English-Spanish Interpreter

NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is seeking and English-Spanish Interpreter based in Trinidad and Tobago (short-term)

Background

The Interpreter will support a performance evaluation NORC is conducting of an activity in Trinidad and Tobago funded by the Better Together Challenge / Reto Juntos Es Mejor (BTC). BTC is an initiative focused on Gender-based Violence (GBV) prevention and response interventions funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Hub (GenDev) in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI).

Job Summary

On behalf of NORC, the Interpreter will support NORC’s Evaluation Specialist by performing English-Spanish interpretation of up to 13 in-person interviews with Venezuelan migrants in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, and surrounding areas. These interviewees are survivors of GBV and participated in the activity subject to evaluation.  

The Interpreter will:

• Study the background documents of BTC and the Trinidad and Tobago-based activity, as well as the interview instrument in English and Spanish to familiarize themselves with the evaluation.
• Participate in a training with NORC’s Evaluation Specialist and Technical Monitor.
• Coordinate with NORC’s Evaluation Specialist on interview scheduling and logistics.
• Provide onsite simultaneous English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English interpretation for 13 in-depth interviews.
• Record the Spanish audio of each interview (i.e., the Spanish interpretation of questions and the respondents’ answers).
• Coordinate with the onsite NORC Evaluation Specialist to upload all audio files in MP3 onto NORC’s secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) using pre-determined convention.
• Respond to any questions or concerns regarding audio file quality.

All interpretation tasks are to be undertaken onsite, primarily at the implementing organization’s headquarters in Arima, or at a nearby facility that NORC’s Evaluation Specialist and the Interpreter will determine.

Timeline

The Interpreter’s performance period is from January 13 through February 15, 2023, equivalent to up to five days (40 hours) of work for all tasks. This task requires no full-time commitment, and it provides a flexible schedule subject to respondents’ availability.

While the tasks outlined may change based on availability and preference of respondents, NORC’s Technical Monitor and the Consultant will work to adjust the scope of work to be completed in a timeline that is satisfactory to both parties. Female consultants are encouraged to apply.

Required Qualifications

• Proficiency/Bilingual/Native level of English and target language (Spanish).
• 3+ years of simultaneous interpretation experience.
• High school diploma in your native language.
• A Bachelor’s degree is a plus, preferably in social sciences, such as sociology, anthropology, economics, public policy, psychology, education, etc.
• Good knowledge of psychological and migration-related terminology.
• Awareness in psychosocial support and gender-based violence is a plus.
• International certifications in the healthcare industry are a plus (PICSI, ALTA, HIPAA, etc.).
• Computer literacy including Microsoft Office Suite and Zoom and proficiency with social media, including WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook, etc.
• Collegiality and comfort with teamwork.
• High level of communication, listening, note-taking, and memory retention skills.

How to apply

Interested candidates should email a CV and cover letter to BTC@norc.org by Friday, January 13. Please use the following subject line in your email: “BTC Application – Trinidad and Tobago.” Please also contact us at this email with any questions.

About this evaluation

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Hub (GenDev) in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) has contracted NORC at the University of Chicago to carry out a performance evaluation of its Gender-based Violence (GBV) portfolio comprising four activity clusters. Specifically, the NORC team will assess the processes, potential effectiveness, and cost-implications of a selection, or all of the following USAID-funded interventions: (a) the women’s economic empowerment (WEE) activities directly funded by GenDev integrating GBV prevention and response activities; (b) Collective Action to Reduce Gender-Based Violence (CARE-GBV); (c) The Resilient, Inclusive & Sustainable Environments (RISE):  A Challenge to Address Gender-Based Violence in the Environment; and (d) The activities funded by USAID’s Better Together Challenge with GBV prevention and response interventions.

The Better Together Challenge / Reto Juntos Es Mejor (BTC) is a global initiative to crowdsource, fund, and scale innovative solutions from Venezuelans, wherever they are, and innovators worldwide to support Venezuelans and host communities affected by the regional crisis. This crisis has had enormous impacts; 1 in 7 Venezuelans have left their homeland, and in 2017, 80% of the population did not have a reliable source of food. The Challenge provides grants for projects that elevate Venezuelan voices to answer needs for Venezuelans in Venezuela and across the region; develop innovative solutions and expand networks across communities and countries to fund, test, and scale them; and build a marketplace of tested and market-ready solutions. Some of these solutions are focused on GBV; for example, in Trinidad and Tobago, the Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago will establish the first after-hours, toll-free, bilingual hotline on gender-based violence for Venezuelans and other survivors who need immediate support, anywhere in the country. These GBV solutions that are being tested will provide valuable data and learnings for the performance evaluation of GenDev’s GBV work.

About NORC at the University of Chicago

 NORC is one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations in the United States pursuing high quality social science research that serves the public interest. NORC’s International Programs designs and implements evaluations, data collection, and other analytical projects throughout the world and has developed close collaborative relationships with researchers, survey firms, and policy think tanks in numerous countries. NORC has also worked extensively throughout Latin American and The Caribbean (LAC).

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