About this Course

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This course is primarily aimed at students of conference interpreting, or people who wish to begin studying conference interpreting. It is based on a long-standing lecture course given by the oldest interpreting school in the world, the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Geneva.
Our course looks at organizations from a viewpoint which very few people ever get to see; international organizations seen from the interpreting booth. You will learn about the history, development, structure and functions of international organizations, and of course the question of multilingualism. 

The purpose of this course is to help you, as a budding interpreter or translator, to gain basic knowledge about the institutions which may be your future employers, and to give you the essential tools that you will need to easily and efficiently prepare yourself for working at an international organization. 

Naturally, Geneva – renowned for its uniquely high concentration of international organizations – takes centre stage in this course. Throughout this course, we will take you with us to visit a number of these organizations, and to benefit from interviews with various experts who will give us an insider’s view of multilateralism, multilingualism and the other topics broached in the course.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

5/5 (21 Ratings)

Dominique Leveillé

Lecturer

Interpreting Department, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting

5,601 Learners

1 Course

Claire Bessant

Assistant

Interpreting Department, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting

5,601 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

International Geneva

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 55 min), 3 readings, 7 quizzes

8 videos

Trailer2mCourse introduction5mIntroduction 2mInternational Geneva10mInterview with Ambassador Jürg Lauber11mInternational organizations in Geneva6mWhat is an international organization?7mJoining an international organization9m

3 readings

📢 Important preliminary information: Evaluations 1mInternational organizations around the world30m📢 Important preliminary information: Evaluations 1m

7 practice exercises

Lesson 110mInternational organizations in Geneva10mLesson 210mCategorising international organizations15mCountry name changes15mLesson 415mModule 1 final quiz30m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

History, Evolution and Trends

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 72 min), 4 readings, 7 quizzes

10 videos

Introduction2mThe origins of the multilateral system8mThe League of Nations8mThe ILO: interview with Dorothea Hoehtker11mThe lead-up to the founding of the United Nations5mThe founding of the United Nations5mThe expansion of the United Nations 10mThe growth of the multilateral system part 16mThe growth of the multilateral system part 2 6mThe growth of the multilateral system part 3 6m

4 readings

The successes and failures of the League of NationsThe ILO at work5mThe populations of UN member States10mExternal podcast advisory notice2m

5 practice exercises

Lesson 110mLesson 210mLesson 310mLesson 410mModule 2 final quiz30m

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

The Structure of International Organizations

Welcome to Module 3 of our course. In this Module you will learn about the legal status of international organizations and the functions of their basic texts. We will then examine the structure of organizations, focussing on identifying the various kinds of body found within them. Finally, you will learn about the different kinds of entity that make up the UN system, in particular the UN specialized agencies.

3 hours to complete

13 videos (Total 94 min), 1 reading, 6 quizzes

13 videos

Introduction2mThe legal status of international organizations10mInterview with Danielle Werthmüller 12mThe basic texts of international organizations 5mAnalysis of a speech by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder15mThe typical structure of intergovernmental organizations5mThe typical structure of intergovernmental organizations5mIntergovernmental bodies 6mWho represents States within international organizations?6mIntegrated bodies7mThe UN system and specialized agencies 4mUN specialized agencies part 14mUN specialized agencies part 25m

1 reading

Analysis of a speech by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder30m

4 practice exercises

Lesson 110mLesson 210mLesson 610mModule 3 final quiz30m

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

The Competencies and Functioning of International Organizations

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 41 min), 1 reading, 7 quizzes

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

Multilingualism in International Organizations

Welcome to Module 5 of our course. The Module focusses on topics that are of particular interest to future conference interpreters: languages and multilingualism. You will first learn how the current multilingual system at the UN came to be, which, of course, would not have been possible without simultaneous interpreting. You will learn about the founding of our profession, and the important distinction between official and working languages. We will then examine two important issues linked to multilingualism: the increasing dominance of English and the cost of multilingualism within international organizations.

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 85 min), 2 readings, 3 quizzes

10 videos

Introduction3mThe history of multilingualism part 15mThe history of multilingualism part 26mThe history of simultaneous interpretation11mLanguage systems10mOfficial and working languages8mInterview with Ian Newton 8mThe dominance of English13mInterview with François Grin part 110mInterview with François Grin part 26m

2 readings

Globish10mLe multilinguisme dans les organisations internationales: une perspective économique20m

3 practice exercises

Lesson 110mLesson 210mModule 5 final quiz30m

Week6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Conclusion

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 50 min), 2 readings, 4 quizzes

6 videos

Introduction2mNational sovereignty and multilateralism9mThe flaws of international organizations 7mIs multilateralism in crisis?7mThe importance of international organizations 8mThe cost of international organizations13m

2 readings

Recommended reading: Les évolutions de l'ONU : Concurrences et intégration10mGRAM (Groupement de recherche sur l'action multilatérale)10m

3 practice exercises

Lesson 110mLesson 310mModule 6 final quiz30m

Reviews

4.7

18 reviews

5 stars
86.66%
4 stars
6.66%
3 stars
1.66%
2 stars
1.66%
1 star
3.33%

TOP REVIEWS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR INTERPRETERS

by AADec 11, 2022

Great course with high quality and useful information! Thank you very much!

by OAMay 10, 2022

This course is really important and interesting. I must affirm that the instructors are very competent and dispense their duty diligently. Thanks a lot for this rare and great opportunity.

by LAug 26, 2022

I really enjoyed learning the history of International Organizations and how they function on a daily basis. Thank you very much for this course :)

by JTAug 29, 2022

Great class, I also practiced interpreting over most of the video material of the course. Thanks!

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

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Is financial aid available?
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International Organizations for Interpreters

International Organizations for Interpreters

About this Course