December 25, 2024

Interpreter – UN Volunteers

Interpreter- National Specialist

Host Entity- UNHCR

Country- Rwanda

Duty Station- Nyamata (RWA)

Language Skills- English,Sudanese, Arabic

Start Date- Immediate

Duration- 12 months

Application Deadline- 03 March 2021





Minimum age: 22 years old. Applicants must be nationals of or legal residents in the country of assignment.

Under the direct supervision of Protection Officer or his/herdesignate (please complete with the function of the supervisor) the national UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

  • The Interpreter will be assigned to work with one of the ETM/Protection Units, namely either Child Protection/BID, RSD, Resettlement, or Field (Protection)/Community Services. The interpreter will report to the Head of the pertinent Unit;
  • The Interpreter will provide operational support to registration, protection, refugee status determination (RSD),), child protection, resettlement (RST)and field staff of UNHCR and to the staff of partner organizations through language support services for evacuees from Libya;
  • Under supervision of the Protection Officer or his/her designate; the Interpreter is expected to provide interpretation and translation in the following languages:
  1. Sudanese Arabic to English and vice versa
  2. Fur to English and vice versa
  3. Zaghawa to English and vice versa


  • The interpreter may be asked to translate written documents or statements as necessary;
  • Assist in the translation of all office documents including general correspondence, manuals ass required;
  • The interpreter is required to read, understand and comply with UNHCR’s Code of Conduct and realizes that he/she shall be expected to work in the spirit of the principles set forth therein;
  • The interpreter is required to read and understand the Undertaking of Confidentiality and Impartiality and understands that he shall be expected to respect the principle of confidentiality and remain impartial in his/her work;
  • The interpreter is required to read and understand and agree to abide by the standards of conduct set forth in the Secretary- General’s Bulletin, ST/SGB/2003/13 of 9 October 2003, concerning “Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse”;
  • The Interpreter must observe total confidentiality regarding information obtained in the performance of his/her duties.

In doing so, s/he will:

  • be expected to be equipped with relevant knowledge and skills on the UNHCR’s protection mandate;
  • be expected to recognize, understand and – in a split second – have a word in another language for any one of a myriad of issues. The range of interpretation subjects is broad, including politics, legal affairs, economic and social issues, human rights, finance and administration;
  • A wide-ranging knowledge of world affairs, subjects (including technical terms) and United Nations processes is essential for all interpreters.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

  • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark IVD);
  • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
  • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
  • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
  • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
  • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.




 Bachelor degree or equivalent

Humanities, Social Sciences, Arts, Interpretation, Letters and Arts.

 24 Months

  • At least 2 years of work experience as translator/interpreter
  • Practical experience in translation/interpretation using technical terminology.
  • Written and spoken skills required in English
  • Strong skills in the use of computers for word processing, spreadsheets and common business Internet usage

  • English(Mandatory), Level – Fluent
  • Sudanese(Mandatory), Level – Fluent
  • Arabic(Mandatory), Level – Fluent
 Protection of refugees, asylum seekers and IDPs
 No





Accountability, Adaptability and Flexibility, Building Trust, Client Orientation, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Creativity, Empowering Others, Ethics and Values, Integrity, Judgement and Decision-making, Knowledge Sharing, Leadership, Managing Performance, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Self-Management, Technological Awareness, Vision, Working in Teams

Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?
Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup.
Important: After creating your account, complete all sections of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink. Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?
Please first update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call for to which you would like to apply.

Application deadline: 3rd March 2021

APPLY FOR THIS JOB >>>