Toespraak eurocommissaris voor Meertaligheid Leonard Orban in Bundestag Berlijn (en)

Bundestag

Berlin, 25 April2007

Sehr geehrter Herr Wissmann, meine sehr verehrten Damen und Herren Abgeordneten,

Ich bedanke mich für die Einladung, um mich mit Ihnen über die Bedeutung der Sprache austauschen zu können. Mir ist es ein besonderes Anliegen, dass wir heute offen miteinander sprechen. Bitte erlauben Sie mir zunächst, Ihnen einige Gedanken zu meinem Aufgabengebiet und zur deutschen Sprache vorzutragen. Ich werde nun in Rumänisch fortfahren.

As I have mentioned on many occasions, multilingualism is embedded in the genetic code of the European Union. The first Regulation, no. 1/58, granted equal footing to official languages of the time. This decision is still in force.

Under the Presidency of President Barroso, multilingualism has matured; this is not only because there is a Commissioner in charge of Multilingualism, but because multilingualism has acquired a horizontal dimension. Usually multilingualism at European Commission level is seen as being mainly related to translation and interpretation, to communication with the European citizens in their own language. But it is also regarded as an essential part of other policies.

Let me refer, firstly, to the role of multilingualism in the various policies and the projects I have in mind.

There is certainly agreement that multilingualism is essential for culture, education, communication and employment, for the integration of migrants and mobility of workers.

It is fundamental for the competitiveness of the European Economy. It is vital for the companies which are endeavouring to enter new markets and target consumers in a language that they understand. Many European companies lose contracts and important amounts of money because they do not pursue a multilingual policy.

This is why in the second part of 2007 I intend to create an 'Enterprises' Forum on Multilingualism'. This will analyse the concrete ways to help companies to develop multilingual skills in order to facilitate access to other markets. Knowledge of foreign languages is also essential for the mobility of individuals and, of course, for reducing unemployment at European level. The forum will screen the opportunities in this respect as well.

Learning foreign languages is vital for the integration of migrants and for intercultural dialogue. In collaboration with Germany and Commissioner Frattini, I would like to explore further developments in this field. During my visit I am going to meet government representatives also on this matter.

I will make use of the recommendations made by the European Language Inspectors Network (ELIN) in order to encourage the learning of foreign languages. Lifelong learning funds available for 2007-2013 will ensure financing of linguistic projects, including regional and minority languages.

In this context, I would like to highlight the role of the media, especially of television, in language learning. I come from a country where subtitles are current practice. And I can tell you that subtitles have a significant effect on language learning and improving language knowledge. Many Romanians learned Spanish or another Latin language by watching Telenovelas.

Of course, it is not my purpose to advocate one or another kind of programme. What I would like to say is that subtitles are a cheap and effective language teacher. I am aware that Germany practises dubbing. It is a matter of tradition and national decision. In my position as a Member of the European Commission I do not want to impose a specific option. But, it is apparent that with the internet, more and more young people watch subtitled movies. Also, for the elderly and for people with hearing disabilities, subtitles provide a very efficient solution. Fortunately, digital television offers us the choice between subtitles and dubbing. And one of my priorities is to encourage technologies that allow both subtitles and dubbing.

The development of new technologies is a priority for translation and interpretation. These will never replace the interpreter or the translator, but, without such investment, the linguistic regime of the European Union is not sustainable in the long term.

Such multilingual technologies help the Community institutions communicate with the Union's citizens. My colleagues in the Directorate General for Interpretation have developed technologies that offer advanced systems for video conferences, with interpretation. Such systems could be extended to other domains, including hospitals, courts etc.

Multilingualism helps Europeans find out their rights, which are communicated to them in each of the 23 official languages.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me now turn to the practical side and the day-to-day management. I am well aware that I am facing a situation, where I notice an increased sensitivity about languages in general.

Today we seem to face a trend that English develops into what some would say is already a quasi lingua franca. And yes, science is ever more English dominated, music, especially modern pop music, and business shares these developments as well.

But I repeat what I said at the beginning, the equality of languages as defined in regulation 1/58 remains a cornerstone of European values.

Yet I cannot spare reminding you of some facts. It was in the margins of the first round of the enlargement towards the Middle and East European countries back in 2002 that the question of necessary resources had been discussed. And this discussion obviously included the needs for additional staff, including those for interpretation and translation.

From the outset it was clear that an increase in the number of Member States from 15 to 25, now 27, therefore almost doubling, could not be translated into a pro rata increase for staff. Even for the important aspect of proper communication such an increase was out of the question for interpretation and translation. So the Commission had to make a choice, knowing the position of the budgetary authorities, namely the European Parliament and the Member States, including the government of Germany. The result was a prudent figure but one that could never reply to all translation requests that we would be facing. In addition, part of the agreement was that the Commission sets aside annually 1% of the increase of posts in all areas that will be given to those policies that are political priority areas, such as for example energy. This process, as you know, is called redeployment.

Consequently, as of 2004 the Commission had to develop a strategy for translation that would adjust the demands for translation to the capacity to deliver. When defining this strategy, the Commission was prompted by the need to secure the quality of translations without neglecting any effort to increase the productivity.

As a result, under this strategy:

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  all those documents that are defining our legal obligations or flow from the agreed political priorities would be translated in time into all languages,
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  while everything that would not be considered to be of a decisive nature in legal terms or in defining policy orientation had to be placed in staff working documents, which are not translated or would only be translated according to real needs.

What is meant by real needs? It is evident nowadays that communicating policies cannot be limited to producing legal texts. Expectations for a multilingual presentation of policy orientations are much wider and cover media such as the Internet. Consultations that have become a vital part of preparing policy choices require also communication beyond just one language.

I am aware of your concerns in this context. Let me reassure you that besides the issues set out earlier in promoting multilingualism in Europe, I am reflecting together with my fellow Commissioner, Mrs. Wallström and our services, to see if there would be alternative solutions. And I am certainly open to suggestions.

But let me be very frank with you. Any such solution will have to respect the equality of languages according to regulation 1/58. I cannot and will not allow for any discrimination in producing EU documents.

What I am looking for are pragmatic solutions. And we have to be imaginative and creative. But, let's face it, there will be no quick fix, and any solution which would go far beyond the present capacity to deliver, would imply financial costs.

I started with this portfolio a few months ago. Before coming up with concrete measures for the formulation of a new policy I would like to gather ideas. I would like to know in-depth the difficulties encountered by the Member States in this field and see how the Commission could help.

Efforts in this respect at European level could bring a valuable complement to national effort, enhancing the effectiveness of the latter. This is why I am here, to listen to you and to ask for your support.

Thank you for your kind attention