How the UN Translates Everything in Real-Time

Summary

The video script delves into the world of UN interpreters, revealing the intricacies of real-time translation during UN sessions. It explains the UN's six official languages, the role of interpreters in booths, and the 'relay system' for less common language pairs. The script also highlights the challenges and skills required for this profession, the rarity of certain language pairs, and the rigorous selection process for interpreters. It humorously touches on the interpreters' workload and the importance of their role in global diplomacy.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The UN uses earpieces for diplomats to receive real-time translations during meetings.
• 🔍 The UN has six official languages: Arabic, British English, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.
• 🏛️ Interpretation booths are located near the meeting rooms, each labeled with their respective language.
• 👥 Each booth must have at least two interpreters, who are native speakers of the language they interpret into.
• 🔄 Interpreters use a 'relay system' for languages not directly covered, interpreting through a common language like English.
• 📚 Interpreters receive advance information about meetings, including subject matter and documents, to prepare for their tasks.
• 🎓 Becoming a UN interpreter is highly competitive, with exams offered every three years and a rigorous selection process.
• 💰 Freelance interpreters at the UN can earn $666 per day, highlighting the high demand and skill required for the role.
• 🕒 Interpreters work in shifts, typically every 20-30 minutes, to maintain focus and accuracy during meetings.
• 🧠 Interpretation is a complex cognitive task, involving not just language processing but also coordination of listening, processing, and speaking.
• 🍽️ The video also promotes a meal delivery service called Factor, emphasizing convenience and healthy eating.

Q & A

What is the primary function of the earpieces used by diplomats at the UN?

The primary function of the earpieces is to provide reliable, real-time translations of every sentence spoken on the UN floor.

How many official languages does the UN have?

The UN has six official languages: Arabic, British English, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.

What are the two working languages of the UN’s executive branch?

The two working languages of the UN’s executive branch are English and French.

What does the 'Unknown' option on the earpiece possibly represent?

The 'Unknown' option on the earpiece might represent languages like Simlish, Toddler, or Marshmallow-In-Mouth, though it's not explicitly stated in the script.

Where are the interpretation booths located in the UN meeting rooms?

The interpretation booths are located near the seating areas in the General Assembly and Security Council, each labeled with their respective language.

What is the minimum number of interpreters required in each interpretation booth?

Each interpretation booth must always have at least two interpreters inside.

What is the difference between 'translators' and 'interpreters' in the context of the UN?

In the context of the UN, 'translators' handle written material, while 'interpreters' are responsible for oral translations.

What is the 'relay system' used when a language is not directly covered by a booth?

The 'relay system' involves an interpreter translating the speech into an intermediate language that another interpreter can understand and then translate into the target language.

How many middleman languages are allowed in the UN's relay system?

The UN allows only one middleman language in the relay system to avoid confusion and misinterpretation.

What is required if someone wants to speak a language outside of the six official UN languages?

If someone wants to speak a language outside of the six official UN languages, they must provide an interpreter who can interpret live from their language into one of the six official languages.

What is the approximate daily rate for freelance interpreters at the UN?

Freelance interpreters at the UN make approximately 666 dollars a day.

How often does the UN offer exams for interpreters for each language combination?

The UN offers exams for each language combination roughly every three years.

What is the average speed at which interpreters work?

Interpreters work at about 120 words per minute, which is as fast as an average Biden State of the Union address.

How often do staff interpreters swap out with another interpreter during a meeting?

Staff interpreters swap out with another interpreter every 20-30 minutes during a meeting to avoid mental fatigue.

What is the significance of the first Wednesday in May for interpreters?

The first Wednesday in May is International Interpreters' Day, a day to celebrate and acknowledge the work of interpreters.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 UN Interpretation: The Invisible Art of Real-Time Translation

This paragraph delves into the world of UN interpreters and the complex system that allows diplomats to receive real-time translations through earpieces during UN meetings. It explains the six official languages of the UN and the presence of interpretation booths for each language, staffed by at least two interpreters who are native speakers of the language they interpret into. The paragraph also touches on the relay system used when a language is not directly covered by a booth, involving a chain of interpretations through a common language. Additionally, it highlights the rarity of certain language combinations and the challenges interpreters face, including the need for quick and accurate translations without the possibility of asking for clarification.

