Traineeship Lawyer-Linguist with French as main language

Frankfurt

Organization: ECB - European Central Bank
Location: Frankfurt
Grade: Internship - Traineeship - Only Open to EU Nationals
Occupational Groups:
- Legal - Broad
- Translations and Languages
Closing Date: 2025-10-08

General Information

Type of contract Traineeship

Who can apply? EU nationals eligible for our traineeship programme

Grant The trainee grant is €1,170 per month plus an accommodation allowance (see further information section)

Working time Full time

Place of work Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Closing date 08.10.2025

Your team

You will be part of the Legislation Division in the Directorate General Legal Services. Our Division is responsible for preparing the ECB’s legal acts in the official languages of the EU, reviewing legal texts for legal, linguistic and terminological consistency, and maintaining a legal terminology database.

In your role as a trainee, you will be part of a team of 40 members of staff and will work closely with other business areas throughout the ECB.

The ECB is an inclusive employer and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Your role

As a trainee Lawyer-Linguist with French as your main language, you will:

translate draft ECB legal acts and other legal documents from English into French;
translate legal texts from French into English for internal working purposes;
contribute to the drafting of ECB legal acts;
carry out legal research related to legislative drafting and in areas relevant to the ECB’s activities as a central bank and banking supervisor;
maintain the quality of translation databases;
participate in the Legislation Division’s projects in areas including the development of the ECB lawyer linguist function, knowledge management and the use of technology;
contribute, as required, to the work of the Legislation Division as a whole.

The traineeship offers you excellent opportunities to contribute to the quality of legal acts at an EU institution. You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.

Qualifications, experience and skills

Essential:

a bachelor’s degree or higher in French, Belgian or Luxembourg law awarded by a French, Belgian or Luxembourg university and taught in French;
a good knowledge of the MS Office package;
a mastery-level (C2) command of French and an advanced (C1) command of English, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Desired:

a master’s degree in French, Belgian or Luxembourg law awarded by a French, Belgian or Luxembourg university and taught in French;
a good knowledge of EU law;
a basic knowledge of EU and French, Belgian or Luxembourg banking and financial law;
a qualification in modern languages and/or translation;
experience in legal translation;
at least an intermediate (B1) command of one or more official EU language(s) other than French and English, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages;
a demonstrable interest in or experience with visualisation and collaboration tools.

You are curious and eager to learn, and want to further develop your ability to analyse complex information. You are keen to collaborate with others, pursue team goals and learn from other people’s diverse perspectives. You strive to know and anticipate stakeholder needs, and will signal any need for change and propose alternative solutions.

You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are keen to be part of our team and to use your skills and competencies to achieve the aims of this position.

Further information

Initial traineeship of between 3 and 6 months, with a possible extension to up to 12 months in total.

Other details on the conditions applicable to traineeships at the ECB can be found on our website.

Application and selection process

The recruitment process for this position will include a remote written exercise in the pre-selection phase and – if you are invited to participate in the subsequent selection phase – an online interview.

Further information on how to apply is available on our website.

If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list for 12 months from the closing date for applications, from which you might be considered for other traineeship positions within the ECB.

Apply

We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.

Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.

Apply