UN Translation Services

Translation and interpretation for UN bodies.

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Our track record with the UN

Maven has been working with UN organizations since 2016. With several agencies, our cooperation has continued for up to 10 years and remains active today. Our work covers both interpretation, including technical support, and translation—often within the same long-term engagement.

On the humanitarian side, we work with UNHCR and IOM on asylum interviews and field operations, where accuracy and sensitivity are essential.

Key facts

Working with UN agencies since 2016
Supporting regional and global offices, including Vienna, New York, and Bangkok
Translation projects with volumes of up to 500,000 words
Milestone project: interpretation support for the UN Convention against Cybercrime signing ceremony in 2025

UN Bodies We Have Worked With

UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
UN Development Programme (UNDP)
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
UN Office at Vienna
World Health Organization (WHO)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Operational strengths

Short-notice mobilization for projects across different countries and time zones
Interpretation and technical support for non-standard setups, including remote locations, field operations, and crisis-, conflict-, or climate-affected areas
On-site linguistic support in sensitive humanitarian and refugee contexts
End-to-end project management for large-scale translation projects, with volumes exceeding 1 million words
Coordination of interpretation teams of up to 20 interpreters for high-level, multi-week assignments

Projects we manage for UN bodies

Translation

Policy documents and frameworks
Legal and compliance materials
Guidelines and training materials
Program and donor reports
Public information and communication materials
Field documentation and operational content

Interpretation

Asylum interviews and field interviewsConsecutive — in-person or remote; scheduled or on-demand
Investigations and negotiationsConsecutive — in-person or remote; scheduled or on-demand
Training sessions and workshopsConsecutive or simultaneous — in-person or remote; scheduled
Conferences, summits, and UN eventsSimultaneous — in-person or remote; scheduled

Interpretation for UN bodies is delivered through Maven Interpreted: UN interpretation services.

A selection of projects we have done for the United Nations.

Client	What we did
UNODC	Simultaneous interpretation and translation for regional events and publications across Asia.Long-term client since 2018
UNDP	Simultaneous interpretation and translation support, leading to a continuing partnership.Long-term client
UNHCR	Translation of protection and case documentation across Malaysia and Thailand.Long-term client since 2015
IOM	Consecutive interpretation and translation for migration programs.Long-term client since 2016
World Health Organization	Simultaneous interpretation for regional health programming.
UN Office Vienna	Simultaneous interpretation for an official visit in Singapore.
UNESCO	Simultaneous and consecutive interpretation for regional programs.
UNITAR	Consecutive interpretation for training and capacity-building sessions.

Case studies for the interpretation work above are on Maven Interpreted: interpretation case studies.

Frequently asked

What languages does Maven cover for UN clients?

For most UN work, we cover the six official UN languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and Mandarin. For humanitarian projects with UNHCR and IOM, we can also engage interpreters for rare and endangered dialects and low-resource languages, including Rohingya, Tigrinya, and various African and Asian dialects.

How does Maven handle sensitive assignments like asylum interviews?

Interpreters for such assignments are chosen based on their ability to stay composed in emotionally difficult situations. A wrong interpretation in an asylum interview can affect the outcome of a case — we brief interpreters on this, and we select people who understand what is at stake. We do not treat these assignments the same way we treat standard interpretation assignments.

How does Maven ensure that client terminology is followed by its linguists?

For each UN client, we build a glossary of preferred terms, agency-specific language, and any terminology the client has flagged in previous projects. This gets shared with every interpreter and translator working on the assignment.

Explore other sectors

Intergovernmental OrganizationsLanguage support for regional and international IGOs.View Government & State BodiesDiplomatic, administrative, and cross-border government communication.View Humanitarian & DevelopmentField operations, crisis response, and beneficiary communication.View Advocacy & Rights GroupsPolicy research, campaigns, and legal documentation.View

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