CELEX: 51980PC0348
Language: en
Date: 1980-06-13
Title: DRAFT DECISION CONCERNING A JOINT INTERPRETING SERVICE

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (80) 348
Vol. 1980/0125
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
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européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
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In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
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In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                             COM(80)348 final
                                             Brussels / 13th June 1980
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                         DRAFT DECISION
              CONCERNING A JOINT INTERPRETING SERVICE
  C0M(80 ) 348 final
 ---pagebreak---      COMMISSI ON
       OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                            JOINT INTERPRETING SERVICE
                         The Commission' s Interpreters and. Conference Services
           Directorate provides interpreters for all meetings held by the institu­
           tions in Brussels – the Commission , the Council and the Economic and
            Social Committee .  With 384 LA. interpreter posts ( and 58 support posts )
           it is by far the . world 's largest interpreting service .
                         The number of meetings with interpreters has constantly been
           increasing , from 2,801 in 1959 to - 8,376 in 1978 . The trend, in the number
           of interpreterwiays is even more impressive , with an increase from 4»438
           in 1959 "to 78,949 i n 1978 , 2Qfjo being provided by freelance interpreters .
           The full six-language interpreting system is requested' with growing fre­
            quency , especially in Council working parties .
                                                         /
                         The new round of enlargement , bringing in first Greece and
           then Spain and Portugal , will have the effect of greatly expanding the
           need for interpreters and the assignment of interpreters to meetings in
           the various institutions will become all the more complex ; a new computer
           application ( SAFIR ) has had to be developed for the purpose .
                         In view of the shortage of qualified conference interpreters
           it has been found necessary to work closely with university interpreting and
           translating schools and to design and operate a programme consisting of ,
           among other things ,, intensive training courses for interpreters who have
           graduated in other disciplines ( 35 $ of the Directorate 's current personnel
           were trained in the Directorate ).
 ---pagebreak---                                                                     2.
                  On the "basis of purely practical arrangements the
Interpreters and Conference Services Directorate has thus in actual
fact become a joint service ; it works for the Commission as to 5 ^ and
for the Council as to more than 4C$ » This fact , combined with the volume
of its staff , the daily use of a large number of freelance interpreters
and specific obligations regarding selection and training mean that the
activities of this service go way beyond the four corners of a single
institution and have no logical place in a Commission Directorate-General .
                   So that these activities can develop as flexibly as
possible in the interest of all the institutions , without any ruinous
competition between the institutions regarding the recruitment of staff *
and freelance interpreters , it is proposed that an interinstitutional
Joint Interpreting   Service be set up at the- Albert Borschette
Conference Centre ( Place Jourdan).  1                           · Γ
 ---pagebreak---                          STATISTICAL PAPER                t                                                              ,
           Î                 '                                          '    '
' Posts authorized : 384 LA posts ( 20 of them temporary) _
     Current manpov.'er : 308 officials and temporaries
 '               '   •                                           Officials                                         Te
                                                                                                                   Temnoranes                                          Total
 X
     Vio roen
             * .
                                                                 113 ( 57%)                                 ,r. ; 65 ( 60%)                                            I.78 ( 58/0)
    Ken                                                                      ( 43%) ,                           . 44 ( 4C%)                                       Γ    130 ( 42%)
  ■'Total                                                           99 '                                   : ' ; 109                         ;                         308
  -. of which former trainees                                       51 ( 26%) :                                       55 W)                                            106 (35%)
   "Trend of activities
                                                                 N<* of ;                                          Na of                      -.' Proportion accounted'
                                                                 meetings ... ; interpreter- for by freelance
                                                                                        '        -                 day 3
    1959 ;                 1                                     2, 801"T                                          4,438                          Not available
    i960                   1
                                                                 2,182                s,                           6, 860                         Not available
    1965                                                         3,620 : ■ '                                  17,786                                                29.30 %
     1970                                                        5,516                                        29, 551                                               28.01 %
     1975                                                        7, 254··                 ν            !      64,115                              -                 28.00 %
     1978              ■                    :               '     8,376 j                      .              7 ^ 949                                      ,7 . 20.25 %
     Breakdown by institution in 1978 ( interpreteiwiays )                                                                              !n           > • :
     Commission                                                                                                                                     . . '' 51.2 e/»
     Council                                                                                                                                      ;                 40.86$
     Economie and Social Comnsittee' •'                                                      '                                                       -                5.36/,
                                   :    V.T.U        T.ì       : - s ■' : ! V      " '/.w         ?. '   •       •                                         L / i .-
     European Investment Bank                                   nor;:iv                                                                                     ί..·· " 0.12%
                                                                            ' <                                     1                     •          ' ..    1 1    *  –
     Other ( Research budget , Berlin Centre , Dublin Foundation," etc .)                                                                                             2.38%
     Freelance interpreters on the computer index ( SAFIR)                                                                        " : * cru.c.-u.    . .;
                                                                                                                                    .' •• f .:             o
     French                                                     301
     German                          - '             ' - 246' '
     English                                                    227
     Italian       :                                                                     «       . ··         , ι;> .  ι·. : . ·"  ν ·. ·
                                                                117 " :
     Dutch                                                        45            :
     Danish        *      '           • -' ■ - '                  19
     Greek                                                           8
     Other languages                                                                                                                                  : 1.
