DESPITE BEING AN official language of the European Union, the Irish language does not have full parity in the European Parliament because of significant shortfalls in Irish interpretation and translation services.
MEP for Ireland South Sean Kelly has written to Education Minister Norma Foley and President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, calling for action following the extension of certain rules which exempt the parliament from having to fulfill all translation and interpretation requirements.
In the letters, he outlines measures which he believes will ensure Irish receives the same treatment as other official EU languages in the near future.
A fluent Irish speaker, he has called for a potential extension of memoranda of understanding with various Irish universities, including Queen’s University in Belfast.
He also proposed establishing targeted recruitment drives in Gaeltacht regions by the EP Liaison Office in Ireland, and expanding on remote working opportunities.
On his hope to have a new deal struck with Queen’s University, he said that Irish speakers in Northern Ireland face “significant ambiguity in recruitment processes”.
“We must establish clear guidelines to facilitate their entry into EU roles,” he explained. “The reality is we are missing an untapped resource when it comes to Irish speakers, if we want to elevate the language then we need to adjust existing recruitment structures.”
His call comes following a campaign during the election by broadcaster Síomha Ní Ruairc who, writing in The Journal, said that the new Parliament has a chance to change the status of the Irish language to represent the 2.2 million people in Ireland who have some level of Gaeilge.
Kelly said that the recent extension of the technical rules for Irish interpretation and translation services highlight a “pressing issue” that he believes necessitates a new course of action in the approach of the European Parliament (EP) towards the Irish language.
It is understood by The Journal that there are enough Irish translators working within the EP currently, but they haven’t been fully trained or qualified.
The EP said: “Despite sustained and continuous interinstitutional efforts and considerable progress, the number of qualified translators is still expected to be so limited as regards Irish that, for the foreseeable future, full coverage of that language under Rule 167 cannot be assured for documents other than legal acts of general application.”
Rule 167 dictates that all parliament’s documents are to be drawn up in the official languages, and all MEPs have the right to speak in parliament in the official language of their choice, with interpretation being provided into other official languages.
The exemption only applies to texts passed through the Parliament by MEPs. Admission forms, financial records, internal reviews, among other documents produced by the institutions themselves must still be translated.
The extension will last until the end of the next term – May 2029.
When Ireland joined the EEC, Gaeilge was a treaty language, which meant only the union’s treaties had to be translated into Gaeilge. This changed in 2007 when full working and official status was given to the language.
However, a derogation was granted by the Council of the EU at the time which meant not every official document had to be translated into Irish. This derogation ended in 2022.
With reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill.
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