Translation is about more than just being bilingual. Translators must be able to render someone else’s ideas in a way that conveys their original meaning just as effectively in the second language. Finding the perfect words so that a reader understands the original authors’ intentions and feelings is a fascinating, and delicate, process.

As a Translator at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, my work falls under the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM). I am one of approximately fifty staff at the Russian Translation Service who convert all official United Nations documents such as Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, Secretary-General’s reports, notes and letters , into Russian from three of the Organization’s five other official languages; English, French and Spanish. Our documents have to be comprehensible to anyone who reads them, and because they also serve as an historical record, our work records the legacy of the entire Organization.

All United Nations translators translate into their mother tongue (or principal language of education) and must be capable of doing so from two other official languages. I create Russian translations of English and French documents. I studied English and French at university and after graduating in 2004, I joined the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs as a translator and interpreter. One of my projects there was rendering the rules and guidelines for the United Nations Competitive Language Exam into Russian. Many people on this project were young professionals, and we were encouraged to take the exam ourselves. I saw this as a tremendous opportunity, and after the exam and interview rounds –which took over a year to complete entirely– I joined the Russian Translation Service in New York in 2007. More.

See: UN Careers

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