After the success of the first edition of the KCI Virtual Cafés in June, a second session was organised on Monday 26 September 2022.
As already announced, the second edition was organised on the occasion of the European Day of Languages. Speakers representing a variety of different services within the EU Commission focused on multilingualism and how it is applied in their day-to-day work.
One particularly valuable aspect of the event was undoubtedly that it brought together different services, such as DG Communication, DG Education and Culture, the Publications Office, the Secretariat-General and the Legal Service as well as DG Translation and DG Interpretation. This ensured a rich debate with multifaceted perspectives on multilingualism. Speakers took the floor in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Romanian, which was a perfect reflection of multilingualism within the EU. Interpretation into English and French was provided by SCIC interpreters.
The session consisted of various presentations showcasing the different ways in which EU services work in a multilingual environment and for a multilingual audience. The speakers discussed topics such as the importance of learning foreign languages from a young age, how all legal texts emanating from EU Institutions are translated into the 24 official languages and the complexities of organising meetings with interpretation in the country that holds the EU Presidency.
Participants appreciated the speakers’ enthusiasm as well as the quality of the content shared. They were interested to hear the traditional reasons in defence of multilingualism as well as some more innovative ones.
The vast majority of participants followed the event online, but a group of students from Thessaloniki (Greece) had the opportunity to attend the event in person, as they were in Brussels on a study visit organised by DG Interpretation (European Commission) and DG LINC (European Parliament).
You can relive the second Virtual Café via the webcast available here. The link will remain active on this page for two years after the event.
The KCI Team is particularly grateful to the interpreters from the English, French and Romanian booths, who allowed us to reach a wider audience and gave students a unique opportunity to see first-hand professional conference interpreters at work. This was indeed ‘multilingualism in action’, as had been announced. And, of course, our thanks go to the colleagues in SCIC who ensured the smooth running of the event with invaluable technical support.
The KCI Team was also pleased to hear the positive feedback from participants both during and after the event. We take this as further encouragement to continue the pilot project. We will be back soon with more information about the next cafés. Stay tuned!