Globaldev careers: The translator

LONDON — Whether it’s creating a chatbot to improve the accessibility of an international summit, or translating COVID-19 training for health workers, Muhannad Albayk Jaam’s work is almost as varied as the languages on the planet. As Levantine Arabic language lead at Translators Without Borders, Albayk Jaam oversees most of the work done in that language for the organization. The nonprofit translates the work of development agencies to the languages spoken by the people they work with, covering some of the most important aspects of their lives. Accurate translation — whether it is health advice, legal information or safety tips — is paramount. Albayk Jaam, a native of Syria’s Idlib Province, came from a family where English was spoken, and carried out and studied in English. His translation work began just as favors to friends, but the mass movement of Syrian refugees in 2015 inspired him to begin volunteering with TWB, and he was hired by the group on a part-time basis three years later. While there are frequent chances for translators to volunteer their skills in the humanitarian and development sectors, there are also “many kinds of [other] opportunities,” according to Albayk Jaam, such as working with United Nations agencies or NGOs. Devex spoke to him about his work and what aspiring translators in the sector should know. What does the day-to-day work look like? Like many other people, Albayk Jaam usually begins his day working through his emails to see what needs doing. Then planning begins. “If a document is small, you can do it on the same day,” he said, especially if a volunteer translator is available, but others might take much longer. Alongside the bigger projects, translating jobs can range from social media posts to updating NGO anti-fraud documents and recording video voiceovers. In particular, there has been an increased focus on public health-related materials since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Albayk Jaam’s job involves a lot of quality assurance and revisions. He also handles the sign-off for “critical or challenging documents.” Computer assisted translation tools are often used in Albayk Jaam’s work — he said around 80% of tasks are completed this way to save time, before being checked by a translator — but particularly important or sensitive work is done manually. What is the best part of the job? Like many others in development, seeing his work helping people is Albayk Jaam’s favorite part of the job. “Every action you are taking is helping someone out there,” he said. And the worst? “Problems that cannot be fixed,” he said. “Trying to incorporate Arabic with computer assisted translation tools can often create a lot of problems … They take a lot of time that could have been saved or spent doing something better.” These are usually simple formatting errors that can be time-consuming to fix. Many computer programs are also not made to handle documents in Arabic, in which words are read from right to left. But he added: “I don’t like to look at things as problems but challenges to be overcome.” What is the best skill set to have in this career? “Tech savviness,” according to Albayk Jaam — who gave this even higher importance than linguistic skill. “It means you will be able to keep up with all the kinds of new tech and try new things as they come.” His tech skills have opened opportunities for him along the way. Most recently, he helped develop Gamayun, a machine translation program for Levantine Arabic using the programming language Python. Being tech savvy also helped when developing and testing the strength of a chatbot — a program that simulates conversation with users — for a development conference. “[Job security] really depends on the location and need. If a crisis comes up and a local office is established, then you can expect full-time positions to open up for yearly renewable contracts.” --— Muhannad Albayk Jaam, Levantine Arabic language lead, Translators Without Borders The rise of tech across the world has also opened up other opportunities. “A translator who has a bit of programming knowledge can find himself or herself working as a localizer [conducting specialist translation] for apps and websites,” Albayk Jaam added. Linguistic skill is also important. This is different from basic translation work in that it considers other elements involved in a language, such as cultural factors. “A professional translator might be less inclined to think about gender-inclusive language while a linguist will be more open to thinking about this,” he suggested. “If you are trying to implement something new or that requires a lot of creativity, having a linguist is usually better,” he added. How do you see the impact of your work? When Albayk Jaam sees his audience becoming aware of lessons such as wearing a face mask and social distancing “and applying them in life,” he knows his work has cut through. “If it gets a lot of use, you know you’ve made your impact out there,” he said. What advice would you give to someone else looking to work in this field? Translators exploring the development and humanitarian fields should ensure they “focus on quality … If you do not deliver quality, they [the client] will never come back,” Albayk Jaam said. He also advised specializing. “Specializing makes you unique,” he said. “If you get someone who is a jack-of-all trades they will come off as just another translator.” Passion and interest for the field are also more likely to get you hired. He noted that a lot of translation work is done on short-term contracts, but job security “really depends on the location and need,” Albayk Jaam said. “If a crisis comes up and a local office is established, then you can expect full-time positions to open up for yearly renewable contracts.” What kind of person does this job suit? People who crave — and are not afraid of — a challenge, and who want to do something they will be proud of later in life, according to Albayk Jaam. “If you have those characteristics, I’d say this is the right path for you,” he said.