By Wang Ke

China.org.cn staff reporter in Shanghai

Mr. Yohannes Mengesha, UN Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, talks about translators and interpreters in an interview with China.org.cn August 4,2008 in Shanghai,China.

Mr. Yohannes Mengesha, UN Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, talks about translators and interpreters in an interview with China.org.cn August 4,2008 in Shanghai,China.

The United Nations declared 2008 "The International Year of Languages". Mr. Yohannes Mengesha, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, talked about translators and interpreters in an interview with China.org.cn, describing them as silent partners in diplomatic process.

Transcript:

China.org.cn: Welcome to "China Talk", I'm Wang Ke. The United Nations is familiar to us. Lots of people from different countries gather to discuss important international issues there. But how do they communicate with each other? It all depends on our distinguished interpreters and translators. Today we're honored to invite Yohannes Mengesha, Assistant Secretary General for General Assembly and Conference Management to talk about these silent partners in the diplomatic process. Welcome.

Yohannes Mengesha: Thank you.

China.org.cn: This year marks the International Year of Languages with the slogan of "Language Matters" by the United Nations. So why do we launch this program and what activities will take place for the year?

Yohannes Mengesha: Well this was sponsored by UNESCO, which as you know has a leading role in advancing cultural dialogue and diversity, and it has also been adopted by the United Nations as a General Assembly Resolution proclaiming 2008 as the "Year of Languages" with the subject, as you said, of "Language Matters." This is to remind people that languages do matter. Language is taken for granted a lot of the time -- unless things go wrong -- so it's a way of reminding people throughout the world.

China.org.cn: So language is so important.

Yohannes Mengesha: It's very important, and there are different activities planned around the world. Within the UN there are probably three activities I can mention. Within our own department, we're having an exhibit. Normally, as you said, "the silent partners," in that they're the translators, their words are not very visible, so in October 2008 there will be an exhibit at the UN.

China.org.cn: In New York?

Yohannes Mengesha: The UN headquarters in New York where we would like to showcase historical items. For example there will be a mockup of an interpreter's booth; there will be some items that were used in the past -- typewriters and so on which we don't use any more.