Sherif Okasha
Egyptian translator and United Nations language professional. A life shaped by village roots, books, and the belief that words can steady the world in motion.
Origins & Early Years
My father was raised in a rural setting in Egypt with his two sisters, in a community where harvests set the calender, and therefore, taught . perseverance, hospitality, and cooperation and heavy work done shoulder to shoulder.
Books were everywhere. His father, both a businessman and a columnist, kept a small library that became my dads first classroom. Early reading turned into vocation: he studied translation and built a career around it, eventually working in the U.N.
Context: Egypt’s industrial push and village life under Nasser
Egypt in the 1960s saw state-led industrialization and new factories in provincial towns during Gamal Abdel Nasser’s presidency, which gave opportunities to the lower-class commonpeople.
Coming of Age in a Changing Egypt
Growing up around the October 6, 1973 war left a lasting imprint on my father's generation. Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal in Operation Badr, breaching the Bar-Lev Line and establishing bridgeheads in Sinai before the conflict’s momentum shifted with Israeli counterattacks and diplomacy. The date—6 October eventually became a national holiday which is still celebrated by Egyptians today.
Context: What happened in October 1973?
- Egyptian units crossed the Suez Canal and destroyed Bar-Lev fortifications in the opening days of the 6th October war (Oct 6–8).
- The war’s outcome is actually highly controverisal: early Egyptian/Syrian gains were followed by an Israeli counter-attack; the war ultimately fed into U.S.-brokered diplomacy which developed in the Camp David framework (1978) and Egypt–Israel peace (1979), which resulted in the assasination of the president at the time.
Context: Late-1970s politics
- Infitāḥ (economic “opening”) under President Anwar Sadat, alongside subsidy cuts, triggered the 1977 Bread Riots.
- Camp David Accords (1978)—brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter with Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin—led to the 1979 peace treaty.
Professional Path: United Nations
Sherif’s career led him to the United Nations, where he translated summary records for the Security Council and General Assembly—condensed, drafted accounts that preserve debates without verbatim.
New York became my fathers duty station. The city tested the outsized myth of “America”, which was fed and propagated to Egyptian people at the time as a result of desire for education and money. His job confirmed his idea that the wording of phrases, even slight grammatical errors, has significant impact on meaning and behind every negotiation is the balance of power—economic, military, political language can reveal.
What are UN summary records?
They’re part of the UN’s institutional memory—structured, edited records distinct from verbatim transcripts. Translators must render nuance faithfully while maintaining consistency with UN terminology.
Ideas & Influences
My father's favorite historical figure is the Mamluk sultan Saif al-Din Qutuz, who with commanders like Baybars stopped the Mongol advance at ʿAyn Jālūt in 1260.
Context: ʿAyn Jālūt (1260)
- Another Mamluk victory near modern-day Jezreel Valley, forcing a Mongol withdrawal from the Levant.
- This is known as the first major Mongol defeat in open battle in the region & is associated with Qutuz and Baybars.
Family & Ethos
My father is proof that discipline and kindness can create immense success. Sharing time and bread isn’t is a form of structure, culturally. I believe he keeps faith with his roots and expresses this through language.
Selected Milestones
Village childhood
1960sRural Egypt; a household where books and newspapers sat beside ledger books and seed sacks.
University & languages
Early 1970sFormal training in translation; Arabic, English, and French honed into tools of craft.
War and civic memory
1973October 6 becomes an enduring civic symbol; the war’s complexity spurs interest in diplomacy and records.
Economic shifts
Late 1970sInfitāḥ and the 1977 subsidy protests signal the social stakes of policy.
United Nations
CareerTranslation of Security Council & General Assembly summary records in New York.