05:01

🗣️ The Craft of Interpretation: Skills, Preparation, and the Human Brain at Work

This paragraph focuses on the demanding process of live interpretation at the UN, emphasizing the combination of preparation, skill, and instinct required by interpreters. Interpreters receive advance information about the meetings they cover, including subject matter and potential jargon, and are trained to understand various regional accents. They must maintain an optimal delay between hearing the speaker and starting their interpretation to capture the full idea before repeating it. The paragraph also discusses the physical and mental demands of the job, with interpreters working in shifts to avoid fatigue and the importance of accuracy in their translations, given the high stakes of UN discussions. Finally, it touches on the neurological aspects of interpretation, which engage not only language processing areas of the brain but also other regions involved in movement and coordination.

Keywords

💡UN Interpretation

UN Interpretation refers to the real-time translation services provided at the United Nations for its official languages. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses how diplomats receive translations through earpieces during UN meetings. The script mentions that the UN has six official languages and that interpreters are crucial for facilitating communication among delegates.

💡Illuminati

The Illuminati is a term historically referring to a secret society, but in the context of the video, it is humorously used to suggest a conspiracy behind the earpieces used by UN diplomats. The video quickly clarifies that the earpieces are for interpretation services, not for any secret society.

💡Official Languages

The term 'official languages' in the video refers to the six languages recognized by the UN for its operations: Arabic, British English, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish. These languages are essential for understanding the script's discussion on the complexity of providing interpretation services at the UN.

💡Interpretation Booths

Interpretation booths are the physical spaces where interpreters work during UN meetings. They are mentioned in the script to illustrate where the voice in the earpieces comes from and to highlight the conditions and standards that must be met for these booths to function effectively.

💡Interpreters

Interpreters are professionals who provide oral translations. The script distinguishes them from 'translators,' who work with written text. Interpreters are native speakers of the language they interpret into, which is vital for the video's explanation of how UN interpretation works.

💡Relay System

The relay system is a method used when a language combination is not directly covered by the available interpreters. The script explains that an interpreter translates the speech into an intermediate language, which is then translated into the target language by another interpreter. This concept is key to understanding the challenges of providing interpretation for all UN languages.

💡Freelance Interpreters

Freelance interpreters are independent contractors hired by the UN when full-time staff interpreters are insufficient. The video script mentions their daily rate and the fact that they are called upon to cover language combinations not typically available, adding to the discussion on the logistics of UN interpretation.

💡Accreditation and Testing

Accreditation and testing are processes that potential UN interpreters must go through to qualify for their positions. The script describes the rigorous exams and interviews, emphasizing the high standards required for interpreters at the UN.

💡Interpretation Delay

Interpretation delay refers to the brief pause between when a speaker finishes a sentence and when the interpreter begins to translate. The script explains the importance of this delay in allowing interpreters to understand the full idea before translating, which is crucial for the accuracy of the interpretation.

💡Neurological Aspects

The neurological aspects mentioned in the script relate to how interpreters' brains function during interpretation. It suggests that interpreters use not only language-processing parts of the brain but also other areas related to movement and coordination, highlighting the cognitive demands of the job.

💡Factor (Sponsor)

Factor is a meal delivery service mentioned as the sponsor of the video. While not directly related to the main theme of UN interpretation, it is included as a commercial aspect of the script, providing a contrast to the main content by offering a solution for busy individuals, much like interpreters at the UN.

Highlights

UN diplomats use earpieces for real-time translations in six official languages.

The UN has six official languages: Arabic, British English, French, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.

UN's executive branch primarily uses English and French as working languages.

Seats in the General Assembly and Security Council are equipped with earpieces and buttons for language selection.

Interpreters work in soundproof booths, maintaining industry standards for comfort and functionality.

Each interpretation booth must have at least two interpreters who are native speakers of the booth's language.

Interpreters at the UN interpret into their strongest language, requiring high language mastery.

The UN employs a 'relay system' for languages not directly covered by a booth.

Interpreters in Arabic and Chinese booths must be able to interpret both ways due to frequent relay needs.

The UN allows only one middleman language in the relay system to avoid confusion.

