AD/1/2024/LINC - ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CONFERENCE INTERPRETERS (AD 7)

NOTICE OF PARLIAMENT INTERNAL COMPETITION AD/1/2024/LINC 

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CONFERENCE INTERPRETERS (AD 7)

(CORRIGENDUM - in Annex 1)

 Before applying, you must read carefully the Guide for candidates attached to this notice of competition.

 The Guide is an integral part of the notice of competition and will help you to understand the rules governing internal competitions and how to go about applying.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 A.                    JOB DESCRIPTION AND ELIGIBILITY

B.                    PROCEDURE

C.                    APPLICATIONS

ANNEX:         GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES IN INTERNAL COMPETITIONS ORGANISED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

This internal competition is organised for the purpose of establishing a list of suitable candidates for the job of conference interpreters in Parliament. The selection board will guarantee equal opportunities for all candidates, irrespective of the department they work for, their previous professional experience and their grade.

A. JOB DESCRIPTION AND ELIGIBILITY

1. General remarks

The Appointing Authority has decided, on the basis of Article 29, paragraph 1, point d) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (hereinafter ‘the Staff Regulations’) to organise an internal competition for the Directorate-General for Logistics and Interpretation for Conferences (hereinafter ‘DG LINC'). The profile sought is that of a conference interpreter (AD 7). The internal competition seeks to establish a list of 4 suitable candidates.

In accordance with Article 2 of the internal rules on the recruitment of officials and other servants (General Implementing Provisions of 17 October 2014), this internal competition is open only to staff of the European Parliament who meet the following general eligibility criteria:

–       on the closing date for applications, are in the service of the European Parliament as an official in one of the positions set out in Article 35(a), (b), (e) or (f) of the Staff Regulations or as a member of its temporary staff (Title II of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS), and

–       on that date, have been in the service of the European Parliament for at least three years as an official in one or more of the positions referred to above and/or as staff as defined in Title II (temporary staff) and Title IV (contract staff) of the CEOS.

The European Parliament is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications without discrimination on any ground such as gender, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or family situation.

Given the Bureau's decision of 2 May 2018, and on the basis of Article 1(1)(i) of Annex III to the Staff Regulations, the Appointing Authority has decided to open this internal competition also to European Parliament officials and temporary agents who are not nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union, but are nationals of the United Kingdom.

NB: In this context, nationals of the United Kingdom, and only for the purpose of completing the application form for this competition, should tick the checkbox in Apply4EP which declares they are a ‘national of one of the Member States’.

2. Job description

The Directorate-General for Logistics and Interpretation for Conferences (DG LINC) is the cornerstone of all multilingual conference services in the European Parliament. DG LINC’s mission is to give the European Parliament the means to achieve its political objectives by providing it with linguistic, technical and logistical support for its meetings with the highest degree of professionalism and attention to excellence. DG LINC contributes to democratic legitimacy by helping Members convey their views in all the official languages, ensuring that legislative work runs smoothly and is accessible to all Europeans.

The Directorate for Interpretation in DG LINC focuses on playing a full role in the success of multilingual meetings. It is responsible for the provision of high-quality interpretation for meetings of the European Parliament and other EU Institutions and bodies and participates in all activities needed to guarantee a flexible, adaptable and excellent service now and in the future.

Posted in Brussels, the primary role of a conference interpreter consists in ensuring that oral communication in meetings and other contexts is interpreted completely and accurately into an official language of the European Union.

This work in the English Interpretation Unit involves both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting. It also entails prior study of the subjects to be discussed at meetings and terminology glossaries.

The duties of an interpreter call for a high degree of adaptability (frequent meetings on many different topics, speakers from all political and administrative levels, irregular hours) and the ability to grasp a range of often complex issues, to react quickly to changing circumstances and to communicate effectively. Candidates must be capable of working intensively on a regular basis, both on their own and as part of a team, in a multicultural and political working environment. They may be asked to add additional languages to their language combination, in keeping with the needs of the service. They will also be expected to continue their professional learning and development throughout their career.

Other tasks include interpreter training, assessment duties and quality monitoring as well as a willingness to take on new and diverse tasks, including non-interpretation tasks (also in other parts of the DG), in order to meet the needs of the service in line with the political objectives of the European Parliament.

Depending on their language knowledge, interpreters may be asked to work from language combinations other than those specified in section A.3.(c) below.

The duties of a conference interpreter involve frequent duty travel, both between Parliament’s three places of work and elsewhere. Interpreters may be required to obtain a personal security clearance.

3. Specific eligibility criteria

On the closing date for applications, you must meet all the specific eligibility criteria listed below:

(a) Qualifications required

You must have completed:

(i) a four-year full-time university course in conference interpreting attested by a recognised diploma;

or

(ii) a recognised Master’s degree in conference interpreting, following the successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree cycle; 

or

(iii) a three-year full-time university course, attested by a recognised diploma, followed by at least one year’s professional experience as a conference interpreter, duly substantiated by documents which clearly indicate the number of days worked as a conference interpreter;

or

(iv) a three-year full-time university course, attested by a recognised diploma, followed by at least one year’s university training in conference interpreting (other than a Master’s degree), attested by a certificate or any other official document.

Diplomas, whether issued in a Member State or in a non-EU country, must be recognised by an official body of an EU Member State, such as the ministry of education.

Candidates holding diplomas issued in a non-EU country must enclose with their application an EU equivalence for their diplomas. For further information on recognition of qualifications obtained in a non-EU country in the ENIC-NARIC networks, please consult the following link: https://www.enic-naric.net. 

