders – joint action neededEU action has helped bring us: Cleaner bathing water Much less acid rain Lead-free petrol Free and safe disposal of old electronic equipment Strict rules on food safety from farm to fork More organic and quality farming More effective health warnings on cigarettes Registration and control of all chemicals (REACH)
©Va
n Pa
rys
Med
ia
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An area of freedom, security and justice
Charter of Fundamental Rights Joint fight against terrorism Police and law-enforcers from
different countries cooperate Coordinated asylum and immigration
policies Civil law cooperation
©Eu
rope
anU
nion
Pol
ice
Mis
sion
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External EU action: exporting peace and prosperity
World trade rules
Common foreign and security policy
Development assistance and humanitarian aid
EU runs the peacekeeping operations and the rebuilding of society in
war-torn countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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European Parliament
The EU institutions
Court of Justice
Court of Auditors
Economic and Social Committee
Committee of the Regions
Council of Ministers(Council of the EU)
European Commission
European Investment Bank European Central Bank
Agencies
European Council (summit)
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An EU Agency in Thessaloniki
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)
• Established in 1975 and originally based in Berlin, in 1995 Cedefop's head office was transferred to Thessaloniki
• Promotion of a European area of lifelong learning throughout an enlarged EU
• It does this by providing information on and analyses of vocational education and training systems, policies, research and practice
• http://www.cedefop.europa.eu
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How EU laws are made
Citizens, interests groups, experts: discuss, consult
Commission: makes formal proposal
Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly
Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation
National or local authorities: implement
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United Kingdom
The European Parliament – voice of the people
13
24
78
78
14
Italy
Ireland
24Hungary
Greece
99Germany
France
Finland
6Estonia
14Denmark
24Czech Republic
6Cyprus
18Bulgaria
24Belgium
18Austria
Decides EU laws and budget together with Council of Ministers Democratic supervision of all the EU’s work
Total 785
78
19Sweden
54Spain
7Slovenia
14Slovakia
35Romania
24Portugal
54Poland
27Netherlands
5Malta
6Luxembourg
13Lithuania
9Latvia
Number of members elected in each country
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The European political parties
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Council of Ministers – voice of the member States
One minister from each EU country
Presidency: rotates every six months
Decides EU laws and budget together
with Parliament
Manages the Common Foreign and
Security Policy
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Council of Ministers – number of votes per country
345Total:
3Malta
4Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia
7Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland
10Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden
12Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal
13Netherlands
14Romania
27Spain and Poland
29Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom
“Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:255 votes and a majority of member States
Lisbon Treaty: from 2014 on, “double majority” - 55% of member States representing 65% from UE population
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Summit at the European Council
Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries
Held at least 3 times a yearSets the overall guidelines for EU policies
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Two new faces for Europe
Herman Van Rompuy, EU’s first permanent President of the European Council
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
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The European Commission, an executive organ
27 independent members, one from each EU country
Proposes new legislationPromotes common interest Guardian of the treatiesRepresents the EU on the international
stage
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The Court of Justice – enforcing the law
27 independent judges,one from each EU countryRules on how to interpret EU lawEnsures EU laws are used in the same
way in all EU countries
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The European Court of Auditors: monitoring the use of your money
27 independent members
Checks that EU funds are used properly
Can audit any person or organisation dealing with EU funds
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Ensures price stability
Controls money supply and decides interest rates
Works independently from governments
The European Central Bank:managing the euro
Jean-Claude TrichetPresident of the Central Bank
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The European Economic and Social Committee: voice of civil society
344 members
Represents trade unions, employers, farmers, consumers etc
Advises on new EU laws and policies
Promotes the involvement of civil society in EU matters
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The Committee of the Regions:voice of local government
344 members
Represents cities, regions
Advises on new EU laws and policies
Promotes the involvement of local government in EU matters
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2. THE DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR TRANSLATION (DGT) AT THE
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
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Context: the European Commission Directorates-General
± 15 policy DGs: Agriculture, Competition, Internal Market, Education and Culture, etc.6 external relations DGs6 general services DGs (Eurostat, OP, etc.)± 10 internal services, for example the DGT
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Why do we translate?
EU laws are binding on its citizens. To be able to comply with them, they - and their courts - have to understand them.The EU is a transparent, multicultural and democratic organisation which wants its citizens to play a full part in its activities.Citizens have a right to make their contributions to the work of the EU institutions without having to learn a foreign language for the purpose.
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Legal basis
Council Regulation No 1/58: “Regulations and other documents of general application shall be drafted in the 21 official languages.”
Treaty establishing the European Community:
Citizens have a right to address the official EU bodies in any of the EU’s official languages and to receive a reply in that language.
