The Ministry of European Affairs signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Philological Faculties of the University of Montenegro and the University of Donja Gorica. The cooperation aims to carry out activities and projects of mutual interest and is primarily focused on preparing the Montenegrin version of the European Union’s legal framework. Educating students on translating European documents and using computer-assisted translation tools, translating within domestic and European institutions, and standardizing Montenegrin technical terminology, is also purpose of Memorandum.
Montenegro’s Chief Negotiator with the European Union, Predrag Zenović, explained that the European legislation currently contains around 250,000 pages of the “Official Journal – Eur-lex,”. He stated that the preparation of the national version of these specialized and legal texts is a test of the country’s readiness to overcome the challenges stemming from membership.
“The preparation of the national version of the EU’s legal framework is the largest translation-legal endeavor in Montenegro’s history, especially given the specificity of translating normative texts, known as ‘high-risk texts,’ which will have legal effect after accession and directly impact societal processes and individual rights,” Zenović said.
The Dean of the UDG’s Philological Faculty, Dragica Žugić, emphasized the importance of strengthening ties between higher education and practical sectors. The aim is to involve young talent in the translation process of the EU legal framework.
“This collaboration between the philological faculties of our two universities and the Ministry of European Affairs will make this possible. Our students will have a direct connection to the professional world. On the other hand, the Ministry will gain valuable support for specific tasks and have the opportunity to guide our students to ensure their potential is utilized in the best possible way,” added Dean Žugić.
Igor Lakić, Dean of the Philological Faculty in Nikšić at UCG also highlighted the importance of this experience for students.
“Our goal is to strengthen this important work, to accelerate it, though it is not easy and cannot happen overnight. This task requires a large number of people, and we have experienced translators at the Universities who can train students in this area, and whom the Ministry of European Affairs can rely on. I believe that together we can achieve great results,” said Dean Lakić.
Jelena Samardžić-Kotri, Head of the Directorate for the Preparation of the Montenegrin Version of the EU Legal Framework at the Ministry of European Affairs, recalled that the Ministry has so far translated around 56,000 pages of EU acts. She highlighted that terminologists have independently built an online terminological database called Monterm over the past three years, which currently contains around 11,000 entries.
“We have worked hard with a very small team in the Ministry to establish the technical and procedural bases that should serve as a framework for quality control and as a guarantee of sustainability and efficiency. Finally, we have reached the point where we cannot achieve the necessary work pace without broad support to complete the national version of the European legal framework on time,” said Samardžić-Kotri.