Maltese translators in Luxembourg are a hardworking, jolly – and loud – bunch. Kristina Chetcuti talks to the pioneer of the department, Javier Valeri Cobo.

Javier Valeri Cobo ran the Maltese translation department at the European Parliament in Luxembourg for six years.

Up until 10 years ago Javier Valeri Cobo had never been to Malta, had never met a Maltese person and had never heard the sound of the Maltese language.

That all changed when he was appointed acting head of the Maltese department at the Directorate-General for Translation at the European Commission in Luxembourg.

Yet Malta was always one of his favourites in the Eurovision Song Contest. “I wonder if this was a kind of premonition,” he quipped, in his typical Catalan humour.

Mr Valeri Cobo steered the department, with three translation units, for its first six years from 2004. It started out with three young translators but his biggest challenge was always recruitment.

“Most of the new departments had very serious problems with recruitment but it was clear the Maltese were in the worst situation.”

There were fewer candidates than the other languages, mostly for demographic reasons. The first concours – the examinations and interviews for recruits to become full-timers – were not successful and the department had to employ people on a temporary basis.

“Sometimes the fight to recruit Maltese candidates reminded me of the Serie A or the Premier League but we were neither Juventus nor Manchester United,” Mr Valeri Cobo said.

Another problem was Maltese were less eager to leave their country: “Or, I’d rather say, they are more eager than others to return.”

However, over the years the situation started to change.

Translation is now being studied in the University of Malta and attitudes have also evolved.

“Increasingly young newcomers feel, like many European young people now, that their future is not only linked to their native country,” he said.

The biggest challenge the department faced was the “scary ghost” of the Maltese backlog.

Thanks to a derogation, for the first three years only the regulations jointly adopted by the Council and the Parliament had to be translated into Maltese. But by December 2008, the department had to start translating everything, including all the remaining legislation that had been published between 2004 and 2007.

“I remember the very long working hours of that year and a half; people staying until late in the evening and productivity statistics showing record after record for the Maltese department. Despite being seriously understaffed the department reached its goal.”

When the nightmare was over and he thanked all the translators and secretaries, he asked what had spurred them through the hard work. “I just heard one single word: pride.”

Sometimes the fight to recruit Maltese candidates reminded me of the Serie A or the Premier League but we were neither Juventus nor Manchester United

That period earned the Maltese department the reputation for being the most hardworking people of the Directorate-General, a reputation that lasts to this day.

However, the Maltese are also reputed for being the jolliest crowd. When it comes to loud speaking and loud laughing, the Maltese “would certainly win the gold, silver and bronze medals”.

When he first arrived at the department the Maltese translators told him they neither phoned each other nor moved between offices to talk to one another. “They just shouted through the walls, windows and open doors.”

In the first years, the Maltese translators in Luxembourg also organised weekly parties for newcomers to the units.

“Every September 8, the Maltese still organise a big Victory Day party for the whole directorate-general and everyone goes home a couple of kilos heavier from all the Maltese food.”

By spring 2010, there were officially three Maltese heads of unit.

“They were doing a great job and gained a lot of experience. Any could replace me and moreover they had something I did not have at all: the perfect command of the language, which allowed them to also manage and have the last say on all the issues related to quality.”

It was time for him to move on, but letting go was not easy.

“Perhaps it’s not the best comparison but my feelings were quite similar to how I felt when my children left home to study abroad, a bit sad and a bit proud... but I am sure all the Maltese colleagues with whom I shared those unforgettable years know that they will forever be very deep in my heart,” he said.

• A public conference entitled ‘Ten years of membership, 10 years of translation in the EU: past present future’ will be held at Dar l-Ewropa on October 30 at 9am. E-mail DGT-Valletta@ec.europa.eu.