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Strategy for Multilingualism
Aims of the Strategy:• to encourage language learning and promoting
linguistic diversity in society• to promote a healthy multilingual economy• to give citizens access to European Union
legislation, procedures and information in their own languages.
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Actions for a multilingual societyEducation: teacher training, early language learning, content and language integrated learning, languages in higher education, academic field of multilingualism, European Indicator of Language Competence, research and development in multilingualism.Actions for a multilingual economy.Multilingualism in the relations with citizens: communication (Internet, publications), greater role of DGT Field Offices, seminars for journalists and opinion multipliers, multilingual tools, supporting European Master’s on interpreting and conferences, providing with a model curriculum of a Master’s degree in translation and VTS, etc.
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Languages most commonly used in the European Union: %
5%
9%
9%
13%
12%
18%
13%
5%
2%
11%
12%
34%
1%
2%
1%
1%
5%
3%Other
(SPONTANEOUS)
Russian
Dutch
Polish
Spanish
Italian
French
German
English
Mother tongue Foreign language
TOTAL
47%
30%
23%
15%
14%
10%
6%
6%
5%
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Ability to hold a conversation in a foreign language (% Country)
Respondents able to participate in a conversation in another language than their mother tongue
% Country
29%
30%
36%
36%
36%
41%
45%
49% 49% 50%
58%
60%
62%
66%
69%
71%
72%
87%
88%
88%
89%
90%
91%
93%
99%
93%
HU
UK
PT
IT
ES
IE
FR
PL
EL
EU25
AT
CZ
DE
FI
SK
BE
CY
EE
SE
DK
SI
LT
NL
MT
LV
LU
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Status of EU official languages (Commission)
Internal working languages (procedural languages) (3): English, French and GermanNon-procedural languages (20):• Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian,
Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Slovak, Slovene, Swedish
• External information and communication• Final version of all official and legislative
documents
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DGT staff and production
23 linguistic departments: 506 possible linguistic combinationsStaff: ± 1 750 translators (plus assistants, total ± 2 350 persons, 50 % in Brussels / 50% inLuxembourg)Total production (2008): 1 805 689 pagesOriginal texts (2008): EN (72%), FR (12%), DE (3%), other languages (13%)
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DGT compared with the translation services of the other EU institutions
56%
13%15%
6%
7%
3%
Comm.EPCouncilESCC. JusticeC. Audit
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What do we translate in DGT?
u Documents forming part of the legislative processu Policy documents u Reports to other institutionsu Commission’s decisions and communicationsu Internal working documentsu Correspondenceu Press materialu Texts for the Webu Speeches, minutes, etc.
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Categories of documents translatedFigure C. Translated pages by document category
August 2005-February 2006
Legislative texts266 632p
(33%)
Documents of political
importance(commu-nications etc.)
160 272p(20%)
Meeting/working documents
31 890p(4%)
Guides/manuals for Member States
7 314p(1%)
Correspondence, letters from citizens
17 964p(2%)
Implementing Member State
legislation12 195p
(2%)
Bulletin3250p(0%) Brochures
8 983p(1%)
Information for the general public
19 359p(2%)
Webpages47 869p
(6%)
Documents arising from legal obligations
96 903p(12%)
Others128 231p
(16%)
August 2005 – February 2006
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DGT internal organisation
K.- J LönnrothDirector General
Adviser
Translation Centre
Assistant
DGT01Audit
DGT02Communication and
Information
DGT03Inter-institutional relations
and general affairs
Directorate A Directorate C *Directorate D *
Transversal linguisticservices
Directorate R -Resources
Directorate S -Translation strategyand Multilingualism
LD DA
LD SV
D2 - WEB-translationLD FI
LD IT
LD ES
D4- Editing
LD PT
LD SK
LD EL
D1 -Field Officesand relations withrepresentations
R3Informatics
R4Training
R2Financial Resources
R5Internal
Administrativematters
R1Human resources
S2External Translation
S3Multilingualism and
terminologycoordination
S1Demand
Management
Horizontal Units
S4Evaluation and
Analysis
LD ET
LD HU
LD LT
LD SL
LD MT
LD LV LD CZ
Directorate B
LD EN
IRISH
D3 - Library/Documentation
LD FR
LD DE
LD NL
LD PL
* EU 10 * EU 10
LUX LUX LUXBRU BRU BRU
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Translation workflow
Pre-processing
Electronic'post-processing'
of text
Text is archived electronically
Translation departmentsends the text
to the customer
Text is translated andrevised
Translation departmentreceives the text
Central Planningsends the text to the relevant
planning unit
Directorate-General sendsrequest for translation
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Specialisation of translators: areas of the Commission's work
Administration Agriculture and rural
development Competition Taxation and customs
union Education and culture Employment and social
affairs Energy and transport Enterprise and industry Environment External relationsFisheries and maritime
affairs
Health and consumer protection Information society and
the media Internal market and
services Economic and financial
affairs Legal affairs Regional policy Research Statistics Trade
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Quality assurance
Some specialisationCompilation and use of translation memories Revision of translations as necessaryCoordination of language versions, electronic exchange of translators’ notesSupport functions: IT, innovation in working methods, terminology, documentation etc.Improvement of original texts: Editing Service for English and French originals, clear writing campaigns
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3. WORKING FOR THE DGT: TRAINEESHIPS, TRANSLATION
COMPETITIONS AND FREELANCE TRANSLATION
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Working for the DGT
The DGT is one of the biggest employers of translators in the world Opportunities:• Trainee — twice each year, we take on a
small number of graduate interns who wish to gain some professional translation experience
• Staff translator — permanent in-house staff are all recruited through open competitions
• Contractor — contracts are awarded through periodic public tenders, open to individual freelance translators and agencies
Information:http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/workwithus/index_en.htm
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Translator or interpreter?