For speeches in non-official languages, a provided interpreter translates into one of the six official languages.

The UN has about 120 full-time interpreters, with exams offered every three years for new recruits.

Freelance interpreters at the UN earn $666 a day.

Interpreters receive advance information about meetings, including subject matter and documents.

Interpreters are trained to understand regional accents and maintain a perfect delay in their interpretations.

Live interpretation requires a combination of preparation, skill, and instinct, with a rate of 120 words per minute.

Interpreters swap every 20-30 minutes during meetings to avoid cognitive fatigue.

Interpreters' work is crucial for accurate communication at the UN, with little room for error.

International Interpreters' Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in May.

The video's sponsor, Factor, offers a meal delivery service for those with busy schedules.

Transcripts

Last week, as one does, I was peeping  some UN pics, and I noticed something:  

Big. Boxy. Earpieces. Everywhere. Do these plug you into the Illuminati  

mainframe? Charge a robo-diplomat? Is T. Swift  farming streams in the Security Council? I put  

my outside correspondent Amy on the case and  turns out… no. Instead, these things are how  

diplomats get reliable, real-time translations for  every sentence spoken on the UN floor. But where  

do those translations come from? Whose voice is  in the earpiece? And how do they do it so fast? 

The first thing you need to know is  that the UN has six official languages:  

Arabic, British English, French, Mandarin  Chinese, Russian, and Spanish. That means,  

among other things, that if you’re sitting  at a meeting in the General Assembly,  

anything you read or hear will be available to you  in all six. It does not, however, mean that all  

the signs around you will be in Arabic—those are  in English and French, the two working languages  

of the UN’s executive branch, i.e. the ones the  operation gets managed in. But if you’re actually  

doing peace talks rather than communicating  what’s on the second floor, all six are in play. 

Every seat in the GA and Security Council—from  the nosebleeds to the big ones—has an earpiece  

and some little buttons you hit until you hear  your language of choice, or the ever-mysterious  

“Unknown…” which I’m guessing is either Simlish,  Toddler, or Marshmallow-In-Mouth. The disembodied  

voice you’ll hear isn’t actually that far away. In  fact, you can see them from where you’re sitting. 

The interpretation booths are right up here, each  labeled with their language. There are industry  

standards for just about everything inside: the  lighting, the air circulation, the soundproofing,  

how comfortable the chairs are… but a copy of that  standard costs 96 Swissfrancs for some reason,  

so we’re gonna live without the details. Each booth must always have at least two  

interpreters inside—which, by the way, is the  word we should be using here. “Translators,” in  

this context, handle written stuff, while  “interpreters” do the blabbing. Anyway,  

every interpreter at the UN is a native speaker of  their booth’s language, i.e. they interpret into  

the language they know best, since it takes more  language mastery to communicate your thoughts than  

to understand someone else’s. Someone staffing the  French booth, for example, either grew up speaking  

French, went to school in French, or both.  If a diplomat’s speaking Spanish, the French  

interpreter spits it out in French. If she’s  speaking French, the folks in the French booth  

go chill mode while the other five interpret. The UN tends to staff the booths such that each  

one can cover at least three of the six  official languages. So the Russian booth,  

for example, might contain two lifelong Russian  speakers, both of whom can understand English,  

one of whom can understand French, and one  of whom can understand Chinese. But what  

happens if someone on the floor is speaking a  language a booth doesn’t have covered? What if  

someone’s talking in Arabic, and nobody in the  Spanish booth understands it, and vice versa? 

In this case, they employ what’s called a “relay  system.” Maybe there aren’t any Arabic-Spanish  

interpreters, but there is a Spanish interpreter  that knows English. So an Arabic interpreter  

would exit chill mode and interpret the speech  from Arabic to English for the person in the  

Spanish booth, who would then interpret that from  English to Spanish, so when you turn your earpiece  

to “Spanish,” you’d hear an interpretation of an  interpretation of a speech, all in near-real time. 

This happens pretty often: English-Spanish  interpreters are dime-a-dozen, but what about  

Russian-Spanish? Arabic-Spanish? Chinese-French?  Those are unicorns. In fact, the UN needs a relay  

system so often when interpreting from Arabic  and Chinese that all the interpreters who work  

in those two booths must be able to interpret  both into their main language, like normal,  

and out of it, for relay purposes. This  means there are often three people in  

those booths instead of two, and that they  very rarely get to experience chill mode. 

