Two University of Limerick students have been selected to undertake prestigious traineeships in the European Commission, at the heart of Europe's translation services hub.
Brian Ronayne and Tasha Walsh, who are both studying on the MA in Translation at UL, were officially announced as recipients of the EU Commission Traineeships at the 2026 UL Scholarship Awards, held on campus in March.
Brian and Tasha will travel to Luxembourg and Brussels in June to undertake the traineeships, offered in collaboration with the EU Commission’s Directorate General for Translation (DGT) – one of the world’s largest institutional translation bodies with almost 2,500 linguists and support staff.
The students – both graduates of the BA in Applied Languages at UL – will be working in a unit within the DGT’s English Language Department translating texts on various policy areas from EU official languages into English, and with the English terminology team working with the EU’s terminology database IATE. As part of the traineeships, which are exclusive to students on UL’s MA in Translation, Brian and Tasha will be assigned a mentor and will receive on-the-job training and feedback from experienced colleagues.
Tasha, from Oughterard in Co. Galway, said she feels “incredibly lucky and beyond grateful” to be chosen for the traineeship.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to apply all that I’ve been learning in my course and to kickstart my career as a translator. I’m planning to specialise in medical translation – I want my work to help others, and I feel that a traineeship in the EU is the best way to begin down that path,” she said.
Brian, from Youghal in Co. Cork, added that having his first professional experience as a translator with one of the world’s biggest recruiters of translators is “something he could have never imagined”.
“I will be able to apply all the knowledge from my MA, from translating to proofreading to terminology to project management in a real-life context. I know this experience will stand to me in the long run as this is a career path I would really like to explore,” said Brian.
Dr Veronica O’Regan, Associate Professor in German Studies at UL and Course Director of the MA in Translation, acknowledged the significance of the opportunity for the students.
“These traineeships are extremely valuable to postgraduate students wishing to gain experience working with languages at an EU institution. We are delighted that UL Foundation is supporting the UL-DGT traineeship initiative in 2026 with scholarships, which will be awarded to the two candidates taking up the placements this year.”
The MA in Translation was developed to meet an increasing global demand for skilled communicators, particularly English-speaking graduates with official EU languages.
Indeed, since Brexit, the demand for native English-speakers qualified to work as translators at various EU institutions has led to increased opportunities for Irish graduates, particularly as UK citizens are no longer eligible to apply. These opportunities have been further bolstered since 2022, when the Irish language gained full status as an official language of the European Union.
The MA in Translation is focused on developing professional translation skills and knowledge incorporating cutting-edge technology and translation management software. It also develops students’ understanding of language, culture and the complexity of translation flows and processes based on an active learning approach.