Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has warmly welcomed the news that four new Irish-language interpreters have successfully passed an interinstitutional accreditation test, which she says could not be timelier as Ireland takes the helm of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Since day one, Ní Mhurchú has been a trailblazer when it comes to advocating for the Irish language at EU level.
She regrets that she can only speak Irish consistently when making speeches in Strasbourg, despite the language becoming a full official and working language of the EU in 2022. There are still major gaps in the services available to MEPs who wish to use the language in their work, and the Ireland South MEP has been dedicated to filling them.
The four newly accredited interpreters, who all hold a masters from Galway University in conference interpreting, bring to eleven the total number of interpreters available to MEPs. This change comes thanks to a training programme run by the Parliament’s interpretation service, DG LINC, specifically aimed at increasing the number of qualified interpreters for Irish
In practical terms, this could mean Parliament members having more opportunity to speak Irish beyond plenary sessions, greater visibility for the language and a tangible step towards ending the derogation that is currently in place
But what is this derogation, and why is it a problem?
Unfortunately, a vote that passed in the previously parliamentary term means that Irish now has secondary status as an official EU language until 2029.
This means services are limited in the language, and that it cannot be used consistently by Irish MEPs. Ever since her election to the European Parliament in 2024, Ní Mhurchú has repeatedly called for an end to this sidelining of the language, pinpointing the Presidency as a moment when we can bring about real change.
An increased number of interpreters is exactly the type of tangible change that MEP Ní Mhurchú says she has been working towards, but reiterates that it only addresses part of the issue when it comes to Irish.
The Ireland South MEP strongly believes that more Irish MEPs need to speak the language so that there can be an end to this derogation for once and for all.
Ní Mhurchú has explained that if Irish elected officials fail to show the translation and interpretation services of the Parliament that they are using Irish, it will continue to be treated as a second-class language. She expressed these views in an interview with TG4’s 7 LÁ news programme earlier this month, where she was joined by fellow MEPs Seán Kelly and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, both of whom proudly use the language in their work.
The work towards ending this derogation cannot end here, says Ní Mhurchú, as she aspires to seeing more Irish-language interpreters recruited on permanent contracts.
While the Irish Presidency of the Council maybe only last until December, the Ireland South MEP demands that improved interpretation services last far beyond that.
