Reviser, Arabic at United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)

 This post is in the Arabic Translation and Text-Processing Unit within the Translation and Editorial Section of the Division of Conference Services (DCS), UNON. Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Unit, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

1. Revises translations dealing with a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, while meeting or exceeding required workload standards.
2. Translates, mostly without revision, texts covering a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, particularly those subjects requiring experience and recognized proficiency, while meeting or exceeding required workload standards. Makes full use of standard computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools and actively contributes to their utilization and implementation of any related IT tools and improvements.
3. Develops new terminology for use where none exists in the target language.
4. Carries out linguistic research and provides input to multilingual terminology database and related reference tools and acts as focal point for these activities as required.
5. Validates new terminology and coordinates terminology work with other duty stations and international organizations.
6. Counsels and assists translators and briefs them on the procedures and practices of the Unit, terminology and a broad range of subjects, as required.
7. Assists the Chief of Unit/Senior Reviser in administrative and operational responsibilities as required.
8. Supervises the work of small groups of translators during meetings by acting as focal point for meetings, including during staggered and night shifts.
9. Performs quality control of outsourced documents.
10. Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to demonstrate good translation and revision skills; high standard of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the spirit, style and nuances of the original text with a good grasp of the subject matter. Knowledge of a broad range of subjects dealt with by an international organization, i.e., political, social, legal, economic, financial, administrative, scientific and technical. Ability to use all sources of references, consultation and information relevant to text at hand. Ability to work under pressure and maintain adequate speed and volume of output. Ability to show a high level of versatility, judgement and discretion. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

A first-level degree from a university or institution of equivalent status is required. Candidates for this position must have passed the combined United Nations Language Competitive Examination for Translators/Précis-writers, Editors, Verbatim Reporters and Copy Preparers/ Proofreaders/ Production Editors in the relevant language or any United Nations language competitive examination in the Arabic language held before 2017.

Work Experience

1. A minimum of five (5) years of progressive responsible experience in translation, précis-writing, editing, self- revision, verbatim reporting, copy preparing, proofreading or production editing is required.
2. Experience using United Nations or similar international organization, terminology databases and word-processing programmes is required.
3. Experience in the use of standard computer-assisted-translation (CAT) tools is required.
4. Experience using eLUNa and its revision interface is desirable.
5. Three (3) years of experience working within a multilingual setting is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in Arabic, which must be the candidate's main language. Arabic translators must also have excellent knowledge of English and one other official United Nations language, as tested by the relevant United Nations language competitive examination.

NOTE: "Fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This is a language post. Appointment against this position is for a period of two years and may be subject to extension. Staff Members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staffs are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

The United Nations is Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Internal Applicants – when completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you.

Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?"link.

For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or underrepresented in the UN Secretariat as of 30 November 2020, are strongly encouraged to apply: Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, China, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome
and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.