Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
September 18, 2025 UN
Their work may seem invisible at first glance, but without them, not a single meeting of the General Assembly or Security Council, not a single conference or forum at the UN would be held. The High-Level Week, which begins on September 22, would also be impossible without them. Simultaneous interpreters help world leaders understand each other. Moreover, the interpreters themselves sometimes have to catch on quickly, as not all delegations submit speeches in advance.
Ahead of High-Level Week, Lyudmila Blagonravova spoke with translators Anna Kadysheva from the English booth and Sergey Gogin from the Russian booth about how they are preparing for the event and how they are using new tools, such as artificial intelligence, in their work.
Always be up to date
During the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, also known as the Week of General Policy Debates, there will be so many meetings and sessions that there won't be enough interpreters to cover all the events. Staff from other UN language services, such as translation and verbatim reporting specialists, will be called upon to handle the work. Among them are some who have previously provided simultaneous interpretation and are currently undergoing the necessary training.
"Our colleagues work with colleagues from other language services so they can help us when we have a particularly heavy workload," says Kadysheva.
"We will actively engage them. This work is very important. And, by the way, it will pay off handsomely during High-Level Week," says Gogin.
Photo from personal archive
Sergey Gogin
To prepare for general political debates at the individual level, it is crucial for interpreters to understand the context and stay up-to-date on the latest events and trends, as speeches from world leaders and other delegates are not always provided in advance, and sometimes they must be interpreted literally by ear.
"You can look at the list of speakers in advance and have a rough idea of who you'll be interpreting for, although your schedule may be disrupted. That's why we carefully familiarize ourselves with what's happening in a given country recently, looking at last year's speeches and the topics covered. You can listen to a specific speaker or head of state to get used to their delivery," explains Kadysheva.
"I think a general outlook is also very important. A translator must constantly follow the news. We must always be up-to-date with events, aware of what's going on," notes Gogin.
Artificial Intelligence – a Threat or a Working Tool?
Translation is one of those fields directly affected by the rapid development of artificial intelligence. There are dire predictions that translators—like many other professionals—will soon be completely out of work. However, our colleagues at the simultaneous interpretation service are optimistic. Artificial intelligence is still far from perfect, especially from replacing simultaneous interpreters.
"In a high-level context like the UN, where every word, every nuance is important, a specialized human translator is truly needed, human oversight is essential, especially since there are untranslatable wordplays, nuances, allegories, irony, and artificial intelligence isn't very good at handling all of that yet," explains Kadysheva.
"It will be, in my opinion, a symbiosis of man and machine. It's still impossible to hand over everything to artificial intelligence for various reasons. For example, there are strictly confidential closed meetings where, in principle, technical means are not used. Paper presentations are brought to us at the last minute, and then immediately withdrawn. There are negotiations on international conventions and treaties where UN member states would prefer not to see new technologies used," Gogin adds.
Virtual assistant
Today, simultaneous interpreters actively use AI to prepare for meetings or as a virtual assistant during them. Artificial intelligence, for example, can compile a glossary on any topic—even the most complex—in seconds, arming the interpreter with the necessary terminology.
Photo from personal archive
Anna Kadysheva
"A couple of months ago, I was translating at the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, and one of the experts said, 'I'm now going to give a short technical briefing on geochemistry as it applies to seafloor morphology.' I asked the AI to quickly create a glossary for me—the key terms in my working languages that might arise in this context. Without such technology, it would have been much more difficult to translate on the fly," says Kadysheva.
"AI greatly simplifies our preparatory work. So, as you can imagine, we no longer need to review all the documents. We can ask AI to prepare a summary or identify key points in a report or presentation," Gogin emphasizes.
Every second counts
Artificial intelligence can also help interpreters in situations where a speaker hasn't provided a transcript. This often happens during High-Level Week: there are many speakers, and the order of the speeches can change, leaving interpreters without the necessary materials.
"When you don't have a text, you can ask the AI what a particular member state's position is on a particular issue, or request a summary of the latest Security Council meeting on a particular topic to get context," Kadysheva explains.
In a world where much of the work has moved online since the pandemic began and new technologies are rapidly developing, the work of interpreters has become a little easier, she adds: "When speeches are provided in advance, we receive them immediately online. Printed copies are also distributed to our booths, but before, you had to wait for them to reach you. When someone is about to begin their presentation, those seconds can be incredibly valuable, so in this regard, it's become easier."
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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