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THE EU IS now hiring 62 Irish language translators for its institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg.
The recruitment drive is part of a plan to recruit up to 180 Irish language speakers between now and the end of 2021, as the EU moves to provide more Irish language services.
The competition is open to university graduates “with an excellent command of Irish and a thorough knowledge of at least two other official EU languages, including English, French or German”, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht announced today.
The starting salary scale for positions is €4,384 a month, or €52,608 a year. Successful candidates might also qualify for additional allowances depending on their personal circumstances, the department said.
Candidates can apply online here. The competition closes on 12 July.
‘Wonderful opportunity’
Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs, Sean Kyne, said the announcement shows why it is practical to study Irish.
“Often, school students have felt there were only very limited careers arising out of Irish language studies,” Mr Kyne said.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to pursue a rewarding international career and to raise the profile of our national language across Europe.”
The positions are across the EU institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg, which include the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council.
Currently, around 30 Irish translators are employed by EU institutions.
Irish was recognised as an official and working language of the EU in 2007. However, since then, a derogation has been in place, meaning not all documents have to be translated into Irish.
Last December, 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 other official EU languages.
Rytis Martikonis, director general of translation at the European Commission, said it is 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,” he said.
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Just one example of how bloated and not fit for the purpose is the EU. Hiring at enormous expense, translators to translate documents, to print and then to shred without ever having being read by anybody! And this is just an example.
Absolutely right Marg – but we insist that all EU documents are translated and shipped here, for shredding.
Nobody reads them, and we have to pay for the shredding.
Ridiculous.
Erm… not fit for purpose? The EU isn’t to blame here, it’s the Irish goverment, elected by the Irish people, who have recently pushed for Irish to be an official language of the EU.
If you think Irish at the EU is a waste of time/money, then blame the Irish politicians, not the EU.
Irish politicans were subjected to pressure and lobbying by Irish language interest groups and activists, to have Irish designated as an official EU language, even though it`s a tokenistic gesture and a waste of money translating all this garbage, no one will ever read, don`t blame the politicans for responding to pressure then, that`s what they do.
@Scott. Ok.
I read some of these documents in Irish.
More than I do the English language ones.
How many do you read in any of the 24 languages?
Well said Eoin…
but do you *have* to read them in Irish… surely being bilingual means you are only reading as gaeilge for the sake of it (unless you are a complete gaelgoier and like to mark the mistakes in translation!) regardless, I’m sure you don’t order the print copies in Irish. surely not.
I’m all for revitalising the Irish language, but this is not the way to do it this is just wasteful.
If I was fluent in three languages I’d be wanting better pay than that….!
Considering the way the people of europe are feeling, it could be a very short lived job.
Whatever about the Irish language, – it would’ve been nice to display the Irish flag, instead of the Italian one…
Alister, you are aware that nearly every bartender and waiter in Europe is fluent in at least 3 languages. I’d say open it up to only those with Irish, English and 2 other languages and get rid of the hegemony of jobs going directly to Gaeltacht kids with little other skills.
Vladimir Hawk Eye Pierce.
Madness…
Surely this work can be done from an Irish-based office?
Oh no, however could you send documents quickly and cheaply from Brussels? A stormy sea or bad weather could delay the letters. These are urgently required translations for the non English speakers in Ireland and the translators need to be on hand.
Shut up moaning you c*unts how is this a bad thing it’s our language. Fair play to them.
Our language yet you’re moaning in English !?!?!
It’s also our money.
Surely the whole point is you should be allowed converse in whatever language you like!!! Are we not entitled to moan in either language?? That’s what our ancestors fought and died for after all!!!
Fought and died for – a dead/unused/unspoken language? Didn’t know that.
I think the whole point is it is far from dead. We have a huge growth of gaelscoileanna in Ireland as a response to parents wishing their children to be educated through Irish!!
Bring back the Christian Brothers!
Ehhh. I was speaking Irish with my plumber this morning! Its alive and well here in Conamara mo chomrádaí.
