Conference of Translation Services of European States (COTSOES)

COTSOES was established:

• To foster exchanges of information and experiences in areas of common interest.
• To assist Member Services with translation, interpretation, terminology and language technology issues
• To promote cooperation among language professionals in the public service.

Member Services / Participating Services / Observers

52 services from 20 different countries are members of COTSOES. The number of services from any country is not limited. Central government translation, terminology and/or interpretation services from States outside Europe and from intergovernmental organisations may attend the Assembly as Participating Services, but are not entitled to vote. Representatives from services and institutions other than Member or Participating Services may, at the invitation of the Presidency, attend the proceedings of the Assembly as Observers. The Rules of the Conference were established in 1982 in Bern. They have been revised in 2018; the updated version is available in English, in French and in German.

Working Groups

Most of the work of the Conference takes place within its Working Groups. There are four Working Groups:

• Human Resources
• Internal Rules
• Terminology
• New Technologies

Assembly

The Assembly meets every two years in ordinary session. The Presidency is elected in the Assembly for a period of two years, and the outgoing Presidency assists the new Presidency to ensure continuity. The principal duties of the Presidency are:

• Drawing up the agenda for the Assembly
• Organising and directing the activities of the Assembly
• Circulating the decisions and recommendations adopted by the Assembly as well as the working groups’ reports
• Preparing an account of the activities of the Conference

The 20th session of the Assembly took place in Ankara on 22 and 23 November 2018, chaired by the Translation Department of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020, the Presidency will be held by the Translation Unit of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Working Languages

The working languages of the Conference are English, French and German. If the Presidency is unable to arrange interpretation at the Assembly, it can request assistance from Member Services. The working groups’ reports are prepared in all three languages.