The Documentation Division

The Documentation Division (DD) comprises the Editorial, Terminology and Reference Service; the Translation Services for the six official languages of the United Nations, the German Translation Section; and the Contractual Translation Unit.

Editorial, Terminology and Reference Service
The Editorial, Terminology and Reference Service, through its Editorial Control Section, edits official United Nations documents and publications. It also issues editorial directives for the United Nations Secretariat.

The Official Records Editing Section ensures linguistic concordance among the six official languages of resolutions, decisions and other legal instruments negotiated under the aegis of the United Nations and prepares them for reproduction as official records.

The Terminology and Reference Section provides reference and terminology services for authors, drafters, editors, interpreters, translators and verbatim reporters. It develops terminology databases that are available to users within the United Nations system and the general public.

Translation Services
The Translation Services translate all official United Nations documents, meeting records, publications and correspondence at Headquarters from and into Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. It also translates into German a selected number of official documents.
The English, French, Russian and Spanish Translation Services are also responsible for the preparation of the summary records of bodies entitled to such records.

Contractual Translation Unit
The Contractual Translation Unit  is responsible for outsourcing translation and text-processing of parliamentary documentation, publications and treaties, as well as translations requested by other Departments.