Gaelscoileanna are a pandering response to the bigots who don’t want their children educated with foreigners, nothing more.
Urm, check the BBC NI news story about the DUP Education Minister attending Coláiste Feirste, a Belfast-based Gaelscoil.
Where there are African students.
Africans. Speaking Irish.
What’s that about bigotry?
“Fair play to them”, ironically a phrase that is somewhat unique to Hiberno-English. learn to love your real native language, not one that was imported by Celts that you would not be able to understand now (you probably share more dna with the vikings and saxons that any Celt anyway)
@Alien8 More ignorant waffle, what a dumb spoofer you are.
@Wurps The only bigotry is your own(and many others on here) stupid and irrational hatred of one of this country’s native languages.
Ah yes – the most obvious hypocrisy of all – hating the Irish language while praising Hiberno-English.
Anything distinct about Hiberno-English, from the pronunciations to the idioms, comes straight from the Irish language. But then again, it is hardly surprising to find that those preaching ignorance are themselves ignorant.
Calling well intentioned parents bigots?? What a narrow mind you have wurps
Sorry @wurps but the gaelscoileanna are packed with immigrants kids….they know it’s a great education….
You could actually just pretend to translate them and just make the shït up – nobody reads Irish anyway handy few bob in fairness.
Val maybe that’s how your job works by pretending to know stuff. For this job you will need to know the wonderful native Irish language.
Apart from those that build or make or serve, most of everyone else’s job consists of pretending to know stuff. And pretending to be busy. Go get ‘em Al!
Best of luck with the application.
Having a laugh, how the f do they need that many
Because they want more bureaucracy, it’s what justifies their existence.
What a Complete waste of time ..what the f#ck is this for ?? Nobody speaks irish lol
Nobody speaks Irish? Am I nobody? Is this even a comment? Is this real life, or is this just fantasy…
What an idiotic comment. Are you Irish?
My comment was for Simon.
do you need to read EU documents in Irish? Ever. No. This is pure jobs for the sake of jobs.
Only a few here in obscure places – nowhere else.
Nobody speaks irish is an uneducated responce to some to something positive steps to promote irish language
Richard, it’s actually the most educated response of all. Nobody speaks Irish except in a private, deliberately non-English speaking environment (like schools and the dail). Even schoolchildren, *who have to listen to Irish every single day*, are more likely to speak Spanish at home than any two connected words of Irish. So, “positive steps” are not working… like religion, stop forcing it and see what people choose to use.
That’s a load of speculative and dishonest waffle Alien8, you really are scraping the bottom of the barrel with this stuff.
Alien8 – you are a perfect example of the usual anti-Irish language experts who actually no FA about the language.
Nobody speaks Irish except in schools?? Eh you are aware that are are people who raise their children through Irish at home ya? Here is one woman who writes a weekly column about raising her kids through Irish.
http://tuairisc.ie/author/bridgetbhreathnach/
I also only speak Irish to my kids – and I live in the US. There is another family a few miles down the road that does the same thing, and thousands of kids across Ireland who speak Irish as the home language.
Also I love how you mention choice. If you support choice, then I suppose you support the right of Irish speakers to chose to interact with their own government in Irish? Judging from your comments on the EU translating documents into Irish, I guess not.
Typical of the anti-Irish zealots – they are all in favor of choice, so long as that choice isn’t using Irish.
According to the 2006 US census 25,870 people there speak Irish as a home language.
What a total disgraceful waste of tax payer’s funds! Can anybody find a single European citizen that can only read Irish!
Exactly. People have the right to speak Irish but we have to be practical. No-one has any need for these translations. It’s just like the drink driving case where an Irish translation had to be given under the languages act. What driver on the road could understand Irish and not English? If it troubled a person that much couldn’t they have the right to request a translation, not be given one by default?
