23778 | Registry

A roster of suitable candidates may be established for this post as a result of this selection process for fixed-term appointments against both established posts and positions funded by general temporary assistance (GTA).

Organisational Context

Provision of high quality language services for efficient conduct of Court business: the Language Services Section (LSS) provides language services to the organs of the Court, i.e. translation, revision and editing of Court documents; consecutive and simultaneous interpretation for meetings, trial hearings, press conferences, specialized seminars, diplomatic briefings and other events, held in-house or away from the seat of the Court; assistance and guidance in terminology and references, management of language tools to make sure that consistent terminology is used in all the organs of the Court; recruitment, training, and accreditation of interpreters needed for work with Registry officials in the field and/or at the seat of the Court; provision of relevant information to service users to make them familiar with all the types of language services provided and with the procedures and requirements of the professions in question.

The Head of the French Translation Unit reports directly to the Chief of Section.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Head of English Translation Unit, Senior Reviser (English), will work under the direct supervision of the Chief of Section. The incumbent will perform the following duties:

1. Manage the English Translation Unit and supervise its reviser(s) and translators, taking ultimate responsibility for all translation, editing and revision carried out within the Unit; perform translation, editing and revision tasks, taking special responsibility for the most sensitive texts; and provide feedback with a view to ensuring quality management and staff development, including by holding regular Unit meetings and evaluating the performance of revisers and translators;
2. Build positive relationships with clients of the English Translation Unit and meet their expectations, among other things by negotiating feasible deadlines that take full account of requesters’ priorities and Unit capacity and, subsequently, providing update information about their requests;
3. Formulate policies and issue instructions to ensure the smooth functioning of the English Translation Unit, taking account of clients’ needs and consulting the reviser(s) and other unit heads, taking responsibility for the testing and recruitment of Unit staff, overseeing the development, updating and dissemination of style guides and related documents in English, conducting or organizing translation and revision workshops and other forms of training, and developing and implementing standard operating procedures, also in cooperation with the reviser(s) and other unit heads;
4. Plan, organize, supervise and monitor the Unit’s budgetary expenditure in accordance with business requirements;
5. Supervise the outsourcing of translations into English and their revision where necessary, among other things by organizing and overseeing the testing and recruitment of freelance translators and the provision of qualified revisers with a view to maintaining a pool of reliable freelance linguists for working in-house and off-site; and
6. Report to the Chief of Section on all management, staffing and budgetary matters concerning the English Translation Unit.

Essential Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university degree in translation, languages, law or a related field. A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience is accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum of seven years (nine years with a first-level university degree) of progressively responsible professional experience as a translator or reviser, of which at least five years in an international working environment.

Knowledge, skills and abilities:

- Superior academic knowledge of the French and English languages;
- Knowledge of translation techniques and linguistic research methods;
- Knowledge of cultures and politics in the Court’s situation countries;
- Knowledge of ICC basic texts, international criminal justice, current affairs and politics;
- Knowledge of the language tools and IT applications in common use;
- Knowledge of ICC terminology and specialist subjects relevant for editing, translating and revising translations at the Court: legal, political, military, medical, forensic, human rights, administrative and financial;
- Knowledge of legal concepts, in general, and international legal instruments, in particular;
- Concentration and eye for detail;
- Analytical skills;
- Intellectual curiosity, motivation and initiative;
- Communication skills;
- Team work and ability to work consistently under pressure;
- Organizational skills;
- Tact, discretion, diplomatic skills, multicultural awareness.

Knowledge of languages:

Mother-tongue proficiency in English and high-level proficiency in French are required. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) would be considered an asset. Knowledge of another of the languages used in the context of the ICC would be considered an additional asset.