1. Translation services Organisational structure Resources
United Nations - UN
Translation services
Organisational structure
Resources

2. Languages Working languages of Secretariat: English, French
Official languages for intergovernmental meetings and documents: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese
Also German Translation Service

3. Documentation Division, D2
Part of Department for General Assembly and Conference Management
Translation Service (6 langs)
Editorial, Terrminology and Reference Service
Contractual Translation Unit
German Translation Service
New York

5. Activities (1)
Translates all official UN documents, meeting records, publications and correspondence at Headquarters
Prepares summary records of bodies entitled to such records.
Arranges for contractual translation and text-processing

6. Activities (2)
Edits official UN documents, meeting records and publications
Ensures linguistic concordance among the 6 official languages of resolutions, decisions and other legal instruments
Issues editorial directives for the UN Secretariat

7. Activities (3)
Provides reference and terminology services for authors, drafters, editors, interpreters, translators and verbatim reporters
Develops terminology databases

8. Workloads
2002 A/57/289: self-assessment and report on Documentation Division:
1,650 words for translation to be revised
1,815 words for self-revised translation
3,960 words for revision

9. Employment: translator/precis writer
Competition: written exam
Translation of general text (2.5 hrs, eliminatory)
Translation of text chosen from 4 texts in other language (1.5 hrs)
Summary in other language (1 hr)
Translation of text chosen from four specialised texts (economic, legal, social and political) (1.5 hrs)
No dictionaries, no computers

10. Employment: verbatim reporter
Competition: written exam
Translation (2hrs, eliminatory)
Translation of text in another SL (1.5 hrs)
Editing of text (1.5 hrs)
No dictionaries, no computers

11. Employment: proofreader
Competition: exam
Proofreading
Desktop publishing
Knowledge of printing
Language aptitude

12. UN Office Geneva
Languages Services, part of Conference Services Division
One translation section for each of the 6 language and support sections (reference and terminology; text-processing)
160 permanent translators, plus freelancers translate 50 million words per year
Provides translation for 50 bodies at UNOG

14. UNOG recruitment
Exam details and sample texts

15. UN organisations Chart of UN organisations
UN System of Organisations website index

16. Reading
Cao, Deborah and Zingmin Zhao (2008) ‘Translation at United Nations as Specialised Translation’, Journal of Specialised Translation, 9.
Kudryavtsev, Eduard and Louis-Dominique Oedraogo (2003) Implementation of Multilingualism in the United Nations System (JIU/REP/2002/11), Geneva: United Nations.