Reports  to:  Director of Language Access Services

Location:  Office of Language Access - Division of Family and Community Advancement 

Founded in 1647,  Boston  Public  Schools (BPS) is the oldest public school district in the country.  With approximately 54,000 students from 139 different countries, with nearly one in every two students speaking a language other than English at home,  BPS is one of the most diverse school districts in the nation. 

Summary  

Boston Public Schools (BPS) is committed to ensuring all families we serve receive timely,  accurate, and accessible communications from the District and from their student’s schools. The District has made it a priority to implement an infrastructure that provides support and resources to schools to ensure all families receive information in their native language. Currently, BPS translates all communications distributed by central office departments. While many schools have created internal procedures that allow for documents to be translated, there is a need for consistency across the District. The role of the Translation and Interpretation Technician will be to translate general, technical, legal, and medical documents between English and the designated native language. Technicians will provide oral interpretations during formal, school, and community meetings as well as conversations and interactions with BPS families and the public.  

Overview  of  Responsibilities:  

• Process translation and interpretation requests from all BPS central offices with a priority provided to the Communications Department and communications from the Executive Leadership Team.
• Process urgent requests, such as those requiring 24-­hour turnaround or that occur outside of the typical work hours.  
• Assist with proofreading and formatting all Vietnamese translations, including recorded messages, and edit as necessary to ensure that the translations are culturally relevant and accurate.
• Maintain the BPS Translations Library and communicate with schools on the availability of the online inventory.  
• Work with schools to create standardized forms to be translated into the District’s major languages that are commonly used in all schools to ensure that communication is relevant and culturally sensitive.  
• Maintain an online platform to receive translation and interpretation requests from central office departments and schools. 
• Assist in constructing reports to various external agencies, such as the Department of Justice on translations, interpretation, and professional development provided. 
• Support projects that provide additional and enhanced meaningful language access services for BPS parents. 
• Provide support for school/District functions and events.
• Represent the T&I Unit in a customer-focused fashion by returning calls and emails promptly, searching for answers and additional resources when necessary, taking the initiative to solve problems, or requesting assistance when necessary. 
• Support the implementation (roll-out) of new procedural and/or operational changes as provided by the Director of Translation and Interpretation (T&I).
• Facilitate training for school and District staff as necessary. 
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as requested by the Director of T&I and the Chief of Family and Community Advancement. 

Minimum  Qualifications:  

• Associate's Degree
• Proficiency in English and Vietnamese with the ability to speak, read and write in both languages 
• 1-­3 years of experience as a translator and interpreter
• Strong computer skills: Word,  Excel,  PowerPoint,  Acrobat, HTML, XML, Google products, and CAT-Tools (i.e., SDL Trados, MemoQ)  
• Familiarity with desktop publishing software (InDesign, QuarkXPress, Framemaker)
• Previous project management experience in translation services  
• Ability to work independently and to relate effectively to colleagues  
• Ability to work in a fast-­paced environment and to triage urgent requests
• Strong work ethic with attention to detail  
• Demonstrated knowledge working in urban school settings and diverse  communities   

Terms: B22, This position is subject to the City of Boston residency ordinance.

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.