When you walk through the halls of the UN headquarters, you can hear many different languages being spoken. How do people understand one another you ask?

During the sessions of the General Assembly at the UN, speakers generally present in their mother tongue. People attending can listen in their language of choice by using a small device that you wrap around your ear. The conferences are simultaneously translated in the six official languages : Chinese, English, Arabic, Spanish, French and Russian.

Meanwhile, in various other venues in the building, conferences are being held which deal with development and environmental issues at all levels.

"English is often the most dominant language in those types of meetings," says Sophie Louyot-Asselin, a civil servant with the United Nations since 1994. She translates French, English and Spanish.

The other languages are less popular. People mostly do their work and documentation in English. Translation is possible however there is a significant lag time before it becomes available. Many organizations and associations only provide their information in English because translation costs are simply too high.

English is spoken world-wide. "It is sad for those who cannot speak English because they are excluded from the group and the conversation," says M.Oumarou from Nigeria who speaks French. "On many occasions I felt like I was missing important parts of the conversation."

It is important for young people to learn other languages as soon as possible-- not just English but also Chinese and Japanese.

"These are the languages of the future," according to Mrs. Louyot-Asselin. However, young people must not forget their own mother tongue.

"We have to protect it, speak it well and write well," says Pauline Cole, a francophone married to an anglophone and mother of a10 year-old boy. She is encouraging her son to become completely bilingual as it will be good for him career-wise.

Language is a medium that allows us to get to know different cultures and people. Sophie Bessis offers the following advice to young people by quoting the Morrocan King, "In tomorrow's world, he who will only speak one language will be illiterate..."