DGT podcast: Languages and Technology

How can we make sure AI works fairly across Europe’s languages?

 In this episode of DGT podcast: Languages & Technology, Anna Holmén speaks with Pilar Sánchez Gijón from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Susana Valdez from Leiden University about the EU MMLU project. 

In this project, European Master’s in Translation students are translating an AI evaluation dataset into the EU official languages. They are gaining practical experience while helping develop a multilingual benchmark for large language models.

We also hear from DG Translation's Anna Kokkinidou, on how DG Translation and the European Master’s in Translation network collaborate on this project and more.

The guests discuss the challenges of adapting AI evaluations to different languages and cultures, the importance of human expertise, and plans to expand the benchmark to all 24 EU official languages.

More on the EU MMLU and the EU institutional LLM: An EU Institutional LLM to prevent digital language extinction - Multilingualism, translation and language-based AI services

In this episode, we explore translation, terminology and artificial intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on the Irish language. We discuss how new AI technologies are changing the work of language professionals, and what it means to work with a language that has fewer digital resources than many larger languages. 
 
Our guest is Dr Jamie Murphy, Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow at University College Dublin. Jamie has worked as a translator, terminology specialist and researcher, and now teaches the next generation of language professionals.  
 
We also discuss the EU Institutional LLM and the role of AI and language data in preventing digital language extinction. 

Learn more about the EU institutional LLM

How does a European Commission document make its way from an initial draft to 24 equally valid language versions?

In this episode of DGT podcast: Languages and Technology, Anna Holmén goes behind the scenes of the European Commission’s translation workflow with Ivana Zeljković, Head of DG Translation’s Demand Management Unit, and Iva Vatova-Ivanova from the same team.

They explain how DG Translation forecasts upcoming work, prepares complex translation packages, coordinates with Commission departments and agrees deadlines that allow EU legislation to reach citizens in 24 official EU languages.

The conversation takes us into the engine room of multilingualism: from terminology work and language technology to lead translators, editing, outsourcing and the systems used to manage urgent requests. We also hear how DG Translation achieves deadline compliance of over 99% and why human expertise, coordination and a passion for languages remain essential even as workflows become increasingly automated.

Tune in for a rare look at the people and processes working behind the scenes to make the EU’s 24-language system work every day.

Read more on our website: Translation at the European Commission - Multilingualism, translation and language-based AI services

Transcreation sits where translation meets copywriting, creativity and cultural adaptation. In this episode, Anna Holmén talks to Italian transcreation expert Claudia Benetello about why human nuance, humour, voice and individual flair still matter in a world increasingly shaped by AI – especially in marketing and creative language work.

Claudia will speak at the 2026 Translating Europe Forum. Register for #2026TEF

Multilingualism is a democratic right and a core part of the EU’s identity. Christos Ellinides, Director-General for Translation, talks about what this means in the era of AI – and what we do to safeguard EU language diversity. Why is DG Translation a good place to develop AI tools? What is the role for linguists in all this? And are we really building an LLM of our own? Hear the answers to these questions and many more. 

If this whets your appetite, find out more on our website Multilingualism, translation and language-based AI services