The EU has received 441 applications for just 30 Irish translator positions to work at the European institutions when the language gains official EU status on January 1st.
The huge interest in the €4,000 a month jobs has surprised EU officials, who had expressed concerns that it may be difficult to recruit trained Irish-language experts.
For example, more people applied for Irish-language translator jobs than applied for similar positions for the Slovakian and Slovenian language in the last big recruitment drive in Brussels.
Before enlargement in May 2004 some 435 candidates applied for positions as Slovakian translators while 184 people applied to be Slovenian translators.
Guy Van Biesen, head of selection at the European Personnel Selection Office, said the high level of interest in the jobs may have had something to do with the extra effort the Government had put into publicising the job opportunities.
"This is a very, very good response to the competition and far better than I expected," said Mr Van Biesen, who is preparing the dates for selection tests and interviews.
The Government was keenly aware that any lack of interest in the positions for Irish translators would prove embarrassing given its intensive lobbying campaign to achieve official status for Irish at the EU. Ministers and TDs, including Noel Treacy and Tom McEllistrim, had urged Irish speakers to apply for the positions in Brussels.
From January 1st, 2007, all EU regulations adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the council, and any correspondence from and to Irish-speaking citizens, will be translated by the 30 successful candidates. The EU is also hoping to recruit four interpreters with a knowledge of Irish to offer a limited interpreting service for Irish at the European Parliament and at the council. However, it believes this could prove more difficult given that there is no specific interpreters' university course for Irish.
It is estimated that translation and interpreting services in Irish will cost EU taxpayers several million euro per year.
Rather than advertising for Irish-language translators, the EU is currently seeking English-language translators with a sound knowledge of the Irish language.
The next phase of the selection process for Irish will begin next month when candidates receive confirmation of their application and are invited to sit admission tests.
The 90 candidates with the best results for the admission tests will be invited to submit a full application to be screened by a selection panel.
This panel will then mark the translation test and the best 45 candidates will be invited to interviews.