International Consultant - Interpreter/Translator/Editor English-Ukrainian

Background:
 

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with 57 participating States is the world’s largest regional security organization. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the Secretariat, please see: http://www.osce.org/secretariat. 

Objective of Assignment: 

The objective of this assignment is to establish and maintain a roster of qualified freelance interpreters, translators and post-editors/proofreaders to deliver high-quality linguistic services between English and Ukrainian languages, and vice versa, in support of the work of the OSCE Secretariat, institutions, and field operations.

The roster will serve as a pool of pre-vetted language professionals who may be engaged, as required, on Special Service (consultancy) Agreements of various durations to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and linguistic quality of the Organization’s written and oral communications.

Rostered experts will contribute to the effective implementation of the OSCE’s mandates by providing ad hoc, need-based services (either all or some of the below per the areas of expertise), in various areas of expertise under the three OSCE dimensions (politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions):

•    Providing consecutive and/or simultaneous interpretation services during official meetings, conferences, seminars, and other events;
•    Delivering accurate, clear, and contextually appropriate translations of official documents, reports, correspondence, publications, training materials, and other written outputs (including peer- or self-revision); and/or
•    Providing high-quality services for post-editing, predominately, full post-editing of machine-translated text and/or proofreading of another translator’s text to ensure grammatical and linguistic correctness in adherence with the OSCE terminology, style, and standards.
 

Duration of Assignment:
 

Consultancy-based assignments will be issued on an as-needed basis. The duration of each assignment will vary depending on project requirements and may range from a few days to several weeks or months. Engagement under this roster does not constitute a continuous or full-time contractual arrangement, and there is no guarantee of assignments. The duration of individual assignments may be extended subject to organizational needs, satisfactory performance, and the availability of funds.

Tasks and Responsibilities:
 

Under the supervision of the Supervisor/Hiring Manager, the successful candidate(s) will be tasked with the following duties:

Simultaneous and/or consecutive translation services

• Provide accurate simultaneous and/or consecutive interpretation between English and Ukrainian, and vice versa, during OSCE meetings, conferences, and events;

• Ensure faithful, fluent, and context-appropriate delivery reflecting the speaker’s intent and tone;

• Prepare in advance by reviewing background materials and relevant terminology;

• Use interpretation equipment and online platforms effectively for on-site and remote events;

• Maintain professionalism, confidentiality, and impartiality at all times;

• Deliver interpretation services punctually and to the required quality standards.

Translation services (including peer- or self-revision)

• Translate official OSCE documents, reports, correspondence, and training materials from English into Ukrainian and vice versa;

• Ensure linguistic accuracy, terminological consistency, and adherence to OSCE style and formatting standards;

• Conduct terminology and background research to ensure context-appropriate and precise translations;

• Observe strict confidentiality and maintain impartiality in all assignments;

• Ensure all deliverables meet established deadlines and quality benchmarks.

Post-editing/Proofreading services

• Review translated texts in English (translated from Ukrainian) and Ukrainian (translated from English) for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style accuracy;

• Perform quality assurance, proofreading, and revision as required;

• Ensure consistency in terminology, tone, and formatting in line with OSCE standards;

• Cross-check translations against source texts to verify completeness and accuracy;

• Verify proper use of official names, titles, and references;

• Ensure timely delivery of all post-editing/proofreading assignments while maintaining high quality and confidentiality.

Deliverables:
 

Translated, proofread, and finalized documents, reports, and correspondence, as well as high-quality interpretation services during meetings, events, and conferences, delivered in the agreed format, within specified deadlines, and in full compliance with OSCE standards of accuracy and professionalism.

Necessary Qualifications:

• Education: First-level university degree in interpretation/translation studies, linguistics, or a related field; or a first-level university degree in areas relevant for the three OSCE mandates (politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions) with a mandatary professional certification in translation or interpretation.

• Excellent command of English and Ukrainian, one of them as a mother tongue and the other as an active language, with proven ability to accurately translate complex texts in both directions.

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional translation/interpretation and post-editing/proofreading experience, preferably within international organizations, governmental institutions, or similar multicultural environments.

• For Simultaneous/Consecutive Interpreters: minimum of 30 working days of professional interpretation services over the past three years, with at least 10 active working days per year.

• For Translators: Proficiency in the use of Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools (e.g., SDL Trados, MemoQ or equivalent), machine translation and AI translation tools.

• Proven ability to deliver high-quality, accurate translations under tight deadlines.

• Excellent attention to detail and strong editorial judgment.

• Computer literacy, including practical experience with the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and the ability to independently finalize documents for external publication.

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.

• Ability to work with discretion and maintain confidentiality.

• Flexibility and availability to undertake short-term assignments.

• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.

• Ability and willingness to work with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity.

Remuneration Package:

The suitability of candidates shall be determined taking into account their qualifications, expertise, experience, and the value for money of their services. Therefore, applicants are requested to indicate their proposed rates for the foreseen services in the pre-screening section at the end of the application, as follows (for all or only applicable services):

Simultaneous interpretation minimum rate:

- Per half day

- Per day

- Minimum rate for shorter assignments

Consecutive interpretation minimum rate:

- Per day

- Per half day

- Minimum rate for shorter assignments

Translation (full post-editing quality) rate in the range of (minimum … to maximum…):

- Per standard page (English standard page = 330 words)

- Per word

Post-editing/Proofreading rate in the range of (minimum … to maximum…):

- Per page

- Per word

OSCE, nonetheless, reserves the right for final remuneration decision. The remuneration will be based on the applicable fee scale that applies to the delivery of consultancy services by individual contractors, and shall depend on the complexity of the tasks and deliverables and the degree of technical expertise required.

Important:

a) Confirm in your application, in the pre-screening section, that you may provide the services in your individual capacity, not as part of or as a solely-owned business entity (in line with your own national jurisdiction definitions), with the future invoices being issued by you personally and the OSCE’s renumeration to be paid to the personal bank account in your own name.

b) If you are a part of business entity or a solely-owned business entity, you are welcome to apply but clarifying so in your application, in the pre-screening section, as the OSCE may engage you for the required services, subject to competitive procurement procedures, as a vendor, not as an individual consultant.

c) If you may provide services both in your individual capacity per a) above and as a business entity per b) above, please clarify this in your application, in the pre-screening section as it will result in different procurement and contractual arrangements. Please note that the primary purpose of this call is to identify future consultants for the Roster among those who may provide services in their individual capacity per a) above.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://jobs.osce.org/vacancies.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-open the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer a consultancy assignment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates of all nationalities and from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply. (Nationality and/or residency requirements may be applicable for locally-hired consultancies.)

Only those applicants who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Consultants are not OSCE officials and are not subject to the OSCE Staff Regulations and Staff Rules. However, through the contractual terms of their Special Service Agreement (SSA) with the OSCE, consultants are bound to observe the OSCE Code of Conduct as far as applicable to their role, as well as the Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Obligations for Consultants. Both documents are available on the OSCE website.

The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Consultants are solely responsible for the discharge of their financial/tax affairs and compliance with their respective national legislation, as may be applicable.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Please note that you will not be able to make attachments to your application in the OSCE online application and need to provide all relevant information in the application itself and your answers to the pre-screening questions, based on which the (non)selection decision will be made by the OSCE.