Freelance Interpreters, Translators and Post-Editors/Proofreaders

Job Posting Organization:
The Organization for security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization, comprising 57 participating States. Established to promote peace, stability, and democracy, the OSCE operates on a consensus basis, ensuring that all member states have equal status in decision-making processes. The organization focuses on a wide range of security issues, including politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions. The OSCE Secretariat plays a crucial role in supporting the organization's operations and initiatives, providing essential services and coordination among member states. For more detailed information about the OSCE's structure and work, please visit their official website at http://www.osce.org/secretariat.

Job Overview:
The primary objective of this assignment is to establish and maintain a roster of qualified freelance interpreters, translators, and post-editors/proofreaders who can deliver high-quality linguistic services between English and Ukrainian languages, and vice versa. This roster will serve as a pool of pre-vetted language professionals who may be engaged on Special Service Agreements of varying durations, depending on the needs of the OSCE Secretariat, institutions, and field operations. The selected experts will contribute to the effective implementation of the OSCE’s mandates by providing ad hoc, need-based services in various areas of expertise under the three OSCE dimensions. This includes providing consecutive and/or simultaneous interpretation services during official meetings, conferences, seminars, and other events, as well as delivering accurate translations of official documents, reports, and training materials. Additionally, they will be responsible for post-editing and proofreading services to ensure the accuracy and quality of the Organization’s written and oral communications.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Under the supervision of the Supervisor/Hiring Manager, the successful candidates will be tasked with several key duties. For interpretation services, they will provide accurate simultaneous and/or consecutive interpretation between English and Ukrainian during OSCE meetings and events, ensuring that the delivery reflects the speaker’s intent and tone. They will prepare in advance by reviewing background materials and relevant terminology, and use interpretation equipment effectively for both on-site and remote events. Maintaining professionalism, confidentiality, and impartiality is crucial, as is delivering interpretation services punctually and to the required quality standards. For translation services, candidates will translate official OSCE documents, reports, and training materials, ensuring linguistic accuracy and adherence to OSCE style and formatting standards. They will conduct terminology and background research to ensure context-appropriate translations and observe strict confidentiality. For post-editing and proofreading services, they will review translated texts for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style accuracy, perform quality assurance, and ensure consistency in terminology and tone in line with OSCE standards. All deliverables must meet established deadlines and quality benchmarks, including translated, proofread, and finalized documents, as well as high-quality interpretation services during meetings and events.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a first-level university degree in interpretation/translation studies, linguistics, or a related field, or a degree in areas relevant to the OSCE mandates with a mandatory professional certification in translation or interpretation. They should have an excellent command of both English and Ukrainian, with one as a mother tongue and the other as an active language, demonstrating the ability to accurately translate complex texts in both directions. A minimum of five years of professional experience in translation, interpretation, and post-editing/proofreading is required, preferably within international organizations or similar multicultural environments. For interpreters, a minimum of 30 working days of professional interpretation services over the past three years is necessary, with at least 10 active working days per year. Translators should be proficient in using Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools and have a proven ability to deliver high-quality translations under tight deadlines. Strong attention to detail, computer literacy, and excellent interpersonal skills are also essential.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a first-level university degree in interpretation/translation studies, linguistics, or a related field. Alternatively, candidates may hold a first-level university degree in areas relevant to the OSCE’s three mandates, provided they also have a mandatory professional certification in translation or interpretation. This educational foundation is critical for ensuring that candidates possess the necessary skills and knowledge to perform the complex tasks associated with interpretation and translation services effectively.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of five years of professional experience in translation, interpretation, and post-editing/proofreading. This experience should preferably be within international organizations, governmental institutions, or similar multicultural environments. For interpreters, it is required to have provided a minimum of 30 working days of professional interpretation services over the past three years, with at least 10 active working days per year. This level of experience is essential to ensure that candidates can handle the demands of the role and deliver high-quality services under pressure.

Languages:
Candidates must have an excellent command of both English and Ukrainian, with one language being their mother tongue and the other as an active language. This proficiency is mandatory for the role, as the position requires accurate translation and interpretation between these two languages. Additional language skills may be considered an asset but are not explicitly required for this position.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy-based assignments will be issued on an as-needed basis, with the duration of each assignment varying depending on project requirements. Assignments may range from a few days to several weeks or months, and engagement under this roster does not constitute a continuous or full-time contractual arrangement, nor is there a guarantee of assignments. Candidates are required to indicate their proposed rates for the services in the pre-screening section of the application. The OSCE reserves the right to make final remuneration decisions based on the complexity of tasks and the degree of technical expertise required. It is important for candidates to confirm in their application that they can provide services in their individual capacity, not as part of a business entity, unless they clarify otherwise. The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.