Calling All Italian Interpreters

The European Commission is one of the most ambitious places to work for an interpreter.
The fact that there is a lack of Italian interpreters at the European Commission is quite serious. The Italian booth is present in approximately 45% of the meetings organised by DG Interpretation of the Commission, in 58% of the meetings organised by DG Interpretation of the European Parliament and in about 50% of all hearings before the three jurisdictions that make up the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Bruxelles is now warning that in the next 10 years the Commission might suffer from a real deficit of Italian interpreters. About 40% of Italian interpreters either employed by the Commission or working as freelancers will be retiring by 2020, leaving a considerable void that needs to be refilled as soon as possible in order to provide the coverage needed at meetings where there is the Italian booth.
Obviously the attention should be focused on the preparation of the future Italian interpreters. The academic path to become an interpreter is a long one, but it is maybe one of the most fascinating careers one may aspire to undertake.
Italian interpreting schools are not many in number but very prestigious. Academic preparation is based on building the most required language profile. One of the most popular language profiles for Italian interpreters is made by combining French, German and English. Other profiles are taken into account depending on the needs of the various institutions, however. Thanks to the possibility of lifelong learning, the young performers can then consolidate and enrich their language combination. In addition to excellent knowledge of their passive languages, the interpreter is clearly required to have an absolute mastery of the mother tongue, an essential business tool in the process of communication that forms an interpreter's work.
Certainly not every Italian interpreter will or may be able to work at the European Commission, but the good aspect of studying translation and interpreting is that they open various possible career paths.
Being fully proficient in foreign languages and having an interpreting degree allows aspiring interpreters access to a varied range of jobs where languages play a very important role. The biggest mistake when talking about translation and interpreting lies in the idea of conceiving the study of language as a very restricted field.
Translators are not just working in publishing. Translators work in theatre and cinema. Thinking about cinema, Italy is home to some of the most well respected dubbing schools in the world where translators are indeed frequently required. And so it is the same for interpreters. The need for interpreters is not only for EU institutions, but also for ONGs, embassies, international companies, advertisement agencies and last but not least tourism.