What Does a United Nations interpreter do?

Interpreters provide simultaneous interpretation from and into the six official languages for the meetings of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council and all their subsidiary bodies.

How many languages do you have to speak to be a UN interpreter?

two UN working
Language professionals who want to work in the United Nations Interpretation Service need to speak two UN working languages in addition to their mother tongue. Besides excellent language skills, the job requires in-depth knowledge in a wide range of interpretation subjects.

How many interpreters are there in the world?

It is estimated that there are around 640,000 translators in the world (source: Translators Association of China (TAC), a quarter of whom are freelancers.

What do you need to be a UN interpreter?

A first-level degree from a university or institution of equivalent status is required for all United Nations interpreters. Many interpreters also have a degree from an accredited school of interpretation. Candidates must be able to interpret from one to two official languages into their main language.

Who is the most famous translator in the world?

St Jerome. One of the world’s most famous translators – and certainly one of those whose work had the most influence in shaping the world – was St Jerome (347-420 AD). St Jerome produce the Vulgate, which became the official Catholic translation of the Bible, and which he translated into Latin from Greek and Hebrew.

What is the history of UN interpreting?

After the 1960s, there was change in the sociological make-up of UN interpreters. The United Nations began recruiting and training potential interpreters who were monolingual from birth but had learned and specialized in languages. This generation of interpreters did not come from privileged groups or complex migratory backgrounds.

What was the role of interpreters in the United Nations?

At the League of Nations and during the San Francisco Conference (1945) before the formal founding of the United Nations, the interpreters played a vital and visible role in meetings.

Where is the United Nations Interpretation Service located?

United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ), New York City, New York, U.S. The UN Interpretation Service is composed of the following staff:. The UN Interpretation Service is divided into the following sections:. The speaker talks to a “microphone discussion system” connected to a central system.

What is simultaneous interpretation at the UN?

In the late 1940s and the early 1950s, United Nations officials introduced simultaneous interpretation as a preferred method for the majority of UN meetings because it saved time and improved the quality of the output.