Maybe not necessary now, but can’t you see how this is good for Ireland and Irish? When Irish became a language officially recognised by the EU, that meant that these kind of jobs would come along. This encourages young people to study Irish and other European languages which both preserves our native language and makes us more competitive in the European job market. Speaking multiple languages, including Irish, should be a desirable skill here – all the multinationals here have to hire non-Irish people because we generally don’t have the language skills. And I imagine that most of the speakers of minority languages recognised by the EU are bilingual or multilingual anyway, but official recognition of their language is fundamental to its survival.
We have 11 Meps. Why do we need sixty translators? Am I missing something?
it’s purely down to it being an official language… every document produced by the EU, regardless of the audience or content, had to be translated. I’m fairly sure the MEPs don’t even read the Irish version after translation.
Bureaucracy, wasting tax payers money and red tape are main reasons why the EU is so unpopular with people.
Great news for the Belgium economy though. 60 new high paid jobs.
At 28 percent tax.
do eu employees pay local taxes?
To think of all the cutbacks Ireland has had to endure and then this …..madness, utter madness! More handouts for the Irish speakers, extra points in the leaving cert, new sports halls at the drop of a hat and now a handy job in Brussels on a ludicrously overstated salary.
in the words of Albert Reynolds… it’s someone else’s money, were as well to take it. (PS: i disagree with this, i appreciate every German or French tax payer as much as any Irish one, and this is a goddamn waste).
Jobs for Irish people who have worked hard to acquire the language skills required for such work, not handouts. As for the leaving cert points, from what I remember you get 10% of the points you don’t get (for only some of the subjects), which amounts to very little. I think this tiny reward for the many hours you have to spend translating English text books because Irish ones are not available, not to mention the fact that most of the students taking an exam in Irish are doing it in a language that is not their first, which is quite a challenge. I don’t know what you’re on about regarding sports halls. I know one of the more well off Gaelscoils in Ireland was raising money for over a decade before it built a sports hall in recent years, I also know of other Gaelscoils in as bad a state as run-down, underprivileged English-language schools. You’re complaints seem to have little merit and seem to boil down to you’re being annoyed at people who are qualified to do certain things that you are not, getting an opportunity to do work that you yourself could not do.
What a waste. Jesus, that’s real money that could be spent on any number of good useful causes and instead it’s being spent to print additional bits of paper with Irish on it that nobody needs. Madness.
what a waste of money ! 180 Irish translators !!
for what ?! madness
how many time have the translated documents being read ? I tell ya. never !!!
Is there a job where you can utilise the Irish language that is not directly subsidised by government ?
Any body name one ?
Journalist. Writer/Author. Solicitor. Media producer. Teacher (depending on the institution).
That enough?
All still involve the state directly or indirectly.
Teachers employed by the state and made to use it via legislation.
Writer/Author – Nothing of substantive international value has ever been produced or any widely published books that would allow you to support yourself.
Media Producer – all supported by the state as you well know. Or in receipt of government grants.TG4 Radio na gealige all state funded.
Solicitor – Not required for practicing at all. That obligation was rolled back years ago. You may invoke your right to go through the whole rig ma roll in which case designated state provided solicitors and barristers are often provided by the state should you struggle to find one who does speak Irish.
Last I checked less than 500 could actually deal with you in Irish but most dealt directly in English as it is frowned upon to communicate in a dead language unless you are in court.
Journalist – Granted that the Irish times do pay some staff to write very infrequently in Irish. All other local papers can receive a grant if they do Irish stories as far as I am aware the Irish times trust claims this grant as well.
So no you have proven nothing.
Well said again Scott
and, of course, commercial radio stations are bound to provide a portion of their content in Irish as part of their broadcasting remit from the state (just in case you were wondering why stations like spin, fm104 suddenly start speaking in Irish on Sunday afternoons). Even in the gaeltacht, every initiative is state sponsored rather than direct entrepreneurial endeavour to operate independently.
Don’t forget historian.
There is a lot of primary source material written in Irish over the centuries, so if you are interested in studying Irish history, Irish is necessary for most of our history. Even in the twentieth century, important Irish people like Pearse, Douglas Hyde & Eoin MacNeill left behind papers and documents exclusively in Irish.
