Language Competitive Examinations for Interpreters

United Nations DGACM

28 Apr 201705:22

Summary

TLDRThe video script addresses the low pass rate for candidates in the United Nations Language Competitive Examination (LCE), despite prior selection and specific training in interpreting. Senior interpreters identify key challenges, including the high speed of UN speeches, complex jargon, and unfamiliarity with the diverse accents of UN member states. To improve success rates, the script proposes a special optional module for graduates focusing on UN topics, terminology, and accents, with exercises that incrementally increase speech speed. Collaboration under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UN and universities aims to enhance training programs and prepare candidates more effectively for the LCE. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of graduates capable of passing the LCE by addressing these specific challenges through a cumulative approach and mock exams.

Takeaways

📉 Low Pass Rate: The pass rate for the UN Language Competitive Examination (LCE) is often below 15%, indicating a significant challenge for candidates.
🎓 Training Gaps: Despite prior selection and specific training, candidates still lack certain competencies and skills necessary to succeed in the LCE.
🏎️ Speed Challenge: The average speed of a UN speech is 149.12 words per minute, with a range up to 180.85 words per minute, which is a key factor in the low success rate.
📚 UN Jargon and Topics: Candidates need to be well-versed in UN-specific jargon and understand the distinctions between different UN committees and topics.
🗣️ Foreign Accents: Familiarity with the accents of the 193 UN member nations is crucial for interpreters, which many candidates lack.
📝 Marking Criteria: Senior interpreters use criteria such as comprehension, accuracy, grammatical correctness, sentence construction, style, and speed to evaluate candidates.
🤝 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): The UN cooperates with universities through MOUs to develop course modules and teaching materials, and to provide training by UN staff.
🏫 University Role: Signatory universities are expected to adapt or create training programs focusing on UN LCE preparation, including a special optional module.
🌐 MOU Conferences: The purpose of these conferences is to strengthen cooperation within the MOU network and adapt academic training to the needs of international organizations.
📈 Outreach Program: An initiative to expedite the preparation of graduates capable of passing the LCE by introducing a special optional module focusing on UN topics, terminology, accents, and speed.
📚 Cumulative Approach: The special module will incrementally increase the speed of speeches, starting from 100 words per minute and ending with 170 words per minute, to help candidates adapt.
💡 Mock Exams: Organizing mock exams with speeches from past LCEs will help candidates interpret different accents, cope with varying speeds, and become familiar with UN speech structure and terminology.

Q & A

What is the average speed of a UN speech and what are the extremes?
-The average speed of a UN speech is 149.12 words per minute. The highest delivery rate can reach up to 180.85 words per minute, while the lowest is 106.44 words per minute.
What are the two main areas of knowledge that candidates often lack in the UN LCE?
-Candidates often lack knowledge in UN jargon and topics, as well as familiarity with foreign accents, including those of the 193 member states.
What are the criteria used by senior interpreters for marking excellent passes in the LCE?
-The criteria include comprehension of passive languages, accuracy in interpretation, grammatically correct target language, ability to construct complete sentences, understanding of appropriate style and register, keeping up with speed, intelligent editing, good diction and delivery, and good preparation of UN topics.
What are the main responsibilities of the UN under the MOU with universities?
-The UN's responsibilities include assisting in developing course modules and teaching materials, and at the request of the university, assigning United Nations staff to conduct training.
What is the primary responsibility of signatory universities under the MOU?
-The main responsibility is to adapt existing training programs or create new ones with an emphasis on preparation for the UN LCEs.
What is the purpose of MOU conferences?
-The purpose is to explore and strengthen cooperation within the MOU network and agree on how to adapt the academic training of language professionals to the needs of international organizations through intensive pedagogical assistance.
How can the outreach program help expedite the preparation of graduates for the LCEs?
-The outreach program can introduce a special optional module at the end of the curriculum for graduates with UN languages, focusing on UN topics, terminology, accents, and speed.
What does the special optional module focus on?
-The special module focuses on three challenges: UN topics and terminology, accents by region, and gradually increasing speed from 100 to 170 words per minute.
How can mock exams help participants prepare for the LCE?
-Mock exams require participants to interpret speeches from former LCEs, which helps them learn to deal with different accents, cope with various delivery rates, and become more familiar with the structure and terminology of UN speeches.
Why is the pass rate for the LCE often lower than 15 percent?
-The low pass rate is often due to candidates' inability to keep up with the speed of speeches, their lack of knowledge of UN jargon and topics, and unfamiliarity with the wide range of foreign accents.
What is the structure of LCE speeches that candidates need to be aware of?
-LCE speeches follow a certain structure that includes the main themes discussed by the General Assembly and the Security Council. Candidates need to know where to find the information and how to analyze and use it for the LCE.
How can graduates become more successful in the LCE?
-By applying all the lessons learned from the special optional module, dealing with different accents, coping with different delivery rates, and becoming more acquainted with the structure and terminology of UN speeches, graduates can increase their chances of success in the LCE.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Challenges and Solutions for Passing the UN LCE

The first paragraph discusses the reasons why candidates who have received specific training in interpreting often fail to pass the Language Competitive Examination (LCE), with a pass rate typically below 15 percent. The main issues highlighted are the speed of UN speeches, UN jargon and topics, and foreign accents. Senior interpreters who mark the exams use criteria such as comprehension, accuracy, sentence construction, style, speed, editing, diction, and preparation. The paragraph also outlines the responsibilities of the UN under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with universities to develop training programs and materials for UN LCE preparation. The purpose of MOU conferences is to enhance cooperation and adapt academic training to the needs of international organizations. An outreach program is proposed to expedite the preparation of graduates capable of passing the LCEs, with a special optional module focusing on UN topics, terminology, accents, and speed.

