On May 9–10, the Study Group on Language at the United Nations, in cooperation with the Center for Research and Documentation on World Language Problems, the Universal Esperanto Association, the Center for Applied Linguistics and l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, convened for their annual conference. Ambassadors and experts on language and language policy from across the world discussed the significance of multilingualism for multilateralism.

On day two, Dr. Maya Hess gave an update on the ongoing activities of Red T and the international language coalition which, in addition to Red T, comprises AIIC, FIT, IAPTI, CLI, WASLI and CIUTI. She emphasized that “listening, talking and taking action in a multilingual world” cannot be done without translators and interpreters, who bridge the language divides and enable multilingual spaces. At the same time, she cautioned that creating and sustaining such spaces, where the fundamental right to be heard in one’s own language is upheld for all parties, can be fraught with physical, psychological, legal and even mortal risks and that these risks must be mitigated by additional protective measures.

For more information on the Study Group on Language at the United Nations, please visit http://www.languageandtheun.org/