Part-time | Damascus, Syria
Background:
Chemonics UK is currently leading the Syria Education Programme II (Manahel), a UK government-supported programme that provides access to safe, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities for children in conflict-affected areas of Syria and delivers the support that educational actors need to manage education effectively Manahel focuses on pedagogy, curriculum and planning, inclusion and child protection. It promotes the importance of education for girls and delivers interventions in psycho-social care, child safeguarding and protection, fixed and mobile library support, teacher training and coaching, monthly teacher learning circles, accommodation for children with mild or moderate disability, and improved literacy and numeracy instruction. Chemonics UK is also pursuing additional programming opportunities in Syria.
Chemonics UK is seeking a skilled Arabic-English Translator to support translation and interpretation needs for the Syria Education Programme II. The ideal candidate will have strong experience translating technical and programmatic documents in both Arabic and English, with a deep understanding of cultural and linguistic nuances essential for accurate and context-sensitive communication.
The Arabic-English Translator is responsible for accurately translating and localising a variety of technical and programmatic documents, reports, and communications to support the Syria Education Programme II. They ensure that translations maintain the original meaning, tone, and cultural relevance for Arabic-speaking audiences and English-speaking stakeholders. The role includes providing interpretation services during meetings and workshops, collaborating with programme departments to ensure consistency in terminology, and managing multiple translation tasks under tight deadlines – all while maintaining confidentiality and quality standards in line with FCDO rules and regulations.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Translate a wide range of written materials (project proposals, reports, training manuals, communications content, and donor deliverables) between Arabic and English, maintaining accuracy, tone, and meaning.
- Localise Syria Education Programme II materials to ensure they are contextually and culturally appropriate for Arabic-speaking audiences.
- Provide high-quality simultaneous or consecutive interpretation during meetings, workshops, interviews, and trainings when required.
- Collaborate with different teams within the Syria Education Programme II to ensure consistency in terminology and understanding of content.
- Maintain and update an internal glossary of key development terms in both English and Arabic, especially in sectors education, safeguarding, gender and social inclusion.
- Review and edit translations completed by other translators for accuracy, consistency, and completeness.
- Meet tight deadlines and manage multiple translation tasks across projects.
- Ensure compliance with confidentiality and data protection policies when handling sensitive materials, in line with FCDO rules and regulations.
Qualifications and Experience:
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Translation, Arabic Language, English Language, Linguistics, International Relations, or a related field.
- Minimum 3 years of professional translation and/or interpretation experience in international development, humanitarian aid, or public sector work.
- Native or near-native proficiency in both Arabic and English, with excellent writing skills in both languages.
- Proven experience translating technical documents related to development sectors (e.g., donor reports, MEL reports, RFPs, technical briefs).
- Proficiency with computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools (e.g., Trados, Wordfast, MemoQ).
- Strong attention to detail, grammar, and formatting.
- Has the right to work in Syria and based or willing to be based in Damascus.
Preferred
- Experience working with or translating for FCDO, UN agencies, USAID, GIZ, or other international development actors.
- Understanding of regional dialects and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).
- Familiarity with localisation best practices for Arabic-speaking audiences.
- Experience with digital content translation (e.g., websites, social media).
The Translator will adhere to and act in accordance with Chemonics’ professional code of ethics, “Living Our Values,” and will make the principles of the code a part of the programme’s culture and operating procedures. They will uphold Chemonics’ programmes’ safeguarding standards at all times and will promote a safeguarding culture among partners, beneficiaries, and staff. They will also foster and maintain good relationships with potential and actual project stakeholders, will disclose any affiliations that could be perceived as a conflict of interest, and will maintain confidentiality regarding program activities.
Reporting:
The Translator reports to and is directly supervised by the HR and Operations Manager.
Location:
This is a part-time position based in Damascus, Syria.
How to apply
Application Instructions:
To apply please fill out this form: SEP II Job Application Form by October 7, 2025. If you are unable to access the link directly due to local internet restrictions, please consider using a VPN connection to access and complete the application form.
We will review the applications on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.
Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.
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