Behind peace negotiations, Security Council votes, and diplomatic speeches that shape the course of the world, there is something often overlooked—another voice working silently. A voice that translates the will of one nation to another in seconds—without error, without hesitation. These are the simultaneous interpreters at the United Nations. Language workers who not only bridge meaning, but often determine whether global diplomacy flows smoothly or falls apart.

 

An insightful study from Universitas Sumatera Utara, written by Susi Masniari Nasution and her colleagues, explores the lives of these interpreters in depth. Through the article titled “Insights into the Challenges and Strategies of United Nations Conference Interpreters: A Qualitative Study” published in the World Journal of English Language, the team—comprising Syahron Lubis, Deliana Deliana, and Umar Mono—presents a reality far from glamorous. Psychological pressure, technical demands, and intellectual tension all converge within a small space called the booth.

 

“UN interpreters are not just translators. They are guardians of meaning, bearers of messages, and sometimes the very factor that determines whether a sentence calms or ignites conflict,” stated Susi.

 

This research was not born from empty theoretical rooms. The researchers dissected the YouTube documentary Interpretation at Work from UN Geneva, transcribing and analyzing conversations from six professional interpreters representing the UN's six official languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian, and Mandarin. From this, extraordinary challenges emerged—both visible and hidden.

 

The first challenge is technical: the speaker’s speed, sometimes faster than human auditory processing; technical terms from law, politics, or science that must be instantly understood and translated; and equipment issues such as faulty microphones or headsets that can turn a diplomatic sentence into a communicative disaster. Not to mention the two-way interpreting requirement—translating from the native language to a foreign one and vice versa. With no pause, every second becomes a gamble.

 

However, as Susi reveals, the greatest challenge lies within the mind and heart. “Many people don’t realize that UN interpreters work under immense psychological pressure. They know that a single misworded phrase could alter a country’s political perception. That is not a light burden,” she explained.

When a diplomat speaks in rhetorical, multi-layered language, the interpreter must quickly unpack it, summarize it, and rephrase it into another language without losing the intention or tone. There’s no time to think twice. No space to be nervous. And yet, the nerves are real.

 

In the documentary analyzed by the team, an interpreter named Paul Pottingen candidly said, “I needed a good feeling. Everything must be continuous along a soft mood. I was very tired of concentrating fully.” A simple sentence that hides profound cognitive fatigue. Full concentration for an hour in a soundproof booth, eyes locked on the screen, ears listening, mouth speaking—all at the same time. And yes, this is no ordinary job.

 

Then comes the emotional challenge. María Carolina López Uribe, a Spanish interpreter, admitted in the documentary, “We feared that we would be personally attacked, even though the UN is neutral.” She spoke of the fear that comes with mistranslating sensitive issues involving specific nations. UN neutrality doesn’t always guarantee a sense of safety for interpreters sitting just meters away from heads of state or diplomatic representatives.

 

But from that pressure, extraordinary energy is born. “We found that many interpreters actually transform the tension into a driving force,” said Susi. One such example comes from Soumiya Lahlao, an Arabic interpreter. She said, “This adrenaline is the energy that drives us forward.” Tense, but focused. Nervous, yet productive. They channel those emotions to sharpen thinking, strengthen intuition, and maintain stable concentration.

 

The strategies they employ are just as fascinating. Interpreters learn to anticipate the speaker’s patterns, predicting the next sentence before it's spoken. They often paraphrase or simplify sentence structures for quicker delivery. Sometimes, they break long sentences into smaller segments to avoid losing meaning. All of this happens in seconds—in a silent room, without scripts, without pause.

 

This study reveals that simultaneous interpreting is a form of high-level brainwork. It requires a strong short-term memory, perfect coordination between thought and language, and sharpened intuition. It’s not just about being bilingual—it’s about enabling two languages to coexist in the mind at once, without clashing.

 

“If people think interpreters just sit in a comfy room translating like Google Translate, they’re dead wrong. Interpreters are mental athletes. They are trained to be emotionally strong, cognitively fast, and culturally sensitive,” Susi said with a smile.

 

The study’s final recommendation is not merely to improve technology or expand vocabulary, but to strengthen emotional resilience, cross-cultural intelligence, and personal reflection in professional interpreting training. Language education is not enough if it doesn’t teach how to endure pressure, process fear, and understand the world through multiple cultural lenses.

 

In the context of globalization—where diplomacy between nations becomes more fragile and easily twisted by miscommunication—the interpreter’s role becomes ever more crucial. They are not just translators of words, but guardians of meaning. They work silently, but with precision, safeguarding peace. And now, through studies like this, the world can begin to understand how tense the seemingly quiet job really is.

 

We may never know their names or see their faces during major speeches. But without them, there is no mutual understanding. Without them, no agreement. And without agreement, what remains of a world meeting—other than noise?