Maltese must speak their language at local fora

The Maltese must begin to insist on speaking their mother tongue in local fora if its use overseas is to be promoted and strengthened, Professor Joseph Eynaud, course co-ordinator of post-graduate diploma and Masters courses in translation and interpreting, believes.

"It is as if we have not found our identity or we are embarrassed to speak our own language in our own country," Professor Eynaud told The Sunday Times. "Why should speakers at a local conference, for example, speak English to accommodate a few foreigners? The foreigners would certainly not do the same for us in a similar context in their country.

"After all, that is what interpreters are for - to translate conference proceedings for people who do not understand the language.

"This is an attitude that we have to change. If, as a nation, we do not insist on speaking Maltese, we risk demoting it to a language that is spoken only in homes. Our language has been recognised as an official EU language, after all."

Professor Eynaud cited the General Workers Union's congress last month as an example of how things should be done: the congress proceedings were held entirely in Maltese and an interpreter translated European Trade Union Council president John Monks' speech from English to Maltese. The diplomatic representatives all used interpreter services to be able to follow the proceedings.

"If we foster Maltese's use at official events here, then our officials will be further encouraged to use it abroad, as our MEPs do in the European Parliament. In this way, we will also encourage more people to choose interpreting as a full-time profession," Professor Eynaud pointed out.

Asked whether it would make economic sense for local conference organisers to incur additional expenses rather than have conference proceedings in English, Professor Eynaud said: "Conference organisers set aside considerable budgets for large events. An interpreter or two would not involve huge expense."

In Malta interpreters charge around Lm70 for a half-day's work and Lm140 for a full day. They say these fees are substantially inferior to what fully fledged professional interpreters are paid abroad. Overseas rates start at around Lm200 and interpreters' expenses like flights and accommodation are paid for by conference organisers.

Malta-based freelance interpreters, who occupy full-time posts in other fields, say students are starting to include interpreting and translation in their potential shortlist of preferred careers. But while things are moving in the right direction, there is still much to be done to raise awareness of interpreting as a career opportunity.

There is a steady flow of work in Malta but not enough, at the moment, to be a main source of income for people offer interpreting services.

Meanwhile the dire shortage of Maltese interpreters has caused problems in European institutions. Our MEPs have to give notice to interpreters of their intention to intervene in Maltese in the European Parliament. Early last summer MEP Joseph Muscat stopped delivering his speech during a plenary session after he was informed that no interpretation service was available and he could not deliver his speech in Maltese.

The Maltese booth has finally become active with the addition of four new Maltese interpreters who graduated from the University of Westminster. These interpreters have increased the complement of Maltese interpreters since Malta already has seven freelance interpreters who travel periodically to Brussels and Strasbourg to cover important meetings.

Between them they try to cover the parliamentary plenaries, mini-plenaries, council meetings and summits. However this is a far cry from the 80 full-time Maltese interpreters needed by the EU institutions to cover all the meetings.

On the local training front, a full-time evening post-graduate diploma course in interpreting started at the University's Faculty of Arts last month. Six interpreting booths have been installed, financed by EU Transition Facility Funds.

The European Commission's SCIC - DG Interpreting and the European Parliament are to send experienced interpreters to Malta to help run the course. Professor Eynaud, the course director, has also signed an agreement with the French Embassy, which is to finance an in-service course, organised by the University of Strasbourg, for lecturers responsible for the diploma courses in translation and interpreting.

Forty-five post-graduate students qualified from the first course of its kind, which started in October 2003. These graduands will receive their post-graduate diploma on December 1. Most of these students have decided to take up translation as their main occupation and some of them have accepted definite contracts with the translation office in Luxembourg. Around 300 candidates sat for a selection exam last July.

As far as translating the written word is concerned, things might be looking up: last August a record 272 candidates answered a call for applications from Maltese translators by the European Personnel and Selection Office (EPSO). Last Friday EPSO held the first phase of exams for the permanent posts of translators with the EU. It will be several weeks until the final results of the selection process are published.

At least the new translation recruits will boost the 22 Maltese translators currently employed with the European Commission, most of whom work on temporary contracts, but even so enjoy a starting monthly salary of Lm1,650 and other benefits. The EU estimates that it needs 135 full-time Maltese translators for all its institutions.

Meanwhile, a post-graduate evening translation course started last month, for the second consecutive year.

Professor Eynaud points out that one of the underlying principles of the European Union is, after all, respect for cultural diversity and individuality: "When we joined the EU last year, we were given a second opportunity to foster the use of our language on a wider scale. When we obtained our independence from the British, we still insisted on using English mostly. We should not throw our language away a second time."

The derogation agreed on between the EU and the Maltese government ends in exactly a year's time, and it looks as if things will be in place so that this derogation will not be extended. Local interpreters say it would be the doom of the Maltese language in the EU if this derogation were to be extended.