Europe cannot function without its interpreters and translators, so, in the Babel that is Brussels, feverish attempts are now under way to prepare for the biggest enlargement the EU has ever seen - and the dozen new languages that will come with it. From Latvian to Bulgarian and Lithuanian to Czech, the search is on for the linguists who can do this vital job.
Full interpretation has to be provided.
It is highly sensitive stuff, with issues of cultural diversity, national pride and democratic legitimacy always coming up against hardheaded officials worrying about budgets, efficiency and logistics. Yet there is no choice. For him the EU isn't multilingual at all. It just speaks to him in his language. Interpretation is technically more complicated.