The European Commission has two separate language services, DG Translation and DG Interpretation They recruit staff independently of each other and on different criteria. Linguists at the Commission work exclusively for one or the other.Translators work with written text, interpreters with the spoken word. So these are two different careers.
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Traineeships for translation interns at the DGT
DG Translation offers a small number of traineeships each yearOpen to graduates looking to gain some professional translation experience within the European institutions.Basic requirements: you must• hold a full university-level degree • be able to translate into your mother tongue or main
language from two EU official languages (one of which must be French, English or German)
• you are not eligible to apply if you have already completed an EU traineeship lasting more than six weeks elsewhere (at the EP, for example).
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Traineeships
Trainees are usually assigned to a translation unit made up of translators with the same mother tongue or main language. As a trainee you do the same work as staff colleagues —translating into your mother tongue from at least two other official EU languages. Your work is revised by experienced senior staff. Trainees receive a grant of € 1,013 per month. Commission traineeships run for five months from 1 March and 1 October every year.
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Applications for traineeships
You can fill out the online trainee application on the Traineeships Office website: http://ec.europa.eu/stages/information/application_en.htmDeadlines for applications:• 1 September for traineeships starting in March • 15 February for traineeships starting in October
The online application form is available for filling out only:• from 1 June to 1 September (for traineeships starting
on 1 March the following year) • from 1 December to 15 February (for traineeships
starting on 1 October of the same year).Information: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/workwithus/trainee/index_en.htm
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Some advice
Very important: your motivation text, associated to your training and your working prospectsUnfortunately, small number of traineeships available for the ever-increasing demand!There are also traineeships in other institutions, like EP, but you are not eligible to apply if you have already completed an EU traineeship lasting more than six weeks elsewhere
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Recruitment competitions
Translators whose mother tongue or main language is one of the official languages of the European UnionCompetitions for translators will normally be held every 3 years for each language, although the interval is sometimes longer.
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General remarks
All competitions are held on interinstitutionallevel by EPSO (European Personnel SelectionOffice), http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htmApplications only via the Internet through the EPSO siteThe whole procedure takes between 5 and 9 months on averageLast competition for Greek language translators was published on 15 November 2006Candidates must have their degree at the moment of applying!
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Conditions of eligibility
Nationality: one of the 27 member States
Full rights as a citizen
Obligations imposed on military service
Degree or equivalent qualification – Bachelor
No professional experience is required
No age limit
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Degree
The degree can be:in languages
orin fields such as:
laweconomicsaccountancyauditingfinancenatural sciencessocial and political sciencestechnology
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Particular skills
The Commission places particular importance:
On the ability of applicants to grasp problems of all kinds, often complex in nature
To react rapidly to changing circumstances
To communicate effectively
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Linguistic knowledge requirements
•Perfect command of the main/mother language(target language)•Very sound knowledge of either EN, DE, FR as first source language•Thorough knowledge of a second EU official source language•Any knowledge of additional EU languages will bean asset (tests taken into account once established the reserve list)•Details of knowledge of languages must be givenin the online registration form and in the application form
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Application
The number of successful candidates is settledaccording to the global needs of the institutions. It determines the « cascade system ».
Example: if 100 recruitments, 120 names on the list (always+ 20 %)
Application via Internet – EPSO website – alwaysto be confirmed
Don’t miss: Guide for applications and “Frequently Asked Questions” for competitions (EPSO site)
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Preselection tests
All applicants are invited to attend computerisedadmission tests organised in specialised centres
• Verbal reasoning
• Numerical reasoning
• Linguistic skills test
• Abstract reasoning test
All these tests are held in the competitionlanguage (main/mother language).
