For this episode of DGT podcast: Languages and Technology, our guest is Edward Love from the European Commission Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. Edward is a member of the clear language network, which promotes clear writing and shares best practices within the Commission. Tune in to hear more! By visiting our website on multilingualism, translation and language-based AI services you can read more about plain language, editing practices in the Commission and AI-based tools supporting clear writing. 

For this episode of DGT podcast: Languages and Technology, our guest is Anna Sole Mena from the European Commission Directorate-General of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. We talk about the European Day of Languages and how languages build bridges. The Commission runs a range of events and projects to support multilingualism and language learning. Tune in to hear more! You can also find out more about the European Day of Languages by visiting our website on multilingualism, translation and language-based AI services.

Michał Rusinek, Polish academic, translator, writer and director of the Wisława Szymborska Foundation visited DG Translation as we highlighted Polish language and culture in the context of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU. In this episode we talk about Szymborska's poetry and legacy, and Mr Rusinek's lifelong commitment to and love of words and language. 

‘Translation is migration and migration is translation’: discover how the renowned Hungarian author Gergely Péterfy perceives and experiences translation in his everyday life, as a writer and as a foreigner living in Italy.
Invited to give a conference in DGT in the context of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, the author of ‘Kitömött Barbár’ (The Stuffed Barbarian) joins us to talk about his work, not only as a writer but also as the cofounder of a creative writing school and publishing house, inspiring an alternative Hungarian cultural scene in Umbria, Italy.
He also shares his love for the Hungarian language, which he sees as a colourful 'tapestry' mixing multiple influences.

Extracts from ‘Kitömött Barbár' read by Judit Mezei-Horvati
Music: Days Past by Inclosing

In this episode, we put the spotlight on DG Translation’s Slovak language department (now called community), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This department was established when Slovakia, along with 9 other countries, joined the European Union in 2004.
A terminology network building strong ties with experts in Slovakia, annual conferences sparking lively discussions on hot topics in translation, a universIT programme to improve colleagues’ digital skills: discover some of the initiatives developed by the Slovak language community in DG Translation over the years. 

With Barbora Tricoire (field officer) Josef Stefanik (Head of department), and Matej Vlaciha (language technology coordinator)
Music: Days Past by Inclosing

Of the 10 countries that joined the European union in 2004, Cyprus was the only one that did not bring a new language to DG Translation, since Greek was already an official language of the EU. Yet the Cypriot Greek dialect possesses its own very distinct taste and flavour, even in unexpected fields like legal terminology.
In this episode, Spyros Armostis and Georgios Floros from the University of Cyprus delve into the island's linguistic landscape, shedding light on the phenomenon of diglossia and describing the growing prestige of the Cypriot Greek dialect. They also share the story of how the translation of Cyprus's post-independence legal system, initially planned to take 5 years, ultimately stretched over 3 decades!

Music: Τ​υ​λ​λ​η​ρ​κ​ώ​τ​ι​σ​σ​α / Woman from Tilliria by Monsieur Doumani; Days past by Inclosing

Enthusiastic about being part of a long-awaited historical moment, ready to do whatever it takes to meet deadlines, and happy to celebrate their achievements together! That is how Ildikó Faber, the first Hungarian recruited in DG Translation in Luxembourg, and Zsolt Varga, who was number 4 in the Field Office in Budapest, describe the spirit among DGT Hungarian translators in 2004, when their country joined the EU.

They recall how interesting and fun it was to create EU terminology in fields like fisheries (not much developed in a land-locked country…) and walk us through some of the specificities of their agglutinative language.

With music from the Luxembourg-based Hungarian rock band Toldi Mike.

Music: Űrlány (Spacegirl) and Madarak (Birds) by Toldi Mike; Days past by Inclosing

Dive into the history and intricacies of the Czech language with Martin Kukal, from the Czech language Department, in DG Translation. Illustrated with 3 poems by Jiří Žáček and a lullaby by Leoš Janáček.

Poems: Jádro problému, Hloupá otázka, Epitaf Učitele, by Jiří Žáček, read by Marie Kujinkova

Music: Dobrou noc, by Leoš Janáček, performed by Elise Artoisenet

What is a Large Language Model (LLM)? A neural network? A supercomputer? How and why is DG Translation building a new multilingual LLM? 

Cristian Brasoveanu and Bhavani Bhaskar, from the AI team in DGT, explain it all in simple terms. They walk us through DGT’s LLM project, describing its unique assets: high quality linguistic data, checked by language experts, running on state-of-the-art supercomputers. They also explain how these supercomputers age and rejuvenate, and give their (rather optimistic) vision of the environmental impact of AI.

Music: Thomas Perissino and 'Days Past' by In Closing

What’s it like to be a mentor in DG Translation? How do we welcome newcomers to DGT and help them adjust to a new job and life in a new country?
Boryana explains what she and the Knowledge Management Team have put in place to help new colleagues and their mentors, while Chris (English department), Thomas and Vincent (Danish Department) share their experiences and give us tips and tricks for successful mentoring relationships – which sometimes turn into lifelong friendships. 

Music: Days Past by In Closing