UN Launches Speech Bank for Interpreters to Help with Exam Preparation

In May 2024, the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) at the United Nations (UN) launched its Speech Bank for Interpreters, a repository of speeches open to interpreters, students, teachers, and those wanting “to practice and/or prepare for interpretation tests and/or competitive exams for language positions.”

According to the announcement, DGACM developed the no-login required platform along with the UN’s Office of Information and Communications Technology. The Speech Bank holds audio files of speeches delivered at the UN in the six official languages of the organization, which are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

The speeches archived in the DGACM’s Speech Bank are classified by language, length, level of difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced), and the year the speech was delivered at the UN. Users can also search for speeches by topic or using keywords. Links to transcripts of the speeches are also available on the platform next to each audio file.

The first collection of speeches numbers approximately 150 and comprises interpreted addresses from four DGACM duty stations in Geneva, Nairobi, New York, and Vienna.

Some speeches have been edited for pedagogic uses and are tagged as such. The repository also contains competitive exam archives, made of full language sets and individual speeches, which will help users become familiar with the mechanics of competitive examinations.

The Speech Bank is considered an e-learning tool for those interested in language positions and global language register exams. “It can also be used for self-training purposes by teachers and junior interpreters,” states the announcement. 

The DGACM plans to continuously augment and update the repository.