Senior Chinese Interpreter at United Nations

Service up to seven meetings per week (exceptionally eight) of various United Nations bodies; Provide interpretation into Chinese of speeches given in English or French, and interpretation into English or French of speeches given in Chinese; May occasionally be assigned to sensitive meetings; May function as Team Leader of all interpreters assigned to a given meeting; Assist the Chief of Section, or Service, as appropriate, in the screening, training and examining of prospective interpreters; May be designated as Officer-in-Charge of the Interpretation Section; Perform as Programming Officer, whenever necessary; Instruct and advise trainee interpreter; Perform other related duties, as required.

Interpreter Job Responsibilities

• Professionalism: Ability to demonstrate a high level of concentration; Split-second accuracy. Ability to work under continuous stress and deliver clear interpretation on an exceedingly broad range of subjects; Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.
• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; Drives for change and improvements; Does not accept the status quo; Shows the courage to take unpopular stands; Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; Demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; Is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Qualifications for the Interpreter Job

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Interpretation or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Candidates MUST have passed the official United Nations Competitive Examination for Interpreters.
• A minimum of ten years of professional interpreting experience in international organizations, five of which would be within the UN System. Relevant language experience within the UN System may be taken into consideration in meeting the requirements of this post.
• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised a perfect command of the language of the Unit which must be the candidate’s primary language. For the Chinese booth an excellent aural comprehension and perfect command of Chinese language, which is expected to be the incumbent’s main language, is needed, and the candidate must also possess an excellent command of English and/or French. Knowledge of an additional official language is an asset.