Translation Project Manager

About Translators without Borders Translators without Borders (TWB) envisions a world where knowledge knows no language barriers. The US-based non-profit provides people access to vital knowledge in their language by connecting non-profit organizations with a professional community of translators, building local language translation capacity, and raising awareness of language barriers. Originally founded in 1993 in France (as Traducteurs sans Frontières), TWB translates millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year.

In 2013, TWB created the first-ever crisis relief translation service, Words of Relief, which has responded to crises every year since. The organization started responding to the European refugee crisis in 2015, providing much-expanded language services, including rapid translations to partners working in the response; training humanitarians, translators and interpreters (professional and aspiring); setting up a language working group; establishing a humanitarian interpreters’ roster; and, conducting research on language and information. TWB’s Words of Relief service continues to operate in Greece today.

The Role

Oversees the execution of translation projects, ensuring that they run smoothly, efficiently, and are completed within the expectations of both TWB management and partner organizations/clients. Ensures development of terminology and translation memories for specific partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the entire life-cycle of multiple translation projects in a fast-paced environment, which includes development and monitoring of work plan and workflow in each phase.
• Establish a terminology database and translation memory for key partners in English.
• Clarify project parameters and negotiate deadlines with partners/clients.
• Organize and lead project team. Establish and maintain excellent relationships with \ virtual translators and editors globally
• Plan and coordinate resources; calculate resource requirements taking into account the schedule and size of the project; reacts in a rapid and flexible way to modifications to the schedule or size of the project. This may include recruitment of translator team and/or logging new jobs and preparing work orders in Workspace.
• Assure consistent and timely collaboration and communication among the different teams and to the partner. Manages the flow of information between all members of the project.
• Promote consistent communication with partner organizations, assuring they are kept up to date on progress of project, and seek feedback throughout the process.
• Ensure the overall quality of projects and coordinate quality assurance processes.
• Analyzes, organizes, troubleshoots, and solves problems with available resource and in coordination with TWB team.
• Manage project finances, and assure project stays within budget.
• Perform project close tasks such as: archiving, organizing, conducting, and summarizing post-project reviews.
• Synthesize and disseminatelearnings to improve best practices in project management, workflows, and related processes
• May serve as ad hoc project manager on projects that require a limited degree of project management
• Performs other tasks as assigned

Qualifications and Experience The TranslationProjectManager should be enthusiastic about the importance of increasing access to knowledge through language. 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.

Required

• At least 3 years experience in translation project management, specifically in developing and maintaining client-specific terminology databases and translation memories
• Detail-oriented, thorough, accurate, able to meet deadlines, and able to work quickly and steadily in a focused manner
• Good interpersonal skills; able to work well in a team-oriented, collaborative, cross-functional environment
• Demonstrates initiative, persistence, ability to problem solve, and enthusiasm for learning.
• Able to deal with frequent changes, delays, interruptions, and unexpected events
• Strong ability to multitask, prioritize, and work independently with minimal supervision
• Proficient in standard Microsoft Windows applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Internet Explorer
• High social and emotional competence
• Ability to mediate, negotiate, and resolve conflicts constructively
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills; other languages would be an asset

Highly Desirable

• University Degree in linguistic/translation related studies
• Familiarity with the translation, language or content industries
• Fluency in one or more non-English languages

Core Values Translators without Borders employees and volunteers are made of 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’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.

To apply, send your CV and a cover letter to jobshelp@translatorswithoutborders.org specifying the vacancy title in the subject line. This is a rolling recruitment process and will remain open until we have filled the positions we need.