Mission Essential Is Hiring A Mandarin Linguist

Join our team as a Mandarin Linguist, supporting critical communication efforts for vulnerable refugee populations in Bronx, NY. Flexible travel and accommodations provided for out-of-area candidates! 🌎✈️

Position Overview

We are excited to offer new opportunities supporting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in delivering essential language services to unaccompanied minors in refugee programs. We seek linguists proficient in Romanian at an ILR Level 2+ or higher, capable of providing accurate interpretation and translation services to facilitate effective communication.

About ILR Levels

The Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale measures language proficiency within the U.S. government, ranging from Level 0 (No Proficiency) to Level 5 (Native or Bilingual Proficiency).

• Level 2+ (“Professional Working Proficiency”):
• Capable of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing with sufficient fluency to participate effectively in most social, practical, and some professional conversations.

Key Responsibilities

• In-person interpretation at Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) programs and service locations (preferred).
• Remote interpretation via telephone, videoconference, or other virtual platforms, including 24/7 availability.
• Facilitate communication of deadlines, instructions, and questions between Care Staff and unaccompanied minors (UC, UAM, URM) in their native or preferred language.
• Assist UC/UAM/URM expressing concerns or needs when they are not fluent in English or the language spoken by Care Staff.
• Exercise sound professional judgment to overcome language barriers and promote effective communication.
• Support orientation to community resources through interpretation and translation services.
• Translate documents between English and the target language, and occasionally other languages, as needed.
• Help Care Staff build rapport and understand cultural contexts, acting as a vital cultural bridge to alleviate stress for children.

Requirements

• ILR Level 2+ proficiency in both English (listening and speaking) and the target language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), obtained through academic qualifications or experience combined with education.
• Successful completion of a Tier 2 background check; security clearance not required.
• Demonstrated discretion, judgment, and advanced knowledge in linguistics.
• Ability to apply advanced language skills and cultural knowledge to sensitive situations.
• Self-directed, responsible, with the capacity to manage language services independently to meet program needs.

Desired Skills

• Prior experience as a linguist in foster care, social services, or medical settings.