Position Description: UMR is looking for some helping hands to assist our Washington, DC office with Arabic-English and English-Arabic translations on an as-needed basis. This volunteer will primarily assist with interpretation of reports detailing the programmatic impact of our MENA programs as well as translation of various communications.

Department/Individuals Assisting: Our DC office’s MENA Team

Responsible to: Our DC office’s MENA Program Officer

Responsibilities:
-Assisting our DC office’s MENA programs department with the translation of documents from our field teams in the region
-Assisting with translation and communication of documents sent, emailed, or faxed from our Jordan office
-Attending biweekly meetings with our DC MENA team and representatives of our Jordan office to provide translation assistance during calls

Position Qualifications:
Required:
-Professional literacy in Modern Standard Arabic and English
-Ability to interpret Arabic reports and communicate findings in English
-Ability to interpret English reports and communicate findings in Arabic
-Results-oriented with the ability to work independently and meet deadlines
-Be a team player and work effectively with others, including UMR staff and other volunteers

Preferred:
-Fluency in Arabic or learned as a first language
-Familiarity with relief assistance and development work
-Ability to work with and interpret large amounts of data and information

Commitment:
-Attendance at biweekly calls with the DC MENA Team and our Jordan office, to occur every other Wednesday from 12 – 1 PM Eastern Standard Time / 6 – 7 PM Egyptian Standard Time
-Return documents requested for translation within 5 business days unless an alternate timeline is otherwise specified

Technology Needed:
-Reliable internet connection
-Arabic keyboard (desktop, laptop, or mobile device are all fine to use)

Application: To apply for this volunteer opportunity, you can email our Volunteer Coordinator (VMC) at volunteers@umrelief.org. Upon receiving your interest, they will reach out to you to schedule a time to discuss the following :
-Providing additional information about our organization, our translation opportunity, and addressing any questions you may have
-Learning a little bit more about you and your interest in volunteering with our organization
-Assessing language abilities through the following two exercises:
-Having a brief, informal conversation with a member of our UMR team who is fully fluent in Arabic and English to assess listening and speaking comprehension
-Reading a brief section of a programmatic report of ours in Arabic and in English and providing written translations of each to assess reading and writing comprehension

If you have any questions before applying or before meeting, please do not hesitate to reach out to our VMC at any time!