Position in: Somalia, Anywhere in Africa, Remote
Do you want to help fight misinformation and online hate speech?
Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time Translator to join our PesaCheck team. Candidates may be based anywhere in Africa.
PesaCheck is the continent’s largest indigenous fact-checking initiative by geographic coverage, with teams in 18 African countries. It researches and debunks misinformation published both online and elsewhere in more traditional media, publishing over 2,000 fact-checks per year, in partnership with major platforms ranging from Facebook and TikTok, to traditional media. PesaCheck also tracks promises by public officials and shines a light on public finances to ensure the public is not misled. PesaCheck forms part of CfA, which is Africa’s largest non-profit digital/data journalism initiative.
The selected candidate will work closely with the news and copy desks, translating content both from Somali to English as well as English to Somali. It is therefore essential that candidates are fully fluent in written and spoken both English and Somali. As part of one of CfA’s newsroom team, the ideal candidate will have a background or keen interest in current political affairs across the African continent.
The successful candidate will work as part of a multinational and multilingual team using digital collaboration tools to create content for a global audience and international media partners.
Required: minimum requirements include
- Bachelor’s degree in translation, linguistics, literature, or a related field.
- At least three years of experience as a translator/interpreter.
- Somali native speaker and a demonstrable fluency in written and spoken English.
- Fluency in using CAT tools and translation memory software.
- Demonstrable experience in specialised translation/MTPE/Transcription (En< >Som)
- Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of news and current affairs affecting the Horn of Africa.
- Able to translate complex details into easily understandable and accurate target language.
- Able to multitask, prioritise, and manage time efficiently.
- Able to work creatively and accurately under pressure with excellent attention to detail.
- Organised and able to create, manage and oversee multiple timelines and schedules.
- Proficiency in collaborative work solutions such as Google Workplace (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc.), Slack (or equivalents such as Teams), and project management tools like Trello.
Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage
- Certification in translation and/or interpretation.
- Previous experience working in the media sector.
- Sensitivity to cross-cultural dynamics.
- Good knowledge of contemporary political, economic, social and scientific issues in Africa and across the globe.
- Experience working with international partners and team members.
Language and Location Requirements:
- Location: The role can be performed remotely, therefore applicants across Africa will be considered.
- Languages: Somali and English
About this role
The successful candidate will join the PesaCheck team which is responsible for helping the public separate fact from fiction, using a range of journalistic techniques and digital verification tools across languages and cultures.
The successful candidate will work closely with the PesaCheck team, but particularly the chief translator and chief copy editor to translate news content. You will also, from time to time, conduct internal training to upskill staff both at PesaCheck and across CfA’s other programmes. Training and mentorship take place online and in-person and consist of both group and individual sessions.
The ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience as a translator in a professional working environment, able to translate material from English to Somali, and vice-versa with precision, and a deep knowledge of the media landscape in their country and/or region.
We operate in a fast-paced environment, so you will need to quickly understand and learn new things. You will also need to possess a keen attention to detail. You should be comfortable handling multiple tasks with multiple ongoing deadlines and should have previous experience working on digital collaboration tools that CfA uses, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Trello.
Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include
- Accurately translate, review and adapt content from English to Somali and vice versa. Content includes, but is not limited to, short form articles, long form articles, blog posts, and social media content
- As part of the translation process, provide input on localising and adapting content to suit local language and cultural contexts
- Translate, revise, and review written content including with accuracy and precision.
- Maintaining style and tone of translated content while adhering to editorial guidelines and brand standards
- Adhere and contribute to PesaCheck’s translation style guide to ensure language quality standards and house style are adhered to.
- Manage multiple translation tasks simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery of translated content.
- Proactively keep relevant stakeholders informed of the status of translation tasks, seeking clarity and feedback as needed.
- Manage multiple translation projects simultaneously, prioritise tasks and ensure timely delivery of translated content.
- Conduct terminology research to stay updated on the industry language.
- Assist in supporting, mentoring and motivating journalists and fellows in the various CfA projects to help them with the timely completion of their training aims and story production.
- From time to time, you may provide translation, interpretation or facilitation support during trainings and workshops.
- Support in translating/customising CfA’s courseware to local languages/contexts and other content as may be assigned from time-to-time.
What We Offer:
- A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
- Medical insurance cover, underwritten by a remote-first provider to ensure cover wherever you are
- A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
- Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
- A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.
How to Apply:
Please complete this form by 02 September 2024
About Us:
Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of indigenous African civic technology and investigative data journalism laboratories, with over 100 staff in 21 countries, who build digital democracy solutions that are intended to give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions and that strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.
This includes building infrastructure such as the continent’s largest open data portal, open.AFRICA, and largest open source civic software portal, commons.AFRICA, as well as the largest repository of investigative document-based evidence, source.AFRICA, as well as incubating initiatives as diverse as the africanDRONE network that gives citizens their own ‘eyes in the sky’, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative in 18 African countries, and the sensors.AFRICA remote-sensing citizen science initiative to combat air/water pollution.
CfA also incubates the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), as an association of the continent’s best investigative newsrooms, ranging from large traditional mainstream media to smaller specialist units. ANCIR member newsrooms investigate crooked politicians, organised crime and big business. The iLAB is ANCIR’s in-house digital forensic unit, with teams in east, south and west Africa. ANCIR uses its resources to strengthen newsrooms’ own internal capacity, by providing access to the world’s best whistleblower encryption and investigative semantic analysis technologies, as well as skills development, and seed grants for cross-border collaboration.
At CfA, we don’t just accept differences – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. CfA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
To all recruitment agencies: CfA does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our employment application line, CfA employees or any other CfA contact. CfA is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
Please note: Due to high volumes of applications, we are unable to respond to each one individually. If you are selected for an interview, we will contact you.