My name is Marko, and as a lawyer-linguist at the Court of Justice of the European Union, my task is to ensure that court documents in foreign languages are translated into Estonian in such a way that the reader believes they were originally drafted in Estonian.

In my daily work, I not only need to be proficient in foreign languages, but, in addition to a solid knowledge of EU law, I must also be familiar with the legal systems of other EU Member States, sometimes creating new legal concepts in Estonian when necessary. As a quality advisor at the Estonian Translation Department, I believe that, alongside ensuring access to the widest possible body of case law in Estonian, it is crucial that our translations are as accurate as possible. This allows us to convey the true meaning of legal texts to Estonian readers.

Having worked at the Court of Justice of the European Union for over 20 years, I can confirm that the legal issues I translate are both highly engaging and topical, offering an opportunity to contribute personally to the development of the Estonian legal language. The rapid development of technology and artificial intelligence also presents daily challenges in my work – I have the extraordinary privilege of being at the heart of it all in Europe.

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Euroopa Liidu Kohtu jurist-lingvistina on minu ülesanne tagada, et võõrkeelsed kohtudokumendid oleksid tõlgitud eesti keelde nii, et lugejale jääks mulje, et need ongi algselt koostatud eesti keeles.

Minu igapäevane töö eeldab laialdast võõrkeelte oskust, liidu õiguse tundmist ning võrdleva õiguse analüüsi, mis hõlmab kõikide liikmesriikide õigussüsteemide mõistmist, selleks et kasutada tõlkimisel võimalikult täpset eesti õigusterminit või vajaduse korral luua uus termin. Eesti tõlkeosakonna kvaliteedinõunikuna seisan hea selle eest, et eesti keeles kättesaadava kohtupraktika tõlked oleksid võimalikult kvaliteetsed ja usaldusväärsed. Nii saab Eesti lugejale eesti keeles edasi anda õigustekstide tegeliku mõtte.

Olles Euroopa Liidu Kohtus töötanud üle 20 aasta, kinnitan, et tõlgitavad õigusprobleemid on äärmiselt põnevad ja aktuaalsed ning pakuvad võimaluse isiklikult panustada eesti õiguskeele arengusse. Tehnoloogia ja tehisintellekti kiire areng seab iga päev väljakutseid ka minu töös – mul on erakordne privileeg olla otse Euroopa südames.

" My name is Emmanuel, I am from France, and I speak English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German – the five languages of the Office. The EUIPO, where I started working back in 2008 as an external Project Manager, was my first European institution. A couple of years later I started working in International Cooperation, which brought me closer to IP - and I loved it. A few years later, after a period working for the European Parliament, I passed a competition for IP professionals and went onto work in Design examinations in the Operations Department of the EUIPO.  
I deeply enjoy my work within the Operations department, especially the balance between examining designs (core business) and being part of more horizontal projects such as Artificial Intelligence applied to trade marks and designs (mostly for image recognition and automatic classification). One of the activities that I love getting involved in is delivering presentations and conferences to international stakeholders. For instance, next October I'll be going to Cameroon to train African examiners on designs. In the past, I also had the chance to visit Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Peru, or Ecuador in the context of International Cooperation. 
Alicante is a great place to live if you are an outdoor enthusiast. I enjoy activities such as sailing and hiking. Alicante has a manageable size, and it was not difficult at all to adapt when I first arrived."
 

“European transport policy touches upon everyone’s daily lives. That is what I realised soon after I started working in the Transport Committee of the European Parliament 15 years ago. I am now in DG MOVE (Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport) in the inter-institutional relations team.

In this coordination unit, you have a very good overview of the DG and the pending ad upcoming MOVE proposals. It’s a perfect position to understand the working methods and dynamics of other institutions as well. It is extremely interesting to closely follow the proposals though the different stages of the co-legislation process and to see how the text evolves in the Council working parties/Coreper meetings and parliamentary Committees/plenaries, and later during the trilogue negotiations”.

"Crisis management encompasses the response to emergencies, in Europe and around the world. Organised along the pillars of civil protection and humanitarian aid, crisis management, for DG ECHO, means tight deadlines, coordination with the other EU institutions and the Member States and with international organisations, travel, and, most of all, the sense that you are doing something that brings tangible benefits to millions. I work in communication – keeping the public informed on what the Union is doing in response to crises from the COVID-19 pandemic to the activation of the civil protection mechanism for Ukraine, to the organization of humanitarian air bridges to the strengthening of the EU’s firefighting fleet. Every day brings something different."

« Je travaille en tant que juriste-linguiste au sein de l’unité de traduction de langue française à la Cour de justice de l'UE depuis huit ans. Les tâches qui incombent à cette unité consistent principalement en la traduction de pièces de procédure dans des affaires portées devant la Cour et le Tribunal et de conclusions rédigées par les avocats généraux. 

Ce métier permet d’allier une expertise en matière juridique et la pratique des langues, en exerçant dans une institution qui joue un rôle essentiel au sein de l’Union européenne. 

