Language Fluency Can Get You a Job with the United Nations
Learning a new language has a lot of benefits, but one of the biggest is that it can get you a job working for the United Nations! There are 6 official languages of the UN:
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Arabic
- Chinese
- Russian
French and English are the working language of the UN Secretariat, meaning day 2 day work is executed in one or both of these languages. However, knowing the others is a massive leg up, as all formal policy briefs, external communications, etc. are often translated into multiple of the above languages.
Here's a quick scrape of some job postings (not current) I found that highlight how learning languages can help find you a job at one of the most prestigious organizations on Earth.
| Role | What you do | Language requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Translator / Editor | Translate official documents, edit multilingual texts, prepare conference materials, work on parallel versions | Perfect or very high command of a “main language” plus excellent knowledge of other UN official languages. |
| Terminologist | Manage terminology databases; ensure consistent usage of technical terms across languages | Strong command of multiple languages (often the same set as for translators) plus experience in technical / subject-matter fields. |
| Interpreter | Provide live interpretation in meetings; capture what’s said, translate simultaneously between source and target languages | Interpret from 1 or 2 official source languages into a “main language” (your strongest). Excellent comprehension and output in multiple languages. |