Transcript EU: Multilingualism

Translating for International
Organisations
Focus on UN
Definition & Significance
• What is an international organisation?
• Governance as the objective (no
commercial product)
• Foundational multilingualism
• The significance of international
organisations today
Websites of EU & UN
• http://europa.eu
• http://www.un.org
The United Nations
• Foundation
• Purpose
UN Main Bodies
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General Assembly (192 member states)
Security Council
Economic and Social Council
International Court of Justice
Secretariat
Specialized Agencies
UN Languages
• Working languages of Secretariat: English,
French
• Official languages for intergovernmental
meetings and documents: English, French,
Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese
• Also German Translation Service
Documentation Division
• Part of Department for General Assembly
and Conference Management
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Translation Service (6 langs)
Editorial, Terrminology and Reference Service
Contractual Translation Unit
German Translation Section
Activities of Documentation
Division (1)
• Translates all official UN documents,
meeting records, publications and
correspondence
• Prepares summary records of bodies
entitled to such records.
• Arranges for contractual translation and
text-processing
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
Activities (3)
• Provides reference and terminology
services for authors, drafters, editors,
interpreters, translators and verbatim
reporters
• Develops terminology databases
• Documents:
• http://www.un.org/en/documents/
Workloads
• 2002 A/57/289: daily workload standards
Documentation Division:
– 1,650 words for translation subject to revision
– 1,815 words for self-revised translation
– 3,960 words for revision
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; textprocessing)
– 160 permanent translators, plus freelancers translate 50
million words per year
– Provides translation for some 50 UN bodies
– Employment: competitive exam
Non-legislative texts
• UN Bodies
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Agendas
Official records (debates)
Letters
Reports (e.g. of the Security Council, of the
Secretary-General)
UN Resolutions and decisions
‘Resolutions’ are formal expressions of the
opinion or will of United Nations organs.
They generally consist of a preamble, and
an operative part.
‘Decisions’
Legally binding status
• Resolutions of the Security Council
• Treaties
• International Law
UN editorial manual
• http://69.94.137.26/editorialcontrol/index.ht
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• Goals: clear, simple, concise, actionoriented writing
• Drafting and style guide
• Structure of texts
Termbank
http://unterm.un.org/
Institutionalization
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Fixed structure of text types
Fixed phrases used in a certain text type
Terminology specific to the institution
Fixed terminological equivalents across languages
Fixed style guide for writing in a particular
language
• Norms of translation (explicitly stated or not)
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.