The Directorate-General for Translation at the European Commission is one of the world’s biggest translation services. We help the Commission communicate in written form in all the EU official languages, both internally and – more importantly – with the outside world.
We make sure everyone in the EU can access and understand key information in their own language.
We do this for 3 main reasons:
- Clear laws
Everyone in the EU must be able to read EU law in a language they understand. - Democratic participation
People have the right to engage with the EU in any of its 24 official languages. - Language equality
Since 1958, EU law has guaranteed equal treatment for all 24 EU official languages. None of the languages is more important than the others.
What DG Translation does
- Translating EU documents
We translate EU legislation, policy papers, communication material (including for the media) and other texts from and into the EU’s 24 official languages. Where needed, we also translate from and into other languages, such as Chinese and Ukrainian. This helps make the EU more open, accountable and democratic. - Making written documents clearer
Because most official EU texts are drafted in English (before being translated), we also have a team of native-speaker editors who help Commission staff write clearly, correctly and concisely. This makes the texts easier to understand for people outside the EU institutions. - Managing terminology
DG Translation reuses the high-quality linguistic data it builds up in the course of its work, in the form of translation memories and terminology databases such as IATE (InterActive Terminology for Europe). A translation memory is a database of sentences and phrases that have already been translated. When new texts are translated, the system suggests similar or identical past translations. This saves time and helps keep language clear and consistent across all the EU institutions. - Developing language technology and language-based AI services
We develop secure multilingual services using AI, including eTranslation, eBriefing and Accessible Text. These are available not just to the EU institutions but also to public administrations, small businesses, academia and non-governmental organisations across Europe.
We also invest in training large language models (LLMs) to improve our services and products. - Supporting language professionals
DG Translation invests in the language community by providing resources for professional linguists and helping them refine their skills through training, events and networking. - Promoting language diversity
We actively support language learning and celebrate linguistic diversity. - Helping future EU countries to build translation capacity
Countries wanting to join the EU may have a future EU official language that is not yet covered by the EU translation services. Before joining, they must translate all existing EU legislation into their national language so that the EU institutions can continue working smoothly when the country becomes a member. DG Translation helps them prepare by supporting translator training and recruitment, building a pool of freelance translators and sharing language data to develop translation tools.