On-demand Language Lead: Chichewa/Nyanja At Translators without Borders

Contract length: on-demand consultancy agreement (max 8 hours per week)

Location: Home-based, preferably in Malawi

Travel: some in-country travel possible

Reporting to: Community Officer

Application Deadline: May 11, 2021*

*Due to the urgency of the vacancy, shortlisting will be done on a rolling basis and if the ideal candidate is identified before the closing date, TWB reserves the right to close the recruitment before the application deadline.

The Role

We are looking for a Language Lead fluent in Chichewa, who can collaborate remotely on the TWB-WFP project aimed at increasing language capacity. The Language Lead will ensure the timely and quality delivery of all the translation requests into their language of reference. This will involve providing revision and quality assurance for translated texts, facilitating the work of the TWB community, and actively supporting TWB’s recruitment and retention efforts to ensure the pool of translators is sufficient and that they remain engaged.

The Language Lead will work in close cooperation with TWB’s Language Services Team.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing the translation process under the leadership of the Community Officer, taking responsibility for all incoming requests in the Language Lead’s language of reference to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality translations; this may entail personally translating, editing, reviewing or proofreading documents, including terminology work;
• Helping build translation communities who actively engage in delivering TWB’s language support services in relevant local languages;
• Evaluating and documenting translation quality and providing constructive feedback to community members.

Please note that these roles and responsibilities may evolve over time.

Qualifications

The Language Lead should be a creative self-starter with a strong sense of initiative and enthusiastic about the importance of increasing access to knowledge through language. The right candidate is an energetic team player who agrees with TWB’s Core Values and can work virtually to collaborate with team members based throughout the world.

Requirements

• Native speaker of the reference language
• Previous experience as a translator
• Previous experience in working with small teams and/or volunteers
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills
• Able to work under pressure against the clock and find creative solutions
• Willing to explore new technologies
• Previous experience or interest in research, a plus
• Previous experience with humanitarian aid and/or with non-profit organizations, a plus
• High standard of written and spoken English

Background

TWB is currently setting up a project in cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP) aimed at increasing language capacity in the many multilingual contexts where WFP operates and where language is an under-explored driver of vulnerability.

The project aims to improve program accountability and protection and ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind through improving communication tools, systems, and processes in the languages of affected populations. TWB will perform a global assessment of language factors in contexts where WFP is operational and provide training and language resources, including terminology support, for staff and partner capacity development.

About Translators Without Borders

The mission of Translators without Borders is to provide people with access to vital knowledge in their language. We do this by building language technology, increasing language translation capacity at a local level, providing language and simplification services that are culturally appropriate, accessible and open source, and raising awareness globally of language barriers.

Core Values

Translators without Borders employees and volunteers are people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. Translators without Borders’ mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:

Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, Translators without Borders is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.

Integrity: Translators without Borders believes that every person, whether it is the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.

Empowerment: Translators without Borders believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.

Innovation: Translators without Borders recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.

Sustainability: Translators without Borders recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.

Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and, conduct themselves professionally at all times.

Translators without Borders is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages qualified candidates of all genders and from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

TWB may re-advertise the vacancy, cancel the recruitment, offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration at its discretion.