Welcome to the United Nations Interpretation Service Speech Bank. This platform is aimed at interpreters, students, teachers and anyone who wishes to practice and/or prepare for interpretation tests and/or Competitive Exams for Language Positions (CELP).
The Speech Bank contains speeches that have been delivered at the United Nations as well as speeches on subjects frequently discussed at the United Nations. Speeches are categorized by language, length, level of difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and year. You may also search speeches by keyword or topic (e.g : climate change, SDGs...). All sound files are paired with their transcripts.
New speeches are regularly uploaded to the Speech Bank.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us: speechbank@un.org
Disclaimer: The speeches featured under this category constitute samples extracted from past exams which were specifically designed to meet duty stations’ recruitment needs and/or the Human Resources policies of the organization at the time. The duration, level of difficulty and distinct characteristics of speeches may vary from one exam to the next. All exams are administered by the Office of Human Resources Management.
Please note that the sole purpose of this Speech Bank is to provide training material for students, faculty, professional interpreters preparing to sit a Competitive Exam for Language Positions (CELP) or Global Language Roster (GLR) exam (free-lance accreditation test). It does not constitute a library of all UN speeches nor does it claim to be exhaustive. Additionally, please be aware that some speeches have been slightly shortened, edited or (re)recorded and others have been written and recorded by interpreters for pedagogical purposes only.