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Next step: full application
Marking of preselection tests The applicants with the highest marks at the preselection tests are requested to submit a full application: e.g. 360 applicants if 100 recruitments and 120 names on the reserve list.The applicants with the 360 highest marks and having a complete/correct file are invited to attend a series of tests in an Assessment Centre
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Written and oral tests
• Written and oral tests take place on the sameday, in Brussels
• 2 translations−45 lines, with dictionary−Double marking – third if necessary
• Oral presentation (FR/EN/DE)
• Structured interview (mother tongue)
• Reserve list: 120 names (100 recruitments + 20 %)
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Validity of the reserve list
Every candidate, successful or not, receives a feedback about his/herperformances at the competition.The list remains valid over a certain periodthat may be extended.Successful candidates can send theirupdated CVs, especially if they acquirenew linguistic skills.
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Working as a contractor for the DGTPart of our translation work is done by external contractors in the private sector. DGT recruits all contractors through the tendering procedure and issues a public call for tenders every few years. Calls for tender and expressions of interest are published in the Official Journal of the European Union and also on the DGT site: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/workwithus/contractor/index_en.htmBoth individual freelance translators and translation agencies can apply.Information:http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/workingwithus/freelance/index_en.htm
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Selection criteria for freelances
Technical and professional capacity to carry out the work assigned to them => know-how, efficiency, experience and reliabilityMinimum qualification: university degree Translation capacityUse of translation tools/technical equipmentDetailed information on work methodology:• Recruitment procedures and individual work
assignment• Workflow• Quality control
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DGT’s translation needs
The languages we need are primarily the EU's official languages.Most commonly, these are translated into and out of English, French or German. We occasionally need translations involving other languages, e.g. Russian, Arabic and Chinese, accounting for less than 1% of outsourced translations.In 2008, we sent out some 475 000 pages to contractors, about 26% of our total output. None of the texts we send out are confidential, politically sensitive or urgent.
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Calls for tender
DGT issues calls for tenders and calls for expression of interestWe issue calls for tender for language combinations or fields for which there is a large volume of work to be outsourcedSuccessful tenderers are awarded framework contracts (duration of 4 years max) which commit them to providing translations at a given price Individual translations are allocated to the contractor offering the best price-quality ratio Framework contracts do not guarantee that the contractor will necessarily receive work
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Calls for expressions of interest
Issued for lower-volume language combinations and fields.Tenderers who meet the selection criteria are added to our list of approved translation providers for a particular language combination or field They will then be invited to quote a price for relevant jobs as they come up Jobs are awarded to the bidder offering the lowest price.
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Trends in translation at the Commission
12.5 %9 %8 %- in other EU languages
2.5 %3.1 %5 %- in German
12 %26 %40 %- in French
73 %62 %45 %Source text written in English
26.3 %23 %16 %Proportion outsourcing
1,805,6891,270,5861,125,709Total output in pages
200820041997
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Breakdown by target language 2008
9.548
17.14
97.4
09
34.59
011
.064
101.8
514.0
73
16.70
96.4
26
43.57
279
7
14.01
69.9
69 13.84
816
.834
15.69
6
10.18
0 15.65
16.9
22 13.72
7
17.83
617
.526
11.40
1
1.375
0
20.000
40.000
60.000
80.000
100.000
BG CS DA DE EL EN ES ET FI FR GA HU IT LT LV MT NL PL PT RO SK SL SV NONEU
DGT Outsourcing 2008
BG CS DA DE EL EN ES ET FI FR GA HU IT LT LV MT NL PL PT RO SK SL SV NON EU
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What do external contractors translate?
In principle all types of documents, with some exceptions: new legislation, politically sensitive, confidential or very urgent texts.
Certain specialised documents (law, economics, finance, agriculture, customs, taxation, telecommunications, etc.) if DGT does not have the linguistic or thematic expertise available within its own ranks
Mainly from English and French, as well as from all languages into English.
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Quality management
• Regular, “thematic” calls for tenders – specifically targeted to certain domains• Very demanding selection and award criteria•Quality/price ratio: 60 - 40• Systematic assessment of quality and feedback• Dynamic ranking of contractors reflecting their actual translation quality…
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Dynamic ranking of contractors
It reflects their actual translation qualityTranslations supplied by freelance contractors are checked and evaluated in the translating unitsTranslations which fail to meet the required standard are then considered by an Interinstitutional Quality Assessment Committee before final decisionFollow-up measures in case of unsatisfactory work: from a warning letter to partial or complete termination of the framework contract
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Assistance to external translators
Information seminars with contractors (typically in the Member States)
Reference documents, translation memories (if available), contact
Regular feedback (e.g. document compares, free-text explanations)
Online terminology database Online documentary databases (collections of
EU law and jurisprudence) Dedicated website for external contractors and
others interested (freelance translators, students, universities, professional associations, etc.)
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