National Consultant - Adolescent Girls Storybook Translation (English to Hausa)

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, is a United Nations agency that works in over 190 countries and territories to promote and advocate for the protection of children's rights. The organization is committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive and develop in a safe and nurturing environment. UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest country offices globally, focusing on both humanitarian and developmental efforts to fulfill children's rights in partnership with various stakeholders, including the government, civil society, and families. The organization prides itself on a culture that fosters personal and professional development for its staff, offering diverse opportunities for career growth while delivering on its mission to protect children's rights.

Job Overview:
The position of National Consultant involves translating the Adolescent Girls Storybook and accompanying multimedia content from English into Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. This role is crucial in expanding access to the storybook across Nigeria's major linguistic communities. The consultant will work closely with the Adolescent Development Specialist and the lead writer to ensure that the translations maintain the original meaning, tone, and cultural sensitivity of the English version. The translated storybook aims to empower adolescent girls by amplifying their experiences and aspirations while promoting positive social norms and gender equality. The consultant will be responsible for ensuring that the translations are age-appropriate and easily understood by adolescent girls, caregivers, and communities, thereby serving as a vital advocacy resource for promoting girls' rights and opportunities.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will undertake several key responsibilities, including:

• Inception and translation planning: Attend an inception meeting with UNICEF to confirm expectations, audience, tone, timelines, file formats, and feedback processes. Submit a brief translation approach, workplan, quality assurance process, and glossary development plan.
• Translation into Nigerian languages: Translate the complete English storybook into Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo while preserving the original meaning, intent, storytelling voice, emotional tone, and adolescent-friendly language.
• Cultural adaptation and terminology management: Adapt idioms and expressions for cultural appropriateness and clarity, develop a concise translation glossary for recurring terms, and flag any content requiring UNICEF decision-making.
• Quality assurance, editing, and proofreading: Conduct linguistic editing and proofreading for the translations, ensuring internal consistency and independent review by qualified language editors.
• Review and revision: Participate in UNICEF review sessions, incorporate feedback, and submit revised versions with clear version control.
• Final production support: Deliver clean, publication-ready translated manuscripts and review the designed version of the storybook for linguistic accuracy and readability before publication.

Required Qualifications:
To qualify for this position, candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Translation, Linguistics, Nigerian Languages, English, Communication, Literature, Education, Development Studies, Gender Studies, or a related field. Additionally, candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in translation, localization, editing, or multilingual publishing, with proven experience translating educational, adolescent, child, or social-development materials. Experience translating from English into one of the target languages (Hausa, Yoruba, or Igbo) is essential, along with a demonstrated ability to apply quality assurance processes, including editing, proofreading, terminology management, and version control.

Educational Background:
Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Translation, Linguistics, Nigerian Languages, English, Communication, Literature, Education, Development Studies, or Gender Studies. This educational background is crucial for understanding the nuances of language and cultural context necessary for effective translation.

Experience:
Candidates should have at least 5 years of professional experience in translation, localization, editing, or multilingual publishing. This experience should include a proven track record of translating educational, adolescent, child, or social-development materials, as well as specific experience translating from English into one of the target languages (Hausa, Yoruba, or Igbo).

Languages:
Fluency in English is required, and each consultant must have native or near-native proficiency in one of the target languages (Hausa, Yoruba, or Igbo). A strong understanding of Nigerian linguistic and cultural contexts is essential for this role.

Additional Notes:
The position is a consultancy role, and individuals engaged under this contract will not be considered staff members under the United Nations and UNICEF policies. They will not be entitled to benefits such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage. The selected candidates will be responsible for determining their tax liabilities and ensuring that their visa and health insurance are valid for the duration of the contract. Additionally, selected candidates must confirm their fully vaccinated status against COVID-19 with a WHO-endorsed vaccine, although this requirement does not apply to consultants working remotely.