Words of Relief Interpreters (Home Based + Travel to Greece)

TWB has been operating its Words of Relief program for refugees in Greece since September

1. We are now expanding to provide on-the-ground interpreting to meet urgent humanitarian needs in the accommodation sites and other places. Experienced interpreters able to work in the most commonly used languages and meeting the other essential criteria listed below, are invited to apply for a place on the first ever humanitarian interpreter roster, to be managed by TWB. The main need at this time is for the following language pairs – English and one or more of the following - Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish (Sorani and Kurmanji), Pashto, Urdu

PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS CALL UNLESS YOU CAN OFFER ONE OR MORE OF THESE LANGUAGE PAIRS

The Role

We are seeking skilled interpreters who already have the right to work in the EU, who can deploy to Greece or other countries where needs arise, and provide interpreting services on the ground, in crowded refugee accommodation sites, urban short-stay accommodation (e.g. hostels), ad hoc camps (e.g. on borders), medical facilities, transport hubs, other places as needs arise.

Responsibilities

 daily ad hoc face-to-face interpreting

 interpretation of focus group discussions, surveys, interviews, audio recordings

 assisting aid workers with language communications regarding distribution of food and non-food items

 assessing information needs of refugees and those working with them

 being available for other individual or group interpreting needs as they arise The work will be variable and changeable. Roster members will need to be able to work flexibly, to cope with a variety of pressures and to move from one location to another as needs arise. We will be providing protection-focused humanitarian training for selected TWB roster members, to develop a team that is particularly sensitive to the communications challenges when working with vulnerable groups.

Qualifications

Translators without Borders is seeking both professional and nonprofessional interpreters who meet the following criteria: Professional interpreters with a minimum of 4 years of professional interpretation experience or 2 years of professional interpretation experience and a university degree in interpretation or related subject. Relevant professional certification and current membership of a relevant professional body Interpreters who have advanced English language skills specific to community interpreting situations, some experience in interpreting in a public sector context, and proven skills in consecutive interpreting. Interpreters must also be familiar with the role of the community interpreter and the contexts in which they work.

In addition, all candidates must meet the essential personal criteria listed below:

 High level competency in one or more of these language pairs - English and one or more of the following - Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish (Sorani and Kurmanji), Pashto, Urdu

 EU passport holder, or for non-EU candidates, a valid EU work permit

 Good speaker, with clear enunciation and pronunciation and good memory retention skills

 Strong cultural sensitivity

 Familiarity with word processing and spreadsheet software

 Flexible, able to work independently and in teams. Resilient, calm under pressure

 A commitment to Translators without Borders core values as listed below

Desired / additional criteria

 An understanding of the context of the European refugee/migrant crisis

 Experience of working with migrants, refugees or members of minority communities

 Experience of working with children and vulnerable adults

 Facilitation skills working with groups

 Driving license

Women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Recruitment process

Due to urgent needs on the ground, we are inviting immediate applications and we will be contacting suitably qualified applicants as and when deployment needs arise. We will aim to notify you within 30 days to let you know whether or not you are being considered for inclusion on the roster.

This is a rolling recruitment process and will remain open until 30 June 2016. Further calls will be issued in future as needs arise. Translators already on the TWB database are welcome to apply to join the roster if they meet the criteria. We are also happy to hear from others who have not worked with TWB before.

Complete this form to apply:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gkxdw-L5P9FThl6N1c1gjdz_mD9hFuolw5WpZBbwwv4/viewform?c=0&w=1