The selection board will take account of the differences between the EU Member States’ education systems. Examples of the minimum qualifications required are included in the Guide for candidates.

(b) Professional experience required 

You must have acquired at least three years’ of relevant professional experience for duties requiring a university degree after obtaining one of the diplomas referred to above. That professional experience must include at least 100 days’ work as a conference interpreter, starting from the date on which the conditions set out in Section 3, point a (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) were met.

The following will not be regarded as constituting experience as a conference interpreter: court interpreter, liaison interpreter, company interpreter or interpreter for social or other public services.

(c) Knowledge of languages - language combination required

The term ‘language combination’ refers to the languages used by conference interpreters in their work. Working languages are divided into ‘active’ and ‘passive’ languages and are defined below as ‘A’ or ‘C’ languages.

You must have a language combination (A+CCC), as set out below:

‘A’ language: your active main language -perfect knowledge at mother-tongue level of which you have a perfect command and into which you work from all your other working languages when interpreting both simultaneously and consecutively. 

‘C’ language: a passive language from which you interpret into your main language and which you understand fully (level C1 minimum of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Active ‘A’ language: English (Language 1 in your application form)

Passive ‘C’ languages:

—        C 1: French or German (Language 2 in your application form)

—        C 2: a European Union official language (must be different from the A and C1 and C3 languages) (Language 3 in your application form)

—        C 3: a European Union official language (must be different from the A and C1 and C2 languages) (Language 4 in your application form)

Please note that ‘A’ language is your “main language” in HRM Portal (Streamline) and you must indicate it in your application form as Language 1. This language cannot be changed.

Note that the level of proficiency required of your passive languages (C languages) concerns only your listening and reading skills. 

B. PROCEDURE

1. Admission to the competition

The competition is based on tests.

The Appointing Authority shall draw up a list of candidates who have submitted their application file in accordance with the arrangements and by the deadline stipulated in Section C of the notice. This list will be sent to the Chair of the selection board.

The selection board will consider the applications of candidates on the Appointing Authority’s list and draw up a list of candidates who comply with the eligibility criteria set out in Sections A.1 and A.3. It will base its decisions solely on the information given on the application form and substantiated by the supporting documents attached to it. (See the Guide for candidates for further details.)

All candidates on this list will be invited to the practical tests.

2. Tests

Practical tests

(a)   Test involving simultaneous interpretation of a speech from language C1, C2 or C3 as chosen by the candidate into language A.

This test will involve the use of an audio-visual medium and the candidate’s performance will be recorded.

Duration of the original speech: no more than 12 minutes

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points)

(b)   Test involving simultaneous interpretation of a speech from a C language different to that chosen in 2a) and 2d) into language A.

This test will involve the use of an audio-visual medium and the candidate’s performance will be recorded.

Duration of the original speech: no more than 12 minutes

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points)

(c)   Test involving the preparation of a speech for testing in language A.

The candidate will be given a file with instructions with material on two different topics and asked to choose one topic to prepare notes for a speech suitable for an accreditation test. The speech will then be video recorded.

Maximum duration:  2 hours 30 minutes

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points)

OR

(c)   Test involving the preparation of a digest for meeting preparation in language A.

The candidate will be given a file with instructions with material on two topics and asked to choose one topic to prepare a digest with a monolingual glossary. 

Maximum duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points)

(d)  Test involving consecutive interpretation of a speech from a C language different to that chosen in 2a) and 2b) into language A.

This test will be taken in front of the selection board and may involve the use of an audio-visual medium.

Duration of original speech: no more than 6 minutes

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points

Candidates who have obtained the pass mark in each practical test will be invited to the oral test.

Oral test

(e)   Interview with the selection board will be conducted in a C language chosen by the selection board to assess candidates’ suitability to perform the duties described in Section A.2 (Job description) in a European institution. This assessment will encompass European Parliament core competences: continuous improvement, showing flexibility, team spirit and cooperation, result orientation and showing reliability, taking into account all the information contained in their application files. The language chosen for the interview will be communicated to the candidate in advance.

Maximum duration: 45 minutes

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points)

3. List of suitable candidates

The selection board will draw up a list of suitable candidates containing the names of the 4 candidates with the highest overall scores in the tests, as laid down in Section A.1 ‘General remarks’. These overall scores are the total number of points obtained in the practical tests and the interview with the selection board set out in Section B.2, provided the candidates have achieved the pass mark in each of these tests. The list may include any candidates tied for the final place. The names of the suitable candidates will be included on the list in alphabetical order.

The successful candidates will be informed individually of their results, and the list of suitable candidates will be published on the intranet of the European Parliament.

The list of suitable candidates will remain valid until 31 December 2027. Its validity may be extended by decision of the Appointing Authority. If extended, the candidates whose names have been included on the list will be informed in good time.

 If you are offered a job, you will be required to produce the originals of all requisite documents, including diplomas and employment certificates, for verification.

 Inclusion on a list of suitable candidates does not constitute either a right to, or a guarantee of, recruitment.

C. APPLICATIONS

How to apply:

You must apply via the Apply4EP platform:

https://apply4ep.gestmax.eu/employee/search/index/lang/en_US.

You must read carefully the Guide for candidates in internal competitions organised by the European Parliament before completing the application form and provide the relevant supporting documents.

 Closing date for applications:

12.00 (noon), Brussels time, on 2 July 2024.

An acknowledgement of receipt will automatically be sent to you as soon as your application form has been validated.

You should only communicate about this competition via your Apply4EP account. Please DO NOT TELEPHONE to ask about this competition. 

You are responsible for regularly checking the inbox of the email address you indicated in your Apply4EP account.