Very tiring... --- I can't speak on behalf of UN translators but working as Chinese-Serbian-English translator while living China, I can confirm that it's very tiring as it basically boils down to 'deconstructing' one world that comes with one language and 'reconstructing' it as a new world in another language while trying to preserve and convey the main message.

Not to mention how I'd always end up hungry during official dinners - both parties would eat while I'd be translating their words to the other side, but there was no such break for me being the middle man.:)

Source author: Andrej Skrinjaric andrejs@diplomacy.edu