Remote Chinese and Spanish Volunteer Translators Needed!

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GO Project Volunteer Translator Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) and/or Spanish

About GO Project

GO Project’s vision is to close the opportunity gap for all under-resourced families who have children that are struggling in their New York City public school. By providing access to coordinated, comprehensive, and effective programs, GO supports families in ensuring their child’s success in school, at home, and in life.

Founded in 1968, GO Project has a long history of serving public school children that are struggling academically. GO Project currently serves over 700 students in grades K-8 through our summer (GO Summer) and school year program (GO School). Unique to the GO Project model is the partnership we have developed with independent schools in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. These schools donate space and resources to GO Project to enable us to operate our programs in a cost efficient manner. Current independent school and host site partners include Grace Church, Grace Church School, LREI, Avenues: The World School, St. Luke’s, and Berkeley Carroll.

GO Project was named a semi-finalist for the Nonprofit Excellence Awards , was named one of the most effective summer program models in the United States by the National Summer Learning Association , and was highlighted as an effective out-of-school time program as part of American Graduate Day on PBS. GO was also recognized for its outstanding board leadership as a finalist for the Brooke W. Mahoney Award . Please learn more about our programs and outcomes .

Program Description:

GO Project provides year-round programming to our students and families - GO School runs from October-May for 22 Saturdays and GO Summer runs for 5 weeks from July-August. Volunteer translators provide critical communication support between our GO families and our staff. Interpreters are responsible for translating English into Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) or Spanish in order for our program to communicate with our families regarding program updates and their child’s academic & social-emotional progress/needs.

Specific Translator duties may include (you can select which ones are of interest to you in the application form):

• Translate written instructional materials from English into a second language (Spanish or Chinese) to ensure families are able to engage with materials and support their students’ learning. Written translations for Chinese should be in simplified Chinese, not traditional.
• Support with family phone call outreach.
• Provide interpretation for our families via phone or in office meetings, including any cultural/linguistic references that may need to be explained.
• Maintain our families’ right to confidentiality.

Time Commitment/Schedule

• We are looking for ongoing support throughout the entire year. Volunteers can opt to sign up for our "on-call" list, which means we will reach out to you periodically when translation opportunities come up.
• For written translations, GO Project will give volunteers 1-2 weeks notice to complete.
• Parent Teacher Conferences (live translation between teachers and caregivers) - March and July
• PTCs are an opportunity for families and teachers to meet and discuss progress for each student. We value having translators attend these meetings, when necessary, to provide a clear sense of student glows and grows. You will be provided with a list of vocabulary words and definitions that are more specific to academics.
• Progress Reports
• For progress reports, teachers write individual comments for each student including glow, grows, and a suggestion of skills to continue working on. Translations for progress reports have an extremely tight turnaround (1-2 weeks), and it is important that deadlines are met in order for them to be sent to families in a timely manner.

Qualifications

• Fundamental belief in the GO Project mission.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, oral, and written communication skills.
• Experience working with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong computer skills, including navigating Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Voice, and more.
• Demonstrates multilingual fluency (in English and Spanish OR in English and Mandarin) with experience translating written documents and strong spoken fluency. You do not need to be able to interpret/translate in both Spanish and Chinese!

The ideal candidate is exceptionally intelligent, warm, engaging, and energetic. They also:

• See the possibilities as opposed to the obstacles and is creative and tenacious in solving problems.
• Enjoy working with others in a collaborative, creative environment.
• Have a strong work ethic and high standards for their own work and the work of others; is flexible and has a lively sense of humor.

The ideal candidate is also able to clearly demonstrate GO Project Core Values:

• Achievement. We work together to create opportunities to unlock the potential in ourselves and in others.
• Support Diversity. We value the different backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences of our diverse community.
• Participate & Innovate. We are actively engaged in the relentless pursuit of the organization’s mission through our approach to the work.
• Integrity. We adhere to the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and mutual respect amongst our community.
• Responsibility. We take accountability for ourselves, our decisions, and the people and programs that we oversee.
• Effort & Enthusiasm. We commit to a conscious exertion of hard work with strong excitement and motivation.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in applying for this position, please fill out the online application linked here . If for some reason the link isn’t working please copy and paste this link: (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepBqB7pIkGa3mLpgGEJki8hVmPP4ScXroK88_InlzJv6VsSA/viewform?usp=sf_link) into your web browser. You will be contacted via email with next steps. We do not accept phone calls at the office.