About the role and responsibilities

The International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP) is seeking a highly skilled and passionate Interpretation Coordinator for Asia Pacific to join our team. We prefer candidates based in the Asia-Pacific (preferably in South Asia, or Indonesia) to apply. We particularly welcome applications from individuals belonging to marginalized communities, indigenous peoples, disabled individuals, organizers, or activists within social, labour, and environmental movements, with a background in  interpretation and communication services.

About the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP)

IAWP is an international union committed to advancing the rights and strengthening organizing of waste pickers, who play a vital role in managing waste, and contributing to recycling and other aspects of sustainable development. IAWP has a long history of being an informal coalition of waste-pickers movements starting in  2008. IAWP, as a networking process,  has been engaging in international discussions on climate change, plastic pollution, labour and social protection norms among others. At this point, IAWP is in the process of becoming a formal entity, with its constitution approved by waste-pickers’ movements around the world in October 2022. In April 2024, IAWP will be hosting its first international elective congress to elect the duty bearers of the organization.

About the role and responsibilities

The Interpretation Coordinator will be responsible for providing interpretation services and managing interpretation-related activities for the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP) in the Asia- Pacific region. The coordinator will work closely with the Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator and other teams / staff / representatives within IAWP to ensure effective communication and coordination of interpretation services.

Key responsibilities of the Interpretation Coordinator will include:

1. The Interpretation Coordinator will play a crucial role in providing interpretation services for the IAWP meetings and events. Responsibilities will include identifying the necessary languages for both virtual (mostly zoom) and physical gatherings, sourcing and coordinating interpreters, and managing the interpretation schedule for all meetings, conferences, and events held by the organization in the Asia Pacific region.
2. Providing interpretation services: The Interpretation Coordinator will provide interpretation services during meetings, conferences, and events when required. They will ensure that the interpretation is accurate and relevant to the discussions at hand.
3. Language support: The Interpretation Coordinator will provide language support to the organisation and its staff, including translating documents, reports, and other materials as required in six languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Bangla, Nepali, and Indonesian, and potentially other languages as identified through the scoping exercise of IAWP. The translation can be done using Deepl, or Google Translate, and with the help of the hired interpreters.
4. Quality control: The Interpretation Coordinator will ensure that all interpretation services provided by hired interpreters meet the organisation’s quality standards. They will monitor interpreter performance, receive feedback on a monthly basis from waste-picker leaders who are recipients of interpretation services, and share it with the relevant interpreters.
5. Orientation and support for interpreters: The Interpretation Coordinator will develop an orientation program for new interpreters on-boarded and support interpreters to connect with local waste-picker organisations to sharpen their vocabulary for appropriate translation. The coordinator will also gather feedback from waste-picker organisations about interpretation and share it with the interpreters.
6. Budgeting: The Interpretation Coordinator will manage the interpretation budget, ensuring that it is used effectively and efficiently and ensuring payment is made on time.
7. Coordination with other teams: The Interpretation Coordinator will work closely with other teams within the organisation, such as the plastics treaty working group and the IAWP staff.
8. Translation of minutes: The Interpretation Coordinator will ensure that minutes of all meetings, including regional meetings, Plastics Treaty meetings, and, if required, AWC meetings, are translated using Google Translate, Deepl on time and circulated in the respective languages.
9. Monitoring interpreters’ and translators’ work:
   • Keep track of the interpreters attending meetings and monitor their invoices.
   • Keep track of the documents sent for translation, and share the translated copies with the staff and monitor that the invoices for translation.

Qualifications and Experience

1. Fluency (in reading, writing and speaking) in at least two of the six languages used by waste-pickers in the Asia- Pacific region, namely Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Bangla, Nepali, and Indonesian- Bahasa.
2. Experience in interpretation and managing and setting up interpretation and translation services in physical events and virtual platforms such as Zoom.
3. Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
4. Ability to work collaboratively with other teams and stakeholders.
5. Excellent communication skills in English and one or more of the relevant languages.
6. Familiarity with waste-pickers and their issues in the Asia- Pacific region would be an asset.

Schedule and Remuneration

• This is a part time consultant contract position with a necessarily flexible schedule between the time of appointment and the end of June 2024 with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory work performance and approval by the IAWP leadership.
• Remote work.
• Compensation: Based on experience and previous salary scale.
• The pay rate will be negotiated according to experience, skills and the role and discussed with the successful candidate.
• The consultant will have a flexible work arrangement with the number of days worked being accounted for. At the end of each month, the consultant may submit an invoice for the days worked, with a maximum of 8 days per month.
• This is a part-time, home-based position. Therefore a computer and a stable internet connection are required,  with occasional international travel.

Equal employment opportunity

We welcome you regardless of your gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, age, physical ability, or any other status unrelated to the performance of the job. Women based in Asia Pacific and those belonging to waste pickers organisations or marginalised communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Procedure

If you are passionate about communication, social justice, and environmental sustainability and meet the eligibility criteria outlined above, we invite you to apply for this position. Please submit the following documents along with your application to info@globalrec.org before 30th July 2023 August 7th, and indicate in the subject of the email “Job Interpretation Asia Pacific”.

1. Comprehensive resume: Provide a detailed account of your education, work experience, and relevant skills, and should not exceed 2 pages.
2. Cover letter: Highlight your motivation to join IAWP and demonstrate how your qualifications align with the position. The letter should not exceed 500 words.
3. Please submit the following assignment along with your application:

Prepare interpretation plan for the Congress of Asia Pacific Waste-pickers Organization.

You have been assigned to coordinate interpretation services for a two-day congress of waste-pickers organizations in the Asia Pacific, which will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The congress will host participants from various countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Fiji, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and will require interpretation services for multiple languages. Your task is to prepare the interpretation plan for the congress, considering scenarios such as the non-availability of interpreters for languages spoken by waste-pickers in Nepal, as well as the plan for parallel sessions on issues such as social and livelihood protection, climate change, organizing. The plan should address the number of interpreters required, your strategy for identifying and assessing interpreters, and bringing them to the congress with the assistance of waste-pickers organizations or through your networks. Please present your strategy in a slide show presentation (PowerPoint, LibreOffice Impress or others) with a text size of 16 points and a maximum of 5 slides.