05:01

💡 Proposal for Enhancing LCE Success

The second paragraph presents a proposal to improve the success rate in the LCE. It acknowledges the challenge but expresses optimism that with collective effort, it can be overcome. The paragraph concludes with an encouraging note, suggesting that the proposed measures can lead to better outcomes in future LCEs.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡LCE

The LCE, or Language Competitive Examination, is a test designed to assess the language proficiency and interpreting skills of candidates for positions within the United Nations. It is a critical part of the video's narrative as it is the main challenge that the candidates are facing. The pass rate for this exam is alarmingly low, which is a central issue being addressed in the transcript.

💡UN Speech Speed

The speed at which speeches are delivered at the UN is a key factor in the LCE's difficulty. The average speed is stated as 149.12 words per minute, with variations that can affect a candidate's ability to interpret accurately. This speed is crucial for interpreters as they must be able to keep up with the pace while maintaining the quality of their translations.

💡UN Jargon and Topics

UN jargon and specific topics are part of the specialized knowledge required for UN interpreters. Candidates need to understand the difference between various UN committees and be familiar with the themes discussed by the General Assembly and the Security Council. This knowledge is essential for accurate interpretation and is highlighted as a challenge in the video.

💡Foreign Accents

Familiarity with a wide range of foreign accents is necessary for UN interpreters, as they must interpret speeches from members of the 193 UN countries. The ability to accurately interpret different accents is a skill that contributes to the overall competency of an interpreter and is mentioned as a criterion for passing the LCE.

💡Comprehension

Comprehension of the passive languages is a fundamental skill for interpreters. It involves not only understanding the content but also being able to analyze and use the information effectively during the LCE. This is a critical aspect of the examination and is directly related to the candidates' success.

💡Interpretation Accuracy

Accuracy in interpretation is paramount and involves translating the source speech into a grammatically correct target language. This includes the ability to construct complete sentences and maintain an appropriate style and register, which are part of the marking criteria used by senior interpreters.

💡Intelligent Editing

Intelligent editing refers to the interpreter's ability to logically remove redundant words and phrases without losing the meaning of the speech. This skill is essential for maintaining the clarity and coherence of the interpretation, especially when dealing with complex or dense passages.

💡Good Diction and Delivery

Good diction and delivery are important for interpreters as they affect how well the interpreted speech is communicated to the audience. It involves clear enunciation and a delivery style that is easy to understand, which is a criterion for an excellent pass in the LCE.

💡Preparation of UN Topics

Preparation for UN topics is a key responsibility of the interpreters. It involves becoming well-versed in the terminology and structure of UN speeches, which is crucial for performing well in the LCE. The transcript mentions this preparation as a part of the special optional module that could be introduced for graduates.

💡MOU (Memorandum of Understanding)

The MOU is an agreement between the UN and universities that outlines the responsibilities of both parties in preparing students for the UN LCEs. It includes developing course modules, providing teaching materials, and assigning UN staff for training. The MOU is central to the video's theme of improving interpreter training and success rates.

💡Outreach Program

The outreach program is a strategy mentioned in the transcript to expedite the preparation of graduates capable of passing the LCEs. It is part of the broader efforts to strengthen cooperation within the MOU network and adapt academic training to the needs of international organizations like the UN.

💡Special Optional Module

The special optional module is a proposed addition to the curriculum for graduates with UN languages. It is designed to focus on UN topics, terminology, accents, and speed, addressing the three main challenges outlined in the transcript. This module is a key part of the proposed solution to improve the success rate in the LCE.

Highlights

The average speed of a UN speech is 149.12 words per minute, with the highest delivery rate at 180.85 words per minute and the lowest at 106.44 words per minute.

Candidates often lack knowledge of UN jargon and topics, such as the difference between the 3rd and 6th committee.

Familiarity with the accents of the 193 UN member countries is crucial for interpreters.

Senior interpreters use criteria such as comprehension, accuracy, ability to construct sentences, and style understanding for marking.

The UN's main responsibilities under the MOU include assisting in developing course modules, providing teaching materials, and conducting training.

Signatory universities are responsible for adapting or creating training programs focused on UN LCE preparation.

MOU conferences aim to strengthen cooperation within the network and adapt academic training to meet the needs of international organizations.

The outreach program can expedite the preparation of graduates capable of passing the UN LCEs.

A special optional module focusing on UN topics, terminology, accents, and speed could be introduced for graduates.

The optional module would address the three main challenges: UN topics, accents, and speed.

Understanding the structure and main themes of UN speeches is crucial for LCE preparation.

Accents can be grouped by region to help candidates become more familiar with different speech patterns.

The special module would gradually increase speech speed from 100 to 170 words per minute.

Mock exams interpreting speeches from former LCEs would help candidates apply what they've learned.

Becoming familiar with different accents and coping with varying delivery rates can lead to more successful LCE outcomes.

The proposal suggests that with a cumulative approach and addressing the main challenges, more candidates can pass the LCE.

While it's a challenge, a collaborative effort can lead to improved success rates in the LCE.