2 answers
Esther
Student
Calabasas, California
1
Question
Updated
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What is the best way to ensure I have a career as an interpreter for the United Nations?
I am a first year attending Chapman University. I am studying Global Communications with a focus on the French language and a hope to begin studying the Arabic language. I want to use my skills to promote unity and peace. #college #interpreter #Fall25
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2 answers
Joseph Maltby
Analysis and Management
26
Answers
Richmond, VA
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
Foreign languages and international relations are not my field, so my advice will be a little more general. I do recommend the writer Neil Gaiman's commencement address (https://jamesclear.com/great-speeches/make-good-art-by-neil-gaiman) which makes the same points better than I will.
Working for the UN is a big goal and it's going to be pretty far away at this point in your life. All you can really do is take steps towards that goal, even if they aren't very much closer. First, get experience interpreting. Second, get experience working around international relations, ideally in a capacity somehow connected to languages and translation. Third, study and try to meet/learn from people who have the career you want, or something like it, both to see how they did it and because those kind of connections will help. And finally, keep your hopes up over what will surely be a long road towards that goal.
I can only speculate on what that would look like, but there must be international guests and collaborations at your university where you can help, perhaps first administratively before helping to translate written or in-person dialogues. Get involved with the Model UN. Find paid or volunteer opportunities to translate, even remotely. Anything that's a step closer to where you want to be. Keep doing that and it will start to stack up.
Working for the UN is a big goal and it's going to be pretty far away at this point in your life. All you can really do is take steps towards that goal, even if they aren't very much closer. First, get experience interpreting. Second, get experience working around international relations, ideally in a capacity somehow connected to languages and translation. Third, study and try to meet/learn from people who have the career you want, or something like it, both to see how they did it and because those kind of connections will help. And finally, keep your hopes up over what will surely be a long road towards that goal.
I can only speculate on what that would look like, but there must be international guests and collaborations at your university where you can help, perhaps first administratively before helping to translate written or in-person dialogues. Get involved with the Model UN. Find paid or volunteer opportunities to translate, even remotely. Anything that's a step closer to where you want to be. Keep doing that and it will start to stack up.
Thanks Joseph! I appreciate your words of advice.
Esther
Mary Ann Faue
Communications, Training, and People Development
59
Answers
Hayward, California
Updated
Mary Ann’s Answer
Hi Esther,
I am not an interpreter, but based on what I do know about being an interpreter (a friend is an American Sign Language and Spanish language interpreter), it's about having a broad vocabulary and practice. It sounds like you are taking the preliminary steps to learn some different languages. (Well done, you). The next step would be building your vocabulary.
To build your vocabulary, consider going to your public library to see what books might be available in French or in the future, Arabic. Reading books in another language will help to train your brain to understand grammar, sentence structure, phrasing, and will help to build your vocabulary. This will also help you to "think" in that language. When you "think" in the other language, interpreting and translation become easier.
When you're ready to start practicing, start translating written documentation into French or Arabic (or into English from French/Arabic). When you do that translation, remember that you are not necessarily translating things word for word as much as you are translating the idea that is being conveyed. As I'm sure you have learned already, the way things are said in different languages doesn't always translate word for word. For example, my mom grew up speaking Spanish and part of the Spanish language is referring to your parents as "mi mama" or "mi papa" even when speaking with siblings. Often my mother would be speaking to my aunts and one of them would say, "have you talked to my mother lately" because that was a literal translation of "mi mama". Anyone listening to them would think they had different mothers. So, the point of my little story about my mother is that as a translator, you will need to be conscious of how your translation is received and interpreted by the person you are translating for and the literal word for word translation is not always conveying the whole "idea".
Once you build competency with your written translation skills, you can start working on your verbal translation skills. Maybe you listen to Ted Talks and as you listen to what the speaker is saying, you verbally translate what you are hearing, and record that translation. Then, listen to what you've recorded to see how you did. You can also do this with television programs, you tube videos, or simply listening to a conversation in your family or with your friends.
Throughout this learning process, you will make mistakes. Be patient with yourself. It's going to take some time. But, you will achieve this.
Good luck! I hope this advice helps you to take the next step.
I am not an interpreter, but based on what I do know about being an interpreter (a friend is an American Sign Language and Spanish language interpreter), it's about having a broad vocabulary and practice. It sounds like you are taking the preliminary steps to learn some different languages. (Well done, you). The next step would be building your vocabulary.
To build your vocabulary, consider going to your public library to see what books might be available in French or in the future, Arabic. Reading books in another language will help to train your brain to understand grammar, sentence structure, phrasing, and will help to build your vocabulary. This will also help you to "think" in that language. When you "think" in the other language, interpreting and translation become easier.
When you're ready to start practicing, start translating written documentation into French or Arabic (or into English from French/Arabic). When you do that translation, remember that you are not necessarily translating things word for word as much as you are translating the idea that is being conveyed. As I'm sure you have learned already, the way things are said in different languages doesn't always translate word for word. For example, my mom grew up speaking Spanish and part of the Spanish language is referring to your parents as "mi mama" or "mi papa" even when speaking with siblings. Often my mother would be speaking to my aunts and one of them would say, "have you talked to my mother lately" because that was a literal translation of "mi mama". Anyone listening to them would think they had different mothers. So, the point of my little story about my mother is that as a translator, you will need to be conscious of how your translation is received and interpreted by the person you are translating for and the literal word for word translation is not always conveying the whole "idea".
Once you build competency with your written translation skills, you can start working on your verbal translation skills. Maybe you listen to Ted Talks and as you listen to what the speaker is saying, you verbally translate what you are hearing, and record that translation. Then, listen to what you've recorded to see how you did. You can also do this with television programs, you tube videos, or simply listening to a conversation in your family or with your friends.
Throughout this learning process, you will make mistakes. Be patient with yourself. It's going to take some time. But, you will achieve this.
Good luck! I hope this advice helps you to take the next step.
Thank you so much Mary Ann! I’ll take your advice on expanding my vocabulary and practicing translating. I never thought to expand my vocabulary enough to think in French!
Esther