                                     Total                  1, 038              .
 ■ Selection procedures - in 1978                  ' "'                 >
     Tests                      '     .          ■ , " ., ,, ; 82               1 .. il ■
     Candidates                   ' •• .                        326                         .
     Successes ( contracts , training .. .
     periods , renewals , entry on the ; •
     freelance ' register)                                      190 ( 58%) .
     Failures                               .. »                136 (42%)'
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                                                                                    2.
η
i «   Bud /rotary ard financial aspects
                                                                                                                                BFH
      197°      Total cost of Interpreters and Conference Services
                                                                                       Directorate                645
                                                                                                                  <           » 216 . 182
                Average cost of interpreter-day                                ■" ■ •      v            ... J. ..:.
                – all in                                    t . - • . ; I-                                   '         . :•                -172
      ,         – freelance                                             j                                              '           ' 8, 485
                – officials or temporary or auxiliary servants                                                                          8, 094
                CIUTI Subsidy           1 ., '                                                                            7, 600, 000
      1979 Estimated average cost of interpreter^ day                                                                                   8, 000
              ■ Cost of a freelance per day ( Category1 1,1 January 1979 )                                                              6, 972
                of which fees            '   .                                                             *.                           6, 113
                CIUTI Subsidy                                                                                              a 50a 000
8 . . Remuneration
      Allowance paid to trainees : Bfrs                   16 5OO monthly
                                  Without expatriation allowance                                   With expatriation allowance
                                 Single without            Married with                            Single without                           Married with
                                 iependents •              2 dependent                             dépendent s                              2 dependent
                                                           children                            ■                                            children
        LA8 – Step 1                 53,493           (      69, 293                                64,605                                    82, 169
        LA7 – Step 1              ' 59, 885           ■      77, 633                                72, 831                  ; ■              92, 435
9# Career structure
  .     LA8                                      i
                             Assistant interpreter
       LA7/6                 Interpréter
                             Interpreter                                          -
       LA5/4                 Principal           i
                             Principal interpreter
                             Principal interpreter
                                                i:                ( managerial )
                                               nt'
                             Head of I nterpretation                Group
     LA3 -                   Head of DivisionDiv:                                                                       · (. ί ··'
10 . Administrative infrastructure
       A officials           1             j       .                                       ~
        B officials         16         . -                                             ;
        C officials         43 ( including 21 conference technicians)                                               *
                            60 .                                      • r'- ■                                               •• ; -
11 , Mooting room3 equipped for interpreters .                             •"
                                                                              »                                            dk       ' '
        Managed oy the Directorate                   Commission            •                                 : 18                        ■
                          Others                     Council.                                                : 13
                                                     Economic and Social Committee : 6
                                                                                      Total                    37
           Plus 20 rooms under construction at the Albert Borschette Conference Centre
12 . Some figures" for other international organizations
       UN - New Yorlc                104 staff interpreters – 1, 543 meetings ( 1978)^
        UN - Geneva                   86 staff interpreters – 2, 590 meetings ( 197Ö )
        NATO                          44 staff interpreters                                      •
       OECD                           20 staff interpreters – 2, 500 meetings ( 1978 )
       UNESCO                         10 staff interpreters                            c " ;        ■' '•             ; _ '
        IMF                              6, staff interpreters                      '     ;« «                                        1
        GATT                             5 staff interpreters                               >                                  -•
        WHO -   -                        4 staff interpreters
        at These figures have been converted to facilitate comparison with figures for
           the Communities .       .           . ,                .   •
 ---pagebreak--- MAIN ACTIVITIES OP THE INTERPRETERS AND CONFERENCE           SERVICES DIRECTORATE
OENERAL MATTERS
1 . Activities relating "to staff interpreters
    a ) Sélection          -         -
    D ) Tests              :                        . '    '
    c ) Preparation of competitions'
    d)~ promotion and careers          .                1
2 , Activities relating to freelance interpreters         • -      ,   *    '
    a) Negotiations and relations with the International Association of
         Conference Interpreters ( AIIC ) – five-year agreements regarding
         working conditions for freelance interpreters at all institutions
         ( including Parliament ).
    b) Life' assurance and Endowment policies for freelance interpreters ,
    c) Sickness and accident insurance for freelance interpreters ,
    d) Grading of freelance interpreters ( Categories I and II ) .