Il offre également un environnement de travail propice à l’acquisition constante de compétences au fil de la carrière, notamment par l’apprentissage de langues étrangères et la formation à l’utilisation de nouveaux outils de travail dans le domaine de l’informatique et des technologies. »

"I am a lawyer by training and have been working for the European Commission since 2005. I started my career in the legal team of DG Agriculture, then moved around inside the same DG, dealing with topics as diverse as international trade negotiations and organic farming. But after 10 very intense and interesting years, I moved to DG ECHO. I worked as an Assistant to the Director-General and later joined the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Crisis Management. Especially these two assignments gave me a good overview of the diversity of work carried out by DG ECHO: From coordinating international emergency response in case of natural disasters in the EU to supporting humanitarian funding across the globe.

More recently, I became the Manager of a Unit of 27 colleagues that deal with the development of the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network, a structure that will help civil protection and disaster management stakeholders to connect better and share knowledge. It also entails assisting in civil protection field exercises, organising expert trainings and many more things.

Working in DG ECHO is very special. Because it is essentially about helping people in need and preparing better for disaster. Ultimately, to save lives. I consider this a great privilege: to be part of what is probably one of the most noble policy areas of the Union. It is not about pushing paper, but delivering concrete help when it is most needed. And the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have shown how important it is to stand together in solidarity.

In fact, I would probably not have thought during my studies of international law at Tübingen and Bonn, London and Berne Universities that I would end up here. But I have not regretted that choice ever since.

And by the way, Brussels is also a very nice place to live and to raise a family. I cannot think of a more international and inspiring workplace. For the three children, growing up in an international environment is a huge opportunity. They grew up bilingual from the beginning and the European Schools make sure that they become enthusiastic young Europeans.

The only thing I should also point out: The weather in Belgium is not always what you would like it to be … but Belgian food and drink compensate."

"Hi! My name is Cristina and I come from Alicante, Spain. I graduated in Law at the University Miguel Hernández, and I completed a master’s degree in intellectual property right after that. In my early career, I worked at a law firm specialised in trade mark and design portfolios, and a few years later, I spent some time working as inhouse counsel in the private sector, covering Spain and Portugal. I joined the EUIPO back in 2012 on a Temporary Agent contract, and a few years afterwards, with the firm determination to become an Official, I passed an IP Competition. 
I work now in the Opposition division, drafting decisions on relative grounds. In the past I have been in other teams, and I have also been a Team Leader, which has allowed me to work closely with other IP experts. I work in Spanish, French and English, and sometimes I participate in horizontal projects, such as IPforYOU, collaborating with national IP offices in other countries by delivering presentations, seminars and trainings to top users. Currently, I am a structural teleworker, which means that I work 90% of the time remotely and I go to the office a few days per month. This arrangement benefits my work life balance enormously and gives me plenty of flexibility to organise my day.  
The most satisfying part of my job is being part of the core business in an Office which is a reference in the IP world. We set trends and precedents and play a key role in protecting intellectual property rights and innovators across Europe and beyond. I enjoy the working conditions we have: flexibility to organise my work and meet targets while defining my schedule, well-resourced departments that strive for quality, an innovative office that keeps on investing in technology, and amazing facilities that make coming to the Office a pleasure. 
The above summarises why I believe people should apply to work for the EUIPO as IP specialists. Join us and play a key role in the IP world!"
 

“My name is Frederik and I come from Denmark. I am working in the area of transport (DG MOVE) of the European Commission.

Transport plays an absolutely vital role for citizens and businesses, and it is a big economic sector employing many people, which is what makes our work in DG MOVE so interesting and concrete. Transport also brings a number of challenges such as pollution, noise and accidents, which we need to tackle and which, especially for some transport modes, is a greater challenge than for others.

In DG MOVE, as one of the only sectorial DGs of the European Commission, we work on a variety of aspects from environment and social matters to infrastructure, and from state aid to economic regulation. DG MOVE is therefore a DG that offers many opportunities to work in different areas, to learn and to develop.

I very much enjoy working in DG MOVE, with colleagues of all nationalities and with experts in many areas. We also work closely with the industry, member states and other stakeholders, which all together gives a rich and varied job environment.”

“Being a lawyer-linguist allows me to combine my legal expertise with a passion for languages.

My journey began on the other side of the courtroom, representing Latvia before the Court. Today, from within the institution, I ensure that the Court’s legal texts are clear, precise, and accessible in Latvian. Thus, I contribute to fair and effective application of EU law, ultimately influencing the daily lives of citizens across the Union.

The rapid development of language technologies is reshaping our profession, opening exciting opportunities. We are actively working on finding the most reliable and responsible ways to integrate AI into legal translation, while preserving the accuracy and nuance that only human judgment can ensure.”

 “I am from Vilnius (Lithuania) and lived there before moving to Alicante to join the EUIPO. Being the capital, Vilnius is a very vibrant city that offers a rich cultural life and diverse gastronomic experiences. It also has one of the biggest old towns in Eastern Europe. 
I joined the EUIPO as a trade mark examiner in 2007. In 2012 I was appointed head of decisions sector within one of the services of the Operations Department. Since 2015 I’m part of the litigation team which is in charge of defending EUIPO’s decisions before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
My regular working day consists of preparing procedural documents for the Court of Justice of the European Union and researching its case-law. In addition, I often travel to Luxembourg to participate in oral hearings.  
A career at the EUIPO appealed to me for various reasons. Already when studying law, I had a particular interest in intellectual property. Moreover, I really enjoy working in a multicultural environment and I am a true believer in the purpose of the European Union. Last, but not least, Alicante offers a great quality of life, especially when you have a family with children.”