What does it take to add a new language to the EU?
When a country joins the European Union, the language of the nation joins a European family. For new members to fit in and join the discussions, they will need to develop terms and sayings and turns of phrase in their own language. The existing body of treaties and decisions must be translated, and conference interpreters trained for EU-meetings.
In this clip, the European Commission's interpreters explore with Latvian academics and civil servants what it takes to add a new language to the EU and how interpreters contributed to ensuring that Latvians coming to meetings in Brussels could speak and listen to their language. Latvia provides an example of the language journey every new Member State needs to undertake.
Produced for The European Commission by VideoSCIC, 2013. Videography: Lucinda Afreixo. Producer: Ian Andersen
