[autom.vertaling] De Poolse, Hongaarse en Tsjechische talen bereiken het Parlement (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Parliament today made a small but significant step towards everyday life with 25 EU member states, by interpreting in three new languages.

"I am very pleased today to be able to inform you that for the first time in a plenary sitting, we have three new interpreting booths in operation", said European Parliament President Pat Cox at the start of the plenary session.

The languages of the three biggest new member states, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are the chosen tongues.

A Polish assistant in the Parliament said that Poles were "shouting with joy and all went to listen to the plenary debate in their own language".

However, Mr Cox went on to say that "this does not alter the current situation which is that full interpreting in all the new languages will only be available from May 1 next year [when the ten fomally join the EU]".

He was also keen to ensure that countries whose language were not represented today - Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Malta - do not feel left out.

"With the limited facilities now available to us, we intend to rotate the languages so that there is some equality of access - although no continuity of access", said the President.

Sorting out full interpretation - both ways - for the nine new languages of the European Union is proving to be a logistical nightmare.

Not only is there a fight for space for the interpreting booths but interpreters have to be found who are able to speak unusual language combinations - Portuguese and Hungarian, for example.

Until now the accession countries, who are represented by observers in the European Parliament, have only had interpretation of all nine languages at the same time once - in November last year at a special enlargement session.

Observers from the new countries are allowed to participate but not speak during plenary session.