Interpreting at the European Commission: Hana Jungová
10. July 2022On 30 March, the FHS Auditorium Was Filled with Students from the Institute of Modern Languages and Literatures for an Engaging Lecture on Interpreting at the European Commission
Mrs Hana Jungová, a conference interpreter and head of the Interpretation Department at the European Commission, delivered the lecture. Due to her work The lecture covered topics such as the types of interpreting, the advantages and challenges of working as an interpreter for the EU, the interpreting job market within the EU, the conditions that must be met to pursue this profession, and the psychological profile required for those aspiring to become interpreters. One particularly interesting point was the mention of interpreting for the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where so-called lawyer linguists operate, possessing not only interpreting skills but also legal expertise. Mrs Jungová spoke captivatingly about her own practice, experiences, and the interesting situations she has encountered as an interpreter. She also shared her strategy for learning more than two languages and emphasised the importance of maintaining all of them, including one’s native language.
Mrs Jungová speaks six global languages, which she interprets from as well. When asked which language she would use to negotiate on behalf of the Czech Republic in the EU, she replied: “Definitely Czech.” At high-level negotiations, it is often much more advantageous – if not essential – for politicians to speak in their native language and use the services of an interpreter rather than attempting to express themselves on critical issues in a foreign language.
The event was co-organised by Eurocentrum Zlín https://eurocentra.cz/eurocentrum-zlin/. The coordinator was Ing. Lívia Ranocha, who attended the event in person, while Dr. Katarína Nemčoková from the Institute of Modern Languages and Literatures at FHS facilitated the lecture on behalf of the faculty.
Text: Renata Šilhánová