272 Maltese translators to sit for tough EU exam

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Since Malta became a member of the European Union in 2004 and successfully lobbied for Maltese to become a recognised EU language there has been a severe shortage of qualified Maltese translators. Only 22 Maltese translators are currently employed with the Commission, the majority being temporary contracts. Thus Malta has the lowest number of translators among EU member states.

This shortage could now be eased if most of the Maltese who have applied for the vacant posts pass the examinations, reports The Times. A record number of 272 applications had been submitted and applicants will now have to sit for a tough exam before being offered a translator's job with European institutions.

Since Maltese is a recognised EU language all EU documents need to be translated into Maltese. "But due to the lack of available Maltese resources, the number of translated documents has had to be reduced substantially for the first three years of EU membership, through a temporary agreement with the Maltese government," writes The Times.

The EU calculates that it needs 135 full-time Maltese translators for all its institutions.

As we reported earlier the shortage of qualified Maltese translators is partly due to administrative problems within the Maltese government.

Source: The Times

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