IP/09/405 Brussels, 16 March 2009Towards an EU wide Master's in translationThe creation of the European Master's in Translation (EMT) network will be the central theme of an international conference organised by the European Commission in Brussels on 16 and 17 March 2009, where over one hundred universities and other stakeholders involved in translator training will come together to agree on the criteria for training programmes to become part of a common EMT quality label. The European Commission invites universities that train professional translators to join a European network of high-quality training programmes. "High-quality, attractive translator training curricula provided by universities throughout the European Union contribute to a secure supply of skilled professionals not only for the Commission and the EU institutions, but for all translation markets" said Leonard Orban, the European Commissioner for Multilingualism. The European Master's in Translation should become a quality benchmark for translator training consisting of a set of competencies to be acquired in a Master's degree in translation. The scheme was launched in 2005 at the initiative of the Directorate-General for Translation of the European Commission, and has been developed in close co-operation with recognised experts on the translation profession from the academic world. The first two conferences, organised in October 2006 and March 2008, laid the basis for the cooperation by proposing a standard set of key competencies within a translation study curriculum. The standard competencies can be introduced by any university which provides translator training and wishes to participate in the EMT network. The Commission gives advice, but the responsibility for translator training rests exclusively with the universities. The establishment of the network will be the culmination of the four-year development of the EMT scheme, initiated by the Commission's Directorate-General for Translation. When it is set up, the network will help promote the exchange of best practice between participating universities and, ultimately, enhance teaching standards, the professionalism of future translators, and the creation of a truly European market for skilled translators. A recent announcement[1] by the Commission about a potential shortage of translators in some languages confirms the need for a steady supply of professionals from translator training institutes. The EMT conference 2009 focuses specifically on:key competencies required for future translators; university training and employability in order to enhance cooperation between universities in different countries; the admission criteria for the EMT network; the advantages and responsibilities of network members and applicants; the future work and organisation of the network.Attendance at the conference is by invitation only, but the event will be webcast live at the address given below, including answers given to questions sent in by viewers: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/external_relations/universities/emt_conference2009_en.htmUniversities that are interested in joining the EMT network have until 30 April 2009 to submit their applications. For more information: EMT 2009 Conference: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/external_relations/universities/emt_conference2009_en.htmOpen call for submitting applications: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/external_relations/universities/emt_network_join_en.htmDG Translation: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/index_en.htm Languages in the EU: http://europa.eu/languages/en/home [1] MEMO/09/76, 19.2.2009.