Working as an English-language lawyer linguist at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg.
Date: 2013-12-23
Institutions: Court of Justice of the European Union
Subjects: Court of Justice of the European Union, EPSO, European official, job access, legal profession, recruitment, terminology, translation

Living in Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a small and picturesque 
country  close  to  several  major  Euro-
pean cities. The city of Luxembourg is the 
seat of the Court of Justice, the Court of 
Auditors  and  the  European  Investment 
Bank, but it also has some departments 
of  the  European  Commission  and  the 
European Parliament. As a result, it is a 
busy, cosmopolitan place.

The following websites give an idea of 
life in Luxembourg.

http://www.luxembourg.co.uk

http://www.ont.lu/home-en.html

http://www.luxweb.com/info.html

Luxembourg

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Working as 
an English-language 
lawyer linguist

Working as an English-language lawyer linguist  
at the Court of Justice of the European Union

at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg

Contact

recruitment.tradEN@curia.europa.eu

Links

Court of Justice
www.curia.europa.eu

Gateway to the European Union
www.europa.eu 

European Personnel Selection Office
www.europa.eu/epso

October 2013 Edition

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doi:10.2862/4431

 
 
The Translation Service  
of the Court of Justice

It is responsible for the translation, from 
and into any of the EU languages, of the 
documents required for the participation 
in,  and  understanding,  resolution  and 
publication  of,  proceedings  brought 
before the Courts of the Union.

The  Directorate-General  for  Translation 
currently  includes  23  language  units, 
one for each official language into which 
the Court’s case-law must be translated, 
and 
support  units  providing 
research,  documentation,  terminology 
training,  and  coordinating  all 
and 
translation requests.

four 

The English-language 
Translation Department

It is responsible for the English-language 
translation of all documents required.

The  translations  of  judgments,  orders 
and  Opinions  of  the  Advocates  General 
are  published,  usually  in  the  European 
Court Reports.

Unpublished  translations  include  orders 
for reference from national courts, written 
pleadings and Reports for the Hearing.

The English-language 
lawyer linguists

English-language  translations  are  of 
particular  significance  in  the  numerous 
cases which have English as the language 
of the case.

English-language lawyer linguists therefore 
need to satisfy the following conditions:

•	 Translate legal texts into English

•	 Have  a  perfect  command  of  English 

•	 Revise such texts

•	 Serve  as  “pivot”  translators 
Lithuanian 

from 
Czech,  Danish, 
and 
Swedish,  for  the  benefit  of  the  other 
translation units

•	 Provide  advice  on  English 

legal 
terminology  within  the  Directorate-
General

(mother-tongue level)

•	 Have a thorough knowledge of French, 
the  language  in  which  the  Court,  by 
custom,  deliberates  and  drafts 
its  
judgments and orders

•	 Have a thorough knowledge of a third 
official 
language  of  the  European 
Union,  in  which  orders  for  reference, 
pleadings  and  Opinions  may  be 
drafted

•	 Provide  legal  analysis  in  cooperation 
and  other 

the  Registries 

with 
departments of the Court

Qualities required 

The  work  of  the  translation  service  is 
complex  and  demanding,  in  terms  of 
quality,  quantity  and  deadlines,  and 

•	 Have 

completed 

a 
successfully 
suitable  course 
law  (to  ensure 
in 
adequate  knowledge  of  the  national 
law  and  legal  system  of  one  of  the 
English-speaking  Member  States)  i.e. 
hold a degree in law, or its equivalent, 
awarded in the UK or Ireland or have 

qualified  as  a  barrister,  advocate  or 
solicitor in the UK or Ireland

•	 Have  an  adequate  knowledge  of 

Community/EU law

•	 Have 

the 
necessarily 
translate complex, legal texts

ability, 
from  experience, 

though  not 
to 

•	 Have the ability to use standard office 

technology

•	 Have the ability to adapt and develop 

throughout their careers

•	 Have  the  ability  to  fit  into  a  multi-
lingual, multicultural environment

Points of entry to the 
Department for (aspiring) 
lawyer linguists

•	 An  open  competition  organised  by 
the  European  Personnel  Selection 
Office (EPSO) is the normal method of 
recruitment 
http://europa.eu/epso/index_en.htm

•	 When a vacancy cannot be filled by a 
successful candidate on a competition 
reserve  list,  a  temporary  contract  is 
possible as an English-language legal 
translator 
http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/
Jo2_10298/#EN

•	 Five-month  paid  traineeships  are 

available
http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/
Jo2_7008/ 

•	 One-month  paid  student  contracts 
in  the  summer,  to 

are  available 
candidates aged between 18 and 25

Terms and Conditions for 
the lawyer linguist

•	 Successful  competition  candidates 
are  recruited  from  reserve  lists  at 
Grade  AD7.  When  EU  tax  has  been 
deducted and a number of allowances 
added,  the  single  person  with  no 
dependants  will 
receive  a  net 
monthly salary of at least EUR 5000

•	 EU  officials  have  generous  medical 

insurance and pension benefits

•	 Staff are entitled to at least 24 days of 
paid  annual  leave  per  year,  plus  a 
number of public holidays

lawyer 

•	 Newly-recruited 

linguists 
receive  detailed  training  in  the  IT 
applications and working methods to 
be used in their work

•	 Lawyer 

linguists  are  encouraged 
throughout  their  careers  to  learn 
additional languages by following in-
house and residential courses

•	 Lawyer linguists are also encouraged 
to  improve  their  legal  knowledge, 
regularly 
lectures  are 
law 
and 
organised

Further information

If you would like to find out more about 
working as an English-language lawyer 
linguist  at  the  Court  of  Justice,  please 
feel  free  to  e-mail  your  queries  to  the 
following address:
recruitment.tradEN@curia.europa.eu