Official Languages of the United Nations

The United Nations has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. These languages are used in meetings of major bodies and in printing official documents.

The purpose of this system is to enable representatives of member states to speak in a language they understand well and to have decisions available in several languages. Interpretation is provided orally at meetings, while documents are translated into written form.

Official languages and working languages

A distinction is made between 'official languages' and 'working languages.' Official languages are those into which formal documents are produced. Working languages are those used daily for administration and internal coordination. The UN Secretary-General regularly uses English and French.

Historical development

When the UN was founded in 1945, there were five official languages; Arabic was not among them initially. Arabic was added later as a result of a request from Arab states. Changes of this kind are made by decision of the General Assembly.

Translation services

The UN has translation and interpretation departments operating at offices in New York, Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. Each representative may speak in an official language, or in another language if their state provides an interpreter; in that case, a version in one of the official languages is distributed.

Debate over language status

States and groups occasionally propose adding other languages, such as Portuguese, Hindi, or Swahili, to the list. Such proposals face obstacles from translation costs and the requirement that the General Assembly reach a decision. There is also ongoing discussion about the status of the six existing languages, particularly regarding their use on UN websites and media.