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

56 services from 22 different countries are members of COTSOES. 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 in English, in French and in German. They have last been revised in 2021.

Working Groups

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

  • Coordination and Communication

  • Human Resources

  • New Technologies

  • Terminology

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 22nd session of the Assembly took place in Berlin on 5 and 6 October 2023, chaired by the Language Service of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. From 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025, the Presidency will be held by the Translation and Language Division of the Prime Minister's Office in Helsinki.

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.

COTSOES Presidency

The 2024-2025 Presidency is held by the Translation and Language Division of the Prime Minister's Office of Finland. We were very happy to assume this responsibility and are delighted to be able to work with the COTSOES Member Services in this role. We look forward to exchanging information and experiences with everyone at the COTSOES Assembly in Helsinki between 11 and 12 September 2025. 

Taru, Kaisa and Katarina

Taru Virtanen, Kaisa Kuhmonen and Katarina Petrell
Heads of Units at the Translation and Language Division
Government Administration Department, Prime Minister's Office
Helsinki, Finland
presidency@cotsoes.org