Communication and Information Section - Translation Unit Intern

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Background

The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the

UN Secretariat department responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA also ensures that there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.

OCHA Sudan addresses and facilitates issues relating to coordination, communications and humanitarian financing, and serves the entire humanitarian community in the country. In doing this, OCHA works with the Sudanese Government's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and other government counterparts. OCHA provides support to the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Sudan. Working with the entire humanitarian community, OCHA looks to foster a conducive operating environment that facilitates the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance (both material assistance and protection assistance). Crucially, OCHA promotes compliance with humanitarian principles in the humanitarian response. This is an essential element of effective humanitarian coordination and is central to establishing and maintaining access to affected populations, particularly in conflict-affected areas of Sudan.

This internship will be based in Khartoum, Sudan, and the intern shall be under the general guidance and supervision of the Communication and Information Section (CIS) Head of the Translation Unit (TU). The internship is being offered for a minimum period of three (3) months, with a possibility of extension up to six (6) months, starting as soon as possible.

Duties and Responsibilities

In general, the intern shall support the CIS-Translation Unit of OCHA Sudan in its objectives to:

1. improve humanitarian response with translations of products allocated for translation to prioritize humanitarian needs through an inclusive and coordinated process at the field level.

2. strengthen the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) by providing qualitative & timely translations.

3. contribute to the delivery of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) within the context of the Humanitarian Program Cycle (HPC) or any agreed upon strategy by the HC.

Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual's background; duties may include but are not limited to supporting the CIS Translation Unit with the following tasks:

• Assisting in selecting and translating media stories of relevance to the Sudan HCT;

• Providing support during the draft translations of other CIS products;

• Researching, analysing and presenting information gathered from diverse sources on assigned topics/ issues;

• assisting with the preparation/translation of various written documents, e.g. information products, infographics, draft sections of studies, background papers, policy guidelines etc.;

• assisting in the organization of (online) meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops, etc.; and

preparing/translating products/materials for such events;

• assisting with the translation of reference/resource information on humanitarian topics or humanitarian-related issues, e.g. gender, accountability to affected population, environment, sitreps, protection mainstreaming;

• performing tasks including administrative tasks as appropriate and requested by supervisor.

• Upon conclusion of the internship compiling & presenting one presentation to the office in a professional setting.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

a. Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;

b. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);

c. Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals and

solicits input to learn from others' ideas and expertise.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: -

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or - Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent); or :
• Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation from an academic programme.
• Applicants who are unable to commence the internship within one year of graduation shall not be accepted.

For this specific internship the university degree must be in the area of languages (English – Arabic) or a related field. An MA or a PhD from an internationally recognized educational institution in translation is a preference. Proficiency in using online teleconference platforms is desirable.

Experience:

Applicants are not required to have professional working experience for participation in the Programme though any academic and/or practical experience in humanitarian affairs issues is desirable. Applicants should be computer literate in standard software applications; have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations, a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter and;

have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Language:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Arabic would be essential for this internship. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Learning expectations

Upon completion of the assignment, the Intern will have achieved the following: Researched, and conducted translations related to food insecurity, malnutrition, displacement (refugees/IDPs), humanitarian funding, infectious diseases and people in need of humanitarian response in Sudan. Contributed to the production of products in designated languages. Managed contents on the Humanitarian Response website.

Training components:

The training will be structured on and following components of humanitarian response translation approach, an online approach: Information Technology Resourceful Translation Approach (ITRTA).

Learning elements:

the following are the expected Learning Outcomes (LO) at the end of the assignment LO1. The intern shall understand the ITRTA Cycle role in achieving quality translation for decision-makers. LO2. Understand the role of the three ITRTA production layers. LO3. Apply soft capacities and skills acquired towards better professional translation.

Internship Conditions:

• UNDP will provide a stipend in the amount of USD 202.35 monthly in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern or her/his sponsoring entity;

• UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;

• Interns are responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;

• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship;

• Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan;

• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity;

• Interns are expected to work full time, but flexibility is allowed for education programmes;

• Interns need to obtain financing for subsistence and make own arrangements for internship, travel, visa, accommodation, etc.

Assessment

Interviews will be conducted by the Hiring Manager directly for further consideration. A complete online application (Cover Note and Personal History profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover note must include: - Title of degree you are currently pursuing; - Graduation date (when will you be graduating from the programme); - Information Technology (IT) skills and programmes in which you are proficient; and - Explanation of why you are the best candidate for the internship position. In your Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experience, if any; IT skills and three (3) references. Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted . A test may be conducted in addition to an interview for the shortlisted candidates.

A test may be conducted in addition to an interview for the shortlisted candidates.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS