Volunteer Interpreters Program (VIP)

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Job Description: As a response to the language needs of the Boston Housing Authority community, the Language Access Team under the BHA Office of Community Engagement and Civil Rights has established the Volunteer Interpreters Program (VIP). The purpose of VIP is to recruit and train bilingual/multilingual volunteers who can provide interpretation and translation services for Boston families of limited English proficiency who are applicants or residents of public or subsidized housing.

Boston Housing Authority seeks volunteers who will serve as interpreters during BHA hearings, eligibility screenings, resident meetings, walk-in inquiries, Wellness Connect sessions (at the housing developments), and phone interviews. Volunteers who are interested in gaining skills in written translations may also assist in translation housing documents, or in reviewing and editing written translations for accuracy. Volunteer interpreters will receive training and serve on an on-call basis.

Qualifications: Must be local to the Boston area! Candidates are highly motivated individuals with excellent communication and interpersonal skills who are highly proficient in English and fluent in any of (but not limited to) the following languages: Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Cape Verdean, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Farsi, French, Haitian-Creole, Hindi, Khmer, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Company Profile: The Boston Housing Authority is the largest public housing authority in New England, and houses close to 9 percent of the city's residents. Its mission is to provide stable, quality, affordable housing for low and moderate income persons; to deliver these services with integrity and mutual accountability; and to create healthy living environments which serve as catalysts for the transformation from dependency to economic self-sufficiency. The BHA is comprised of many racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities, many of whom are newcomers to the Boston area with limited English speaking and reading abilities.