To avoid muddling things too much, the UN only  allows one middleman language when they go into  

a relay system. So while you could hear words  that went from Arabic to English to Spanish,  

they wouldn’t give you a live interpretation  that had gone from Arabic to English to  

Russian to Chinese then back to Arabic  for kicks then to Unknown then to Spanish. 

“But Sam,” you’ve surely wondered by now, “There  are 49 countries that don’t widely speak one of  

the six official UN languages, according to the  Wikipedia page I’m looking at. What if someone  

gives a speech in Japanese? Portuguese? Hindi?”  Hey, good question! If you want to speak any  

language outside of the six, you have to provide  an interpreter who can interpret live from your  

language into one of the six, then the UN’s staff  will get it from there into the remaining five. 

As far as I can tell, the UN keeps about  120 interpreters in their full-time staff,  

and they’re tough spots to get. The UN only  offers exams for each language combination  

roughly every three years, and you need a lot  of qualifications to even take one. And if you  

ace it, and nail all the following tests and  interviews, you get a two year appointment,  

after which they’ll either promote you or let you  go. You could also land amongst the freelancers:  

the people the UN calls upon when they don’t have  enough interpreters around to cover what they have  

going on. Fun fact: Freelance interpreters  at the UN make a devilish 666 dollars a day,  

which I know because I read the UN and the  Interpreters’ Association’s 34-page freelance  

employee agreement for fun, and I didn’t even have  to fork over 96 Swiss Francs for the privilege. 

From 1984 to 1985, the only year for which I could  find the stat I wanted, the UN spent a total of 78  

million US dollars on interpretation—equivalent  to over 235 million dollars today. But of course  

interpretation is expensive! Being able to tune  in live to what’s being said in front of you in  

a completely different language than the one  being spoken is basically magic. Mind you,  

when some guys did it in the Bible, it counted  as a miracle. They made it a holiday. Now  

interpreters do it every day, and where’s their  holiday? Well, the first Wednesday in May,  

actually, but what are you doing to celebrate? Doing a live interpretation demands a combination  

of preparation, skill, and instinct. To prep,  interpreters get some advance information about  

the meeting they’re covering: They’ll know  the subject matter and niche jargon they may  

come across, plus they get advance copies of the  documents attendees will have, and sometimes even  

a copy of the speeches people are planning  to deliver. They’re trained to understand  

every regional accent of the language they’re  interpreting from, and they know how to maintain  

the perfect delay between when the speaker  is talking and when they start interpreting.  

They need to delay enough that they can understand  people’s full idea before they start repeating it,  

but if they delay too much, they might give  themselves too much to recall from short-term  

memory while also trying to listen to what the  speaker is still saying. The rest is instinct:  

interpreters have to match their speaker’s tone  and anticipate the end of their sentences to keep  

up pace. They can’t ask speakers to slow down or  repeat themselves, they just have to nail it and  

keep listening. Also, this is all happening  at about 120 words per minute, as fast as an  

average Biden State of the Union. Neurologists are  still trying to figure out exactly how they do it,  

but one study found that interpretation doesn’t  just use the parts of the brain that processes  

language or talks, it draws on capacity from other  parts of the brain that handle movement and stuff  

just to coordinate all that listening,  processing, interpreting, and speaking. 

And if that sounds exhausting to you, it is! Staff  interpreters only cover seven or eight meetings,  

each three hours long, per week. And during  those meetings, they’ll swap out with another  

interpreter every 20-30 minutes lest they  tucker their brains out and threaten a country  

with “juice and s’mores” instead of “nuclear  wars.” Because sure, little errors in the live  

interpretations get cleaned up before entering the  record, but big errors just can’t happen. I mean,  

it’s the UN. There’s almost nowhere that “knowing  exactly what someone else said” matters more. 

So here’s to you, UN interpreters, up in  your boxes, making diplomacy happen from  

the sidelines. You deserve some nuclear  wars—no! Shoot! Juice and s’mores!! Man,  

I am not cut out for this job. Quel dommage… But you know quel is not dommage? This video’s  

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