Background
His father was an English-speaking Frenchman.
His father was an English-speaking Frenchman.
He was a former chief interpreter of the United Nations interpretation service in New New York Herbert was one of the pioneer, veteran and model consecutive interpreters from the League of Nations and the International Labor Office. Herbert had worked between World War I and World World War II for different international organizations.
”Jean Herbert said the interpreter must help people in understanding each other in the highest sense of the words, that is, to give more than a literal translation, so as to convey the deep meaning of what is said.
lieutenant requires a deep knowledge and a vivid interest for foreign culture, customs, literature, history and ways of life. And that is exactly what Jean Herbert pursued in life.” – from “Tribute to Jean Herbert” by Pierre Lambert, United Nations Interpreter, during a lecture at the Tokyo School of Interpreting, 1982.
From San Francisco, Herbert went to the preparatory committee of the United Nations and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in London. From London, he went to New York to function as chief interpreter.
After spending two years in New York, he then moved to Geneva, Switzerland taking part in the interpreter admission board of the Sorbonne and the Trieste schools.
He published his Manuel de l’interprete (The Interpreter’s Handbook) in 1952. He also founded and directed two collections of multilingual and technical dictionaries published by Elsevier and sponsored by the Universities of Paris, Heidelberg, Mainz, Trieste and Georgetown University. Herbert also became a vice-president – and then president – of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) for three years.
After retiring from the United Nations in 1954, Herbert continued freelancing and traveled to the Far East, Madagascar and the Middle East.
He held the chair of Eastern Mythologies at the University of Geneva, where he taught from 1954 to 1964. Jean Herbert died in 1980 at the age of 84.