The following is an open letter sent on Tuesday, 30 September, to His Excellency António Gutierres, United Nations Secretary-General, in reference to ongoing language-services budget cuts and the fact that the United Nations commemorates 30 September as International Translation Day.
30 September 2025
An open letter to His Excellency António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Members of the International Association of Conference Translators (Association internationale des traducteurs de conférence – AITC) have been working alongside United Nations (UN) permanent staff members almost since the Organization’s inception. We have watched with growing concern the increasingly blatant efforts to undermine what the UN stands for by means of budget cuts that take little account of the invaluable work of its various agencies worldwide; the UN saves lives, and we are well aware of it. In the turbulent times we are facing as a planet, international cooperation and understanding are more necessary than ever. This calls for linguistic expertise and accurate documents and records – in the interests of understanding but also transparency and accountability.
We would like to mark International Translation Day, which is celebrated on 30 September every year, by expressing our solidarity with all colleagues at a time of great strain on their service and by raising our voices to highlight the valuable services provided by linguists – whether freelance or permanent staff members – in the service of international cooperation and understanding. The UN is a project of many nations, many cultures and many languages; cooperation and understanding do not always come easily, but linguists are on hand to ease the processes of seeking consensus and decision-making, through better understanding and clear communication.
Our industry has been through many changes in recent years – in technology and processes – particularly since the global COVID-19 pandemic. The language specialists of the UN have risen to the challenge, adapting working practices and finding ways to continue to provide the best possible service to the international community. As we continue to adapt to whatever the future holds, we wish to raise a word of caution against a headlong rush to replace human expertise and experience with machine-based or AI solutions on the basis of cost alone. The delicacy of international affairs calls for human involvement in all aspects. Clear and concise speech and writing – in any language – is the surest path to a good outcome, whatever the topic or situation. Good practice starts at home; in order to advocate for peace and security, and the dignity of every person around the globe, the UN must ensure it is recognizing the value of its own people too.
Translators, editors, précis-writers, report-writers and terminologists, including members of AITC, provide all UN agencies with the flexible support needed to service major meetings. Permanent staff members and freelance colleagues each play their part in providing these services in a cost-effective manner. We call for more information about the changes in language services and we stand in solidarity with colleagues across the world who are working hard to provide these vital services in a time of great uncertainty.
