Find out more about EU-funded research projects
Remote interpreting and artificial intelligence
Research project in Ghent University on AI tools in the booth and cognitive load
In 2024, 12 DG Interpretation interpreters took part in a study to determine how AI-based support tools impact interpreters in the booth and to measure the cognitive load on interpreters when working with and without these tools.
SmarTerp
SmarTerp integrates machine assistance in the human interpreting workflow and offers an AI-powered remote simultaneous interpreting solution. This solution helps interpreters cope with the demanding activity of simultaneous interpreting and tailors the service to the customer’s terminology needs.
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
ASR was a research project co-financed by DG Interpretation, which ran between September 2020 and August 2021. It was carried out by DG Interpretation, the University of Ghent and the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and assessed the potential benefits and usefulness of automatic speech recognition technology in the booth. Automatic speech recognition could facilitate the work of interpreters in the booth as the system extracts information from the speaker’s audio and displays numbers, names and terminology.
Video-Mediated Interpreting
AVIDICUS – Assessment of Video-Mediated Interpreting in the Criminal Justice System
AVIDICUS is a project carried out in 3 stages that assessed the reliability and quality of video-mediated interpreting in criminal proceedings in order to improve judicial cooperation across Europe. AVIDICUS also has a training section on video-mediated interpreting for interpreters and legal practitioners.
SHIFT – SHaping the Interpreters of the Future and of Today
SHIFT is a 3-year Erasmus+ project funded by the European Commission in 2015. The goal of the project was to develop a comprehensive solution for training in remote interpreting in higher education and lifelong learning. This was achieved through collaboration between interpreters and a European network of universities offering interpreting programmes.
Interpreting in virtual reality
IVY – Interpreting in Virtual Reality
IVY used the exciting features of 3D virtual environment technology.
EVIVA – Evaluating the Education of Interpreters and their Clients through Virtual Learning Activities
EVIVA evaluated the educational opportunities that 3 types of virtual learning environments (3D virtual worlds, videoconference and video-based environments) can give interpreters and their clients in the future.
Legal, humanitarian and public service interpreting
A video series on public service interpreting, Public Service Interpreting and the Challenges of the New Millennium, was produced by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona with DG Interpretation’s financial support.
The video project aimed to promote and improve the work and training of professional interpreters in European public services. The main objectives were to:
- develop open-access audiovisual material for trainers and trainees in public service interpreting as well as for a general audience
- give visibility to the work of public service interpreters in the EU and the importance of public service interpreting training programmes
- introduce public service interpreting to conference interpreting students as a means of broadening their knowledge of interpreting modes, fields of activity and communicative contexts.
ImPLI – Improving Police and Legal Interpreting
ImPLI was a comparative study of interpreter-mediated questioning practices – especially by the police – in Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy and Scotland. The project had two purposes:
- instigate or expand discussions among professionals
- share information and best practices among ImPLI partners.
CO-Minor-IN/QUEST
This project focused on vulnerable victims, suspects and witnesses under the age of 18 and how to provide them with the necessary information, support and protection. The project carried out valuable research and produced material to help interpreters assist their young clients in the best way possible.
CO-Minor-IN/QUEST I - Project Page of KU Leuven
CO-Minor-IN/QUEST II - Project Page of KU Leuven
CO-Minor-IN/QUEST - Children and Justice: Overcoming Language Barriers
CO-Minor-IN/QUEST - Recommendations
CO-Minor-IN/QUEST - Handbook for trainers
SOS-VICS – Speak Out for Support
This pilot project, co-funded by the EU criminal justice programme and partner universities, aimed to improve the training of interpreters working in the field of gender violence.
JUSTISIGNS – Sign Language Interpreting in the Legal Context
The limited recognition of sign languages often restricts deaf people's access to information at all stages of the legal process. JUSTISIGNS focused on identifying skills for sign language interpreting in legal settings and providing training for both qualified and qualifying sign language interpreters in this domain.
ReACTMe – Research, Action and Training in Medical Interpreting
ReACTMe brought together 6 institutions from Romania (Babeş-Bolyai University and University of Medicine and Pharmacy), Italy (University of Bologna and The University of International Studies of Rome) and Spain (San Jorge University and University of Murcia).
It aimed to provide tools to train medical interpreters, trainers and higher education learners and design the curriculum for an extracurricular module.
ReTrans
The Erasmus+ project ReTrans aimed to raise awareness of interpreting in humanitarian and transborder migration situations and draw attention to the challenges of language mediation in refugee transit zones. This was done by making easy-to-use didactic materials available to students and teachers from higher education interpreter institutions.
In 4 work packages, project partners from 4 different countries located along the European migration routes came together to tackle the needs of those working in transit zones and to help higher education students and teachers understand the challenges of not only mediating in such situations but also of adequately managing language service provision for all those involved. By giving a voice to interpreters, institutional representatives and refugees, the ReTrans project sought to foster exchanges between those in the field and those in higher education institutions.
Sign language interpreting
SignAll
The SignAll system directly translates sign language, which will not only help deaf people but also teach others how to sign.
SiMAX – the Sign Language Avatar
EU-funded researchers developed an avatar that will help make digital content and public information more accessible to the deaf community.
EASIER
EASIER is a Horizon 2020 project that aimed to design, develop and validate a complete multilingual machine translation system. The system will act as a framework for barrier-free communication among deaf and hearing individuals.
SignON – Sign Language Translation Mobile Application and Open Communications Framework
SignON bridges the language divide among deaf sign language users, hard of hearing individuals and hearing people by breaking down existing information barriers.