President's welcome

EULITA, the European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association, was founded in Antwerp, Belgium, on 26 November 2009. This international not-for-profit association (aisbl) was established under the Criminal Justice Programme of the Directorate-General Justice, Freedom, Security of the European Commission (project number JLS/2007/JPEN/249). A two-day conference on “Aspects of Legal Interpreting and Translation”, attended by close to 300 participants from more than 30 countries, accompanied the official launch of EULITA at the Antwerp Court of First Instance.

 
EULITA aims to bring together in its membership as full members the professional associations and legal translators and spoken and sign-language legal interpreters in the EU member states as well as the general associations that include legal translators and spoken or sign-language legal interpreters among their membership. As associate members EULITA welcomes all interested organisations, institutions and individuals that are committed to the improvement of quality in legal interpreting and translation.

 
EULITA aims to represent the interests and concerns of the profession of legal interpreters and translators vis-à-vis European and international organisations and to support associations of legal translators and spoken and sign language interpreters vis-à-vis national authorities and institutions, to promote the establishment of associations of legal interpreters and translators in member states where as yet they do not exist, to promote close cooperation with academic institutions in the field of training and research and to encourage the establishment of national and EU-wide registers of qualified legal interpreters and translators, while at all times respecting the diversity of judicial systems and cultures.

 
EULITA is further committed to promoting quality in legal interpreting and translations through the recognition of the professional status of legal interpreters and translators, the exchange of information and best practices in training and continuous professional development and the organisation of events on issues such as training, research, professionalism, etc., thus promoting judicial cooperation and mutual trust by the member states in each other’s systems of legal interpreting and translations.  
EULITA, finally, aims to promote cooperate and best practices in working arrangements with the legal services and legal professions. Once the draft framework decision on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings is adopted as a directive, together with the “Best Practice” Council Resolution, EULITA will have an active role to play in supporting member states to transpose the directive and to ensure its practical functioning.  

 
The transitional Executive Committee of EULITA consists of Liese Katschinka (Austria), President, Christiane Driesen (Germany), Vice-President, Zofia Rybinska (Poland), Vice- President, Gun-Viol Vik-Tuovinen (Finland), Secretary, Lucía Castaño-Castaño (Spain), Treasurer, and the members Flavia Caciagli (Italy) and Maya de Wit (Netherlands). The first General Assembly of EULITA will be held within a year’s time.  

 
As the Executive Committee adopted the admission criteria for full and associate members, decided on membership fees, and defined membership benefits interested associations, organizations and individual persons are cordially invited to submit their applications. You will find all necessary information at “Join EULITA”.

 
Liese Katschinka, President of EULITA

 
Antwerp, Belgium / January 2010