Languages - EU positions

cocaholic

Currently looking at a job application and part of it requires to fill out out 1) mother tongue 2) other language that has to be an official language of the EU (I think the 3 - English, French and German).

I was gonna put down English as my mother tongue (which it is) and then French as second however for other language they require you to put down what you or speaking, listening etc on the European framework and also ask how long studying, what exams taken etc.

I haven't done French or Irish since Leaving Cert, did honours French but didnt receive a good grade and did pass Irish where I got a b2 but its pass - so my language skills wouldnt be the best.

I was thinking of putting down Irish as my mother tongue and then English as my second but wondering cos they are gonna be likely looking for proof but wondering would it be only for the 2nd language.

Sorry for the rambling post, but confused.

RomanGod

The one thing I would never lie about is my proficiency in foreign languages. I am fluent Irish and have intermediate French but I would not apply for EU roles because they are looking for full fluency in speech, writing and comprehension. No offence but your grades would not help your case here. Best to leave them out while you are applying

The_Conductor

With the various expansions- English is by and large the first language of the Commission- with a smaller number of meetings in French (previously 95% of meetings might have been in French). German is also a very popular meeting language.

Don't lie on your application. If you are claiming a proficiency- you need to be able to hold a reasonable conversation in the language- or follow a detailed discussion in it.

Irish is a secondary language- aka in very limited circumstances translation may be available in a meeting- but its very limited in nature.

If you cannot hold a conversation in the language in question- or require a translator to follow a detailed meeting in the language- you are not proficient in the language.

Manach

The prevalence of French is stronger in some areas of the EU that in others. For instance in the Judicial sector, very much the key language.

playedalive

For your own sake, don't lie. The application procedures are supposed to be very thorough that you will be found out one way or another.

Also, The EU competitions are very very competitive. I speak French and Spanish myself and have studied them to degree level, so I've had the talks with the EU delegation office in Dublin. It is incredibly competitive and you really have to be the best of the best in your languages for the translation sector.

cocaholic

playedalive wrote: »

For your own sake, don't lie. The application procedures are supposed to be very thorough that you will be found out one way or another.

Also, The EU competitions are very very competitive. I speak French and Spanish myself and have studied them to degree level, so I've had the talks with the EU delegation office in Dublin. It is incredibly competitive and you really have to be the best of the best in your languages for the translation sector.

It would be for an administrative traineeship not a translation traineeship. I would love to do a traineeship but the language requirement is a deterrent. I recall though in uni that it was said (and caused a bit of a argument for pro-languages academics) that we could put Irish as 1st and English as 2nd (even when you're not fluent in Irish).

RomanGod

cocaholic wrote: »

It would be for an administrative traineeship not a translation traineeship. I would love to do a traineeship but the language requirement is a deterrent. I recall though in uni that it was said (and caused a bit of a argument for pro-languages academics) that we could put Irish as 1st and English as 2nd (even when you're not fluent in Irish).

Really? Let me get this straight. An EU role will have guys from a place like Belgium applying who have 3 languages and then an Irish guy applies who puts Irish first even though he has no grasp of it whatsoever and probably complained about having to learn it in school. Really? I guess with this country's internal systems anything is possible. ..

Jim2007

cocaholic wrote: »

It would be for an administrative traineeship not a translation traineeship. I would love to do a traineeship but the language requirement is a deterrent. I recall though in uni that it was said (and caused a bit of a argument for pro-languages academics) that we could put Irish as 1st and English as 2nd (even when you're not fluent in Irish).

And what happens if the interview is conducted in Irish? How long will you last? If I get a resume from an Irish person who states that Irish is their first language, guess which language I'll conduct the interview in???

It really does not matter where you work in the EU, you must be fully competent in more that one language.

The_Conductor

I've held an interview in Irish purely for this reason.
In the Irish public sector- if you held a Gaeleagras cert- you were considered to have a relevant level of Irish- now with the abolition of the cert- everyone gets interviewed.......

cocaholic

Cheers for the advice folks. If I go ahead and apply I'm gonna say English as my mother tongue and French as my second ... that's if I do apply (as I previously said the language requirement is a deterrent).