A Study On Language Services Of International Organizations From The Perspective Of Language Policy And Planning

International organizations(IOs),represented by the United Nations(UN),have many language needs caused by language differences in their operations,such as the translation of various documents,conference interpretation,and language training for staff and interns.To address these needs,IOs formulate and issue language policies,conduct language planning,and create language services systems represented by translation and interpretation services.As an international humanitarian agency,United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR,the UN Refugee Agency)is confronted with various challenges caused by language differences in their operation and protection of refugees.In order to overcome those challenges,UNHCR has established a language services system that serves the language needs of it and its partners with the issuance of language policies.At present,many studies focus on UNHCR at home and abroad,but only some explore its language policy and planning(LPP).There is a lack of in-depth and systemic studies on the language services of UNHCR,and most studies are about its translation and interpretation services.This thesis takes the theory of language policy of IOs proposed by Bernard Spolsky and the shared understanding of language services of some scholars(including Spolsky,Li Yuming,Qu Shaobing,etc.)as the theoretical framework and adopts textual analysis and ethnographic methods(workplace observation and interviews).By examining UNHCR’s official documents and website,interviews of UNHCR staff and interns,and observation data obtained through ethnographic methods,this thesis analyzes the internal and external language services of UNHCR,including translation,interpretation,language training and education,and explores the characteristics and significance of UNHCR’s language services.It is found that UNHCR has established a language service system that meets the organization’s internal language needs and its external stakeholders’ language needs by issuing language policies such as guidelines and reports and implementing language planning.The language services within UNHCR mainly include the selection and induction training of interpreters in refugee registration and identification,language training services for UNHCR staff and interns,and guidance on writing,such as the list of abbreviations and the list of terminology.UNHCR’s external language services mainly include interpretation for asylum seekers during Refugee Status Determination(RSD),UNHCR’s multilingual websites and documents,language services provided by UNHCR and stakeholders(governments and NGOs)in refugee resettlement,such as language training and education for different kinds of refugees,and translation services for UNHCR’s partners.Based on explicit and implicit language policies,UNHCR’s language services meet the language needs of different groups and solve their language problems rather than advocating language diversity and other symbolic values.UNHCR’s language services protect the language rights and equality of staff,refugees,and other groups.However,the interaction between the policy and the service is far from sufficient in the specific implementation process of the language policy.Meanwhile,the policy is not updated in a timely manner,and the service contents may deviate from the policy requirements.In general,UNHCR’s language services can help improve the organization’s work efficiency,strengthen cooperation with member states and NGOs,enhance the organization’s global influence,and provide more efficient services to refugees.At the same time,with China’s increasing participation in global governance in depth and breadth,UNHCR’s language services have also provided implications for China’s language service industry and the cultivation of language service talents.In addition,this thesis aims to deepen and expand other researchers’ understanding of the language services of IOs and promote the innovation and development of studies on the LPP of IOs at home and abroad.