| by Darcy Morter
At the United Nations, the stakes are always high.
That’s why prospective UN interpreters must pass one of the most rigorous language tests in the world—an achievement two Middlebury Institute graduates recently celebrated.
Conference Interpretation (CI) alums Pei (Peggy) He MACI ’14 (Chinese-English) and Zilin Cui MACI ’18 (English-Chinese-Spanish) have passed the United Nations Competitive Examination for Language Positions (CELP) after years of intense preparation. The competitive test requires candidates to interpret speeches of increasing difficulty in complexity and speed, and can take several attempts to pass.
“My dream to be a professional simultaneous interpreter started from a visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York,” said He. “It was then when I got to know that speaking a foreign language can play a much bigger role than just telling personal stories. There is much more important information to be conveyed, which could bear on the life and death of people in some parts of the world.”
There is much more important information to be conveyed, which could bear on the life and death of people in some parts of the world.
After passing the test, candidates are placed on a roster for potential recruitment for language positions at UN duty stations: New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. When vacancies occur, the most suitable candidate is contacted and offered the position.
Each alum one step closer to their dream career, Cui and He are working in China as freelance interpreters, keeping their skills up to date through practice.
“I’ve found that no matter how little I tend to agree with a particular speaker, interpreting for him/her forces me to look at things their way—to see how it makes sense from their point of view so that I can convey it in the most professional and convincing way possible without letting my own opinions get in the way,” explained Cui. “In short, temporarily becoming another person’s voice teaches me to be humble and empathetic.”
“I sincerely hope I can do something meaningful for the UN,” said He. “I am more motivated than ever to be a UN interpreter and contribute my share to multilateralism in the 21st century.”
Cui’s dream of interpreting at the UN is what brought her to study at the Middlebury Institute.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping people make their voice heard,” she said. “It’s challenging, fascinating, and rewarding to try to convey the diversity in speaking, thinking, and being that is all around us. For someone who’s intellectually curious and cares about promoting deeper understanding between people, I cannot think of a better profession.”
Working as an interpreter in a booth at the UN means mastering one to two source languages, plus gaining fluency in a third. It requires understanding style and register, keeping up with the speed of interpretation, and coping with difficult passages. The CELP challenges candidates in all these areas, ensuring those who pass are fit for the high-stakes role.
CELPs generally comprises career-specific skills tests requiring candidates to interpret several speeches. Those who pass this portion of the exam then participate in an interview where they must show command of their source language and demonstrate simultaneous interpretation.
For He, the first part of the exam was the most challenging.
“It took intensive practice on a daily basis for seven months for me to get familiar with UN discourse and subject matters,” she said.
Cui found the second portion of the test more difficult.
“All six speeches had to be interpreted without text. They covered a wide range of topics, with different speeds, accents, styles, and structures, among others. It was a test of mental agility, knowledge, skills, and stamina. By the end, I was exhausted.”
It was a test of mental agility, knowledge, skills, and stamina.
Both got lots of support from faculty and peers at the Middlebury Institute. Several faculty have passed the UN interpreters exam, including Professor Leire Carbonell, who developed a course specifically on preparing for the exam. Students engage in mock exams simulating the types of speeches that candidates will face in the CELP.
Cui participated in Professor Chuanyun Bao’s dedicated “UN days” to familiarize test candidates with UN topics, and she noted that participation in Bao’s interpreting workshop helped her prepare. “Professor Bao’s UN interpreting workshop was pivotal in helping me develop the right approach and a study system to structure my practice,” she said.
No matter how little I tend to agree with a particular speaker, interpreting for him/her forces me to look at things their way.…Temporarily becoming another person’s voice teaches me to be humble and empathetic.”
| by Jason Warburg
Middlebury Institute students Andrew Belisle MACI ’23 and Leilani Padilla-Young MATI ’22 both recently passed the notoriously difficult Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination, qualifying them to serve as interpreters in any federal courtroom.
| by Sierra Abukins
Sidharth Babu MATI ’24 shares how advanced language study has been critical in his role fostering understanding and relationships between China and India.
| by Clara Clymer
We interviewed Rachel Chan, one of six interpretation students selected for the prestigious Stanford Health Care interpretation internship.