Except, of course, most Irish historians can’t read Irish – so the history of Ireland as written by historians is usually the history of English administration of Ireland, and the voices of the ordinary people of Ireland, especially before the 1850s, are largely ignored.
Just to give you one example – Barry Kennerk, a PhD student, wrote a couple of articles a few weeks ago about the historical relationship between Ireland and Britain. He wrote that well before the Act of Union (and he didn’t specify which one, so take your pick of 1707 or 1801) the common people of Ireland had much in common with the common people of Britain. Except, that either of the dates above, the majority of Irish people didn’t even speak the same language as the majority of people in Britain. But of course, if a historian is only reading English language sources in looking at Irish history, that is easy to forget.
@Thewalkingbread Obviously Scott did not mean teachers in state schools but rather those working for commercial companies that teach the language, not to mention the many foreign universities that also teach Irish.
An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas?…in the bag folks
agus sharon ni bheolain
Irish language activists launched a successful campaign to have the language designated as an official EU language, so all documents must be translated providing jobs like these for their members, it was backed by all political parties who could not be seen not to be in agreement. despite the fact no one ever reads this unreadable babble. This is why the EU is a joke, the Brits are getting out, so should we, plain and simple.
It’s unreadable babble because you don’t know it. Duolingo have a course. You’ll be surprised how much you already know. . This is a waste of money though.
Is this April 1st
Dochreidte go bhfuil an méid sin daoine anseo ag déanamh gearán faoi seo. Tá an tAontas Eorpach ag cur níos mó post ar fáil do mhuintir na hÉireann (agus eile a bhfuil Gaeilge acu), ach tá sibh ar buile go bhfuil sé urraithe ag an AE – seachas a bheith sásta go bhfuil fostaíocht agus seansanna eile romhainn.
Begrudgery, thy name is Ireland.
Could only read the English bit – and I’d substitute stupidity for begrudgery.
Cronyism at it`s worst, jobs for the boys, tokenism an incestuous cesspool of wink and nod, the `deontas`culture that has characterized all aspects of Irish language policy since the founding of the state, not to mention the elitist attotude of those at the forefront of these campaigns down the years, introducing restrictive planning laws etc, to try to exclude non speakers from `their areas`, and an attempt to create `Gaeltacht reservations`in the west of Ireland. Subsidised radio and tv stations. And still the language is dying. Yea some success!. Ar feabhas ar fad!
And even bribing children to learn other subjects through Irish, by giving them 10% extra marks. Does it still go on – is it every legal?
Well said
@Scott De Buitléir: Begrudgery well said Scott
This is another reason to vote Brexit
Súil go mór le bheith in ann teagmháil a dhéanamh leis an AE trí Ghaeilge go hiomlán.
Will you translate that for us please?
I may be wrong but “hoping to be able to contact the EU completely through Irish”. First of all, why? It would be incredibly convoluted. Second, I wouldn’t hold my breath..
Just proves how valuable our language is and great to see Irish citizens getting employment in Europe. Go n- eiri libh
Might as well pay for roads to no where.
Is it just me, but when you are on the bus or the Luas, what on earth is the benefit of tiring out that nice lady doing the announcements by having it in both English and Irish?
It`s called tokenism, the language enforcers love it, like when you go to the atm and you get asked if you`d like to conduct the transaction tri mhean na gaeilge, and you say ni hea. Still I love the way she says `margadh na ferime`, on the luas.
i had to Google that… Smithfield in case any other non luas users on here.
Three languages and a degree required and they will only earn as much as a LUAS driver.
That is just a fraction of the costs, it means double the amount of paper and the Green Party never mention it. The cost of editing what these people do is huge as the TD in our Dail has an interest in the company that does the editing work. €4,000,000,000:00 the figure Irish taxpayers pay for all things Irish. Imagine the improvements in our communities if we diverted this money every year. We would be the richest country in the EU.
Mindfullirish
Genuine question, where did you get the. Figure 4 billion?