3 , Relations with other Community institutions and bodies
    a) Invoicing interpreter-days served for other institutions , -
    b ). calculating the average cost of an interpreter-day , - „
                                            » > ■» «  r
4 , Relations with other international organizations
    a) Appropriate , departments in other organizations .
    b ) Advisory Committee on Administrative Questions ( UN),
5 , Relations with university interpreting schools
    a) Direct contacts' - help with 'teaching, membership of examining boards ,
    b ) Relations with the Standing International Conference of Directors
         of University Institutes for the Training of Translators and Inter­
         preters ( CIUTl ), and particularly subsidies for particularly scarce
         language combinations .
 ---pagebreak---                                                                            2.
6 . Other activities
     a ; Matters of principle regarding the Community 'language rules ,
         particularly with an eye to enlargement .        ■
     b ) Budget and financial matters , and particularly re–use of funds .
     c ) Statistical work .
CONFERENCES
1 . Management of all Commission conference rooms .
2 . Programme for assigning interpreters to all meetings held by institutions
     in Brussels , at headquarters and elsewhere , currently being put on to
     computer ( SAFIR ).
3 . Engagement and remuneration of freelanoe interpreters . .
4 . Technical services :
     a ) Design and maintenance of simultaneous interpreting facilities ,
         and research into new techniques .
     b ) Assignment of conference technicians and operators .
5 » Albert Borschette Conférence Centre , place Jourdan . . '     '
TEAINING     '
1 . Intensive training for student interpreters who have graduated in
                         s
     other disciplines .                      ■
                                                                    .
2 -. Study grants to help' interpreters learn, new languages.'
3 . Vocational training and specialization ( steel , coal , nuclear energy,
     data–processing , ...).                    t
4 . Training in preparation for accession ( Greece , Spain).
5 . Assistance to non-member countries for the training of conference inter­
     preters ( teacher training, in China . Tunisia,' India and Turkey).
  a Particularly Oxford and Cambridge – 61% of English-language interpreters
     are former trainees .
 ---pagebreak---                    JOINT INTERPRETING SERVICE
The Counci l ,
The Commission and
The Economic and Social Committee ,
Whereas the provision of interpreters for meetings held within
the institutions should be organized in such a way as to meet the
institutions' needs as rationally as possible ;
Whereas the Commission 's interpreting service serves several
institutions , and those institutions should be more closely
associated in the management of' the service ,           .
Have decided as follows :
                 /                      ,
                   «
                            Arti c le 1                       . >
          A Joint Interpreting Service shall be formed to provide
the institutions with the interpreters they need for meetings
they hold .
                           Article 2
         The Service shall be responsible for selecting and training
interpreters and shall regularly determine their work schedules . The
services of freelance interpreters shall be used where necessary .
 ---pagebreak---                            Article 3
 1 . A Managing Board shallbe set up . Each institution shall have
     one  vote .
 2 . The Chairman of the Managing Board shall be provided by the
     Commission .
3 . Unless otherwise agreed the Managing Board shall take decisions
     by a majority vote .
4 . The Managing Board shall unanimously adopt . its rules of procedure .
                         • Article 4
            Acting in the common interest of all the institutions the
Managing Board shall exercise the following functions :
- it shall unanimously determine the Service 's operational procedures ;
- it shall put to the institutions suggestions for improvements in the
    operation of the Service ;
- it shall adopt the Service 's programme of work ;
- it shall determine the Service 's requirements as to appropriations
    and staff .                                                    .      *
                           Article 5
1 . The Commission shall assign to the Service officials and other
     staff to manage it and perform its duties . Commission posts
     assigned to the Service shall be included as a specific item
     in the Commission 's list of posts .
2 . The powers conferred by the Staff Regulations of Officials and
     Conditions of Employment of Other Servants upon an institution , the
     appointing authority and the authority empowered to conclude contracts
     of employment shall be exercised by the Commission .
     The Commission shall appoint officials in Grades A1 to A3 and LA3
     after seeking the Opinion of the Managing Board .
 ---pagebreak---                            - 3 -
                       Article 6
          The Director of the Service shall be responsible for the
smooth operation of the Service . He $hall act as Secretary to the
Managing Board , report to the Board on the effect given to its
                                         i
instructions and put suggestions to the Board regarding the operation
of the Service .  He shall be the hierarchical superior of the staff
of the Service .
                        Article 7                            •   . ,
          Appropriations relating to the personnel and operation of
the Service shall be entered in the section of the General Budget of
the Communities relating to the Commission .
                        A rt i c l e 8
          The Economic and Social Committee shall be treated as an
institution for the purposes of this Decision .
                                     i
                        Article 9
          The Managing Board may , in accordance with rules to be
determined , place its interpreters at the disposal of other European
institutions and bodies .
                        Article 10                   .
          This Decision shall be reviewed by the institutions adopting
it , on the basis of a report from the Managing Board , with a view to
determining , in the light of experience , ways in which other institu­
tions who so request might become involved in the Joint Service , or
in certain of its activities .         „
                       Article 11
          This Decision shall enter into force on
                     /