Translator, Portuguese at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Translator, Portuguese

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: P3 / P4
Status: Permanent
Division: Language Services
Line Supervisor: Revisor
Institution: ECOWAS Parliament
Directorate: Parliamentary Affairs & Research

Role Overview

Under the supervision of the Revisor, the incumbent shall be responsible for translating, from French or English into Portuguese, a wide variety of texts documents for Parliamentary meetings, conferences, working papers, scientific articles, speeches, programme statements, web materials, reports, correspondences and provide other translation services to the Parliament.

Role and Responsibilities

Translate documents into Portuguese from either one or two of the other official Community languages, French and English.
Assist in compiling and building a body of terminologies peculiar to and useful in the work of the Parliament.
Assist with consecutive interpretation during staff and management meetings.
Translates a wide variety of texts documents for ECOWAS conferences and meetings, working papers, scientific articles, speeches, programme statements, web materials, reports, correspondence, etc;
Perform the terminological and conceptual research required in order to produce high-quality translations of scientific, technical, legal, and administrative texts;
Translates and self-revises from texts of considerable difficulty, using computer assisted translation tools were possible;
Assists in providing support for terminology and style; respond to queries about terminology, nomenclature, translation, and writing posed by staff; conducts linguistic research and assist in the maintenance of glossaries;
Contributes to the establishment of accurate terminology and to promote the terminology data base;
Assists in review of external translators for the ECOWAS roster;
Provides translation support in emergencies, including working under tight deadlines and quick turnaround of translated documents;
Provides feedback for machine translation dictionaries;
Participates in professional forums, conferences and seminars; shares knowledge and practices with translators of other international organizations; keeps abreast of specialized terminology and best translation practices;
Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in translation or equivalent from a recognized Institute or University.
5 years of experience in translation and revision and technical writing;
Proven knowledge with computer-assisted translation tools, machine translation tools and on-screen editing tools;
Knowledge of the structure and content of language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, grammar, and history.

Age Limit:

Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS Key Competencies

Ability to persuade / influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
Ability to lead a team of trainees / junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities;
Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval;
Ability to utilize the Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information and resources;
Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and the subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
Interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions;
Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
Ability to counsel, advise, consult and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established client service standards;
Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion;
Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy;
Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply judgement, tact and diplomacy;
Ability To Work In A Diverse And Inclusive Interactive Environment That Benefits From Diverse Strengths;
Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbias and transparent manner.
Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies;
Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals;
Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others;
Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities;
Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project / programme assigned to own position.
Ability to study data / information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations;
Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals;
Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.
Demonstrate operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools;
Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, ;
Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
Proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT);
Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.
Ability to develop, implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals;
Identify, organize and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution;
Ability to contribute and / or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others to set and meet deadlines;
Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks;
Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.