Spanish Machine Translation Post-Editing Volunteer

IMPORTANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENT

⚠️ Application Required Through the Red Cross System

Please note: Handshake applications are not accepted for this role.

To be officially considered, you must apply directly through the American Red Cross Volunteer Connection (VCN) Portal. The application takes just 5 to 7 minutes to complete.

👉 Start your application here via Volunteer Connection

*A major in one of the following fields is strongly preferred: Linguistics, Translation and Language Studies, Spanish Philology, or Interpretation. This ensures the volunteer has formal training in language structure, translation theory, and advanced Spanish usage.
 

The Machine Translation Post‑Editing (MTPE) Volunteer plays a critical role in ensuring that Spanish‑language communications produced by the American Red Cross meet the highest standards of linguistic accuracy, cultural appropriateness, and organizational consistency. This volunteer supports the Multicultural Communications Team, working primarily with content originally drafted in English and then translated into Spanish using machine translation systems.

The MTPE volunteer acts as both a linguistic quality gatekeeper and a cultural mediator, ensuring that Spanish‑speaking communities receive clear, accurate, and culturally respectful information—especially important in humanitarian, emergency, and public health contexts.

Job Description:

• Post‑edit machine‑translated content: Review raw MT output and correct errors in grammar, syntax, punctuation, terminology, and style. This includes identifying mistranslations, unnatural phrasing, false cognates, and structural issues that reduce clarity or accuracy.
• Ensure fidelity to the source text: Maintain the original meaning, tone, and intent of English materials while producing natural, idiomatic Spanish that aligns with Red Cross communication standards.
• Translate or proofread documents: When needed, perform human translation or proofreading of internal and external documents, including public‑facing materials, training content, emergency communications, and community outreach resources.
• Use CAT tools: Work with translation memory systems, glossaries, and terminology databases to ensure consistency across projects and reduce repetitive work.
• Follow style and terminology guidelines: Apply Red Cross‑specific terminology rules and adhere to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) standards, ensuring linguistic correctness and uniformity across all Spanish‑language materials.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts: Consult with SMEs in areas such as health, disaster response, emergency preparedness, and humanitarian services to ensure accurate translation of specialized terminology.
• Integrate reviewer feedback: Revise work based on comments from senior linguists, reviewers, and project leads to improve fluency, naturalness, and consistency across all translated content.

Required Qualifications:

• Academic background: A degree in linguistics, translation, Spanish philology, language studies, or interpretation is preferred. Candidates from other fields must demonstrate equivalent expertise through certifications and a strong portfolio.
• Language proficiency: Native Spanish speaker, excellent command of English, and strong understanding of cross‑cultural communication and regional Spanish variations.
• Professional experience: Proven experience translating English to Spanish, experience with proofreading, editing, or linguistic quality assurance, and familiarity with humanitarian or nonprofit terminology is a plus.
• Technical skills: Proficiency in Microsoft 365, especially Word and Excel, ability to work with CAT tools and online translation platforms, and reliable access to a computer, phone, and stable internet connection.
• Soft skills: Exceptional attention to detail, ability to identify subtle linguistic errors, strong organizational and communication skills, and ability to work independently and meet deadlines.

Time Commitment: 1–5 hours per month. Work may be on‑call (responding to urgent translation needs) or scheduled (regular shifts depending on project load). This flexibility makes the role ideal for volunteers with limited availability who still want to contribute meaningfully.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants must provide documentation showing they meet at least one of the following:

• Degree in a language‑related field: Linguistics, Translation and Language Studies, Spanish Philology, or Interpretation is strongly preferred.
• Two years of full‑time translation experience and a non‑language degree, or five years of full‑time translation experience.

This ensures volunteers have the linguistic and professional foundation needed for high‑quality post‑editing.

Competencies Required:

• Translation competence: Ability to understand the source text and produce accurate, natural target‑language output.
• Linguistic and textual competence: Mastery of grammar, syntax, style, and discourse conventions in both languages.
• Research and terminology skills: Ability to verify terminology, consult authoritative sources, and maintain consistency.

Cultural competence:

• Technical and domain competence: Ability to translate specialized content (health, emergency response, public safety, etc.) accurately, and understanding of cultural nuances, regional variations, and context‑appropriate language.

Interview & Evaluation Process:

The evaluation includes three practical tasks, each assessed using a standardized framework:

• Writing sample: Demonstrates clarity, structure, and command of Spanish writing conventions.
• Translation test: Evaluates accuracy, fluency, terminology use, and ability to preserve meaning.
• Proofreading test: Measures ability to identify and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, syntax, and style.

These tasks ensure volunteers meet the quality standards required for Red Cross communications.

Additional Requirements: Strong computer literacy, especially in Microsoft Word, ability to volunteer 100% remotely, submission of a resume, must be 18 or older, and willingness to comply with Red Cross and public‑health policies.

IMPORTANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENT

⚠️ Application Required Through the Red Cross System

Please note: Handshake applications are not accepted for this role.

To be officially considered, you must apply directly through the American Red Cross Volunteer Connection (VCN) Portal. The application takes just 5 to 7 minutes to complete.

👉 Start your application here via Volunteer Connection