I’m not necessarily disagreeing just curious
Don’t know what prompted you to make this completely incorrect statement and invented figure but I can tell you as someone on the ‘inside’ of the EU, everything you have said is utterly wrong. I have no idea what this mysterious ‘editing’ company is. Why would a document be edited for Irish? All editing is done by the author in-house and only then sent for translation- otherwise every language would have a different version which of course would make no sense. I should also point out – as a response to some other comments- only a very small fraction of documents produced by all the institutions are translated into languages other than the three main working languages. So please don’t imagine that Irish translators will be sitting translating every single scrap of paper produced by every EU institution.
Rather shocked at the lack of understanding displayed here. These are the type of jobs that people of all countries need in the European Union.
These are 60 new positions in the EU which organisation I assume most Irish people support. They are not specifically for Irish people – I know Europeans of other nationalities who could take these position.
Ireland received a derogation from full use of Irish in the European institutions since 1973. This recruitment is part of the gradual normalisation of our membership – albeit some 43 years after our own accession. Before 2007 those of our European Representitives whose mother tongue is Irish were unable to use the language in which they were most at ease.
We are told now that more Irish is spoken in the European Parliament more than some other official languages – most if not all of whom have had official translators in place since their accession to full membership.
The fact that we have not had our official language fully in use is not the EU’s fault.
That Irish, which indubitably is an unique part of the heritage of the Irish nation, is Ireland’s official language was decided in 1937 by the Irish people and the only way this can be changed is by plebiscite of the Irish sovereign people.
Until that decision is made can these positions, and the other language positions held by Irish people by virtue of Irish being their mother (home) tongue are valid and fully in accordance with our membership of the EU decided (1973) by the sovereign people.
Despite the almost hysterical tone of some of the comments there does not seem to be a great demand for a referendum to remove the offending paragraph giving the language of the Irish its constitutional status.
@Eoin – you assume incorrectly.
As an Irish, EU and tax-paying citizen, I take this announcement as an affront to common sense, and a profligate waste of money to pander to a handful of moanbags.
FG remember, had in their 2011 election manifesto to remove compulsory Irish for 3rd level access: what happened to that promise – one which would save, not cost, money ?
@Eoin – and another thing – Irish is not the Mother Tongue. It’s English, You know it, and I know it. Irish’s position as an official language does not make it the Mother Tongue. The mother tongue is the spoken one.
Oh shut up you Anglo supremacist bigot, you and your ignorant ilk are the only moanbags here.
@John Moylan
To be honest, I have considered any money spent on Irish that gets you West Brits frothing at the mouth to be worth every penny.
Well said Eoin
John the only moan bag here seems to be you and what a massive chip you have on that shoulder of yours
Our mother tongue is Irish and always will be get over it
Did any of you read the article ? They need 2 other EU languages, do they will be translating them too. So the cost isn’t just for Irish.
No it’s so they can translate someone speaking German into Irish etc.
Tá a lán grá agamsa le haghaigh ár dteanga ach ceard faoi Google Translate? Nach bhfuil neart déanta lé sin.
I love my language and proud of it. Most people here are in receipt of welfare unemployment children’s allowance etc. Now their the waist of money
they’re*…waste*
Ment to say “that” but all quiet when I mention that
Ooh soo clever Ger, can you do that in Irish?
A lot of self hatred coming out in the comments.
Perfect post colonial mindset
They long to be British. They want Cameron’s dick in the mouth of their pig.
How much is that per hour in Euro 15 18 if so, this an insult to my intelligence!
Also given my qualifications to date, that is simply not good enough! how dare they insult graduates with or without disabilities!
How many hours per week. please? 40 50?
How much does accommodation cost in Brussels and can I bring my 5 dogs with me?
hi there,
this sounds like a great opportunity. however as I have a physical disability and want to work from Ireland part-time online is anything for the likes of me, who has 2 degrees one at level 7 and one at level 8 with 34 credits in Irish, but with no actual pg qualification in translation Irish or otherwise?
- Declan, Samsung has had an Irish GUI since the Tocco came out….
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