Plain Language Expert – English At Translators without Borders

Contract length: 12 months

Part-time Position: 50%

Location: Home-based

Travel: None expected

Reporting to: Chief Language Services Officer

Application deadline: 15 August 2021

Translators without Borders is committed to having a diverse team where individuals of all backgrounds collaborate and learn from one another. We believe we can be most effective with diverse experience and expertise in our team. We recruit on merit, actively seek diverse applicant pools and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, marital or parental status, or sexual orientation, and welcome all types of diversity.

We offer in addition to salary:

• an innovative work environment with a diverse and passionate team
• the flexibility of home-based/remote work
• accommodation and perdiems when on deployment
• annual leave and floating holidays

The role:

Reporting to the Chief Language Services Officer, the Plain Language Expert leads on developing TWB’s work on plain language. The Plain Language Expert works directly with the Communications, Research-Evidence-Advocacy and International Program Teams to ensure that TWB content applies plain language principles. They also develop the organization’s plain language strategy, build capacity in English and other languages, advocate for Plain Language within the humanitarian and development sectors, and provide support and guidance to partner organizations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement TWB’s plain language strategy together with key stakeholders
• Support TWB’s efforts to advocate internally and externally for the adoption of plain language principles in the humanitarian and development sectors
• Develop and maintain generic training material on plain language best practices in English (for both internal and external use)
• Manage the development and maintenance of plain language guidance and training material (internal and external) and a TWB style guide for other languages, starting with Arabic, French and Spanish
• Create and deliver custom training to raise awareness of the value of plain language principles to partner organizations as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain tools and procedures to promote consistent use of language, style and content for all TWB content (including the website, press releases, reports, blogs, etc), applying TWB’s guidelines and style guide.
• Identify and train a pool of external editors to apply plain language principles and TWB’s style and content guidelines
• Provide plain language editing support to internal teams as necessary
• Perform plain language assessments of content as necessary

Please note that these roles and responsibilities are approximate and may change over time.

Qualifications

The Plain Language Expert has a proven track record in providing plain language editing within a humanitarian and development context. The right candidate is an energetic team player and leader who agrees with TWB´s basic beliefs and values and who can work virtually with team members based throughout the world.

• Flexibility and can-do attitude
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and writing
• Excellent knowledge of Plain Language Principles
• Ability to lead and coordinate volunteers
• Previous experience with non-profit organizations
• Excellent writing skills

Requirements

• A university degree in language, communication, or a related field
• Humanitarian or international development experience desired
• Demonstrated writing experience in English; editing experience preferred
• Good spoken and written language skills in at least one of the following: French, Spanish, Arabic
• Other languages a plus
• Familiarity with the translation, language or content industries a plus

About Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders exists to help people get vital information, and be heard, whatever language they speak. We believe that everyone has the right to give and receive information in a language and format they understand. We work with nonprofit partners and a global community of language professionals to build local language translation capacity, and raise awareness of language barriers. Our network of over 60,000 linguists translates millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year.

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 nonprofit sector.

Integrity: Translators without Borders believes that every person, whether it’s 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.

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.