Interpreter Job Announcment

Interpreter/Translator/Popular Educator

English Spanish Position

At t the Highlander  Research and Education Center

New Market, TN

Highlander Research and Education Center has worked for 77 years in the southeastern United States to promote progressive social change.  As the demographics of our region dramatically shifted due to immigration, we began to work more intensively with immigrant and refugee communities and to build cross-racial, multicultural alliances as part of our ongoing work with people of color and low income constituencies.

Highlander is a residential popular education center working with groups on economic justice and democratic participation.  We are located on a 186 acre farm in the mountains of East Tennessee near Knoxville. All staff have individual and organizational responsibilities, and organization is based on a democratic participatory staff structure model.

We are seeking a staff person on the Education Team to be part of the overall team work and to be the lead staff on Highlander’s multilingual work. Responsibilities involve building our own capacity for interpretation and translation (at least bi-lingual in English-Spanish) and building multilingual capacity in the region.   We have a new interpreter training workshop module that has been well-tested and is now available for use.

Position is based at Highlander in New Market, TN, about 20 miles from Knoxville. Applicants who are interested in this position must be able to live in the area and be prepared to make a three year commitment. Position involves travel.

Duties and Responsibilities :

Work with other team members to build Highlander multi-lingual capacity (English/Spanish), which can include:

• Interpreting workshops (almost always simultaneous interpretation) and other meetings and events
• Translating written materials and information for web page and newsletters and other needs
• Maintaining and scheduling use of translation equipment
• Encouraging staff to increase their language abilities
• Help other groups think about multi-lingual strategies

Provide leadership for multilingual capacity building programs with multi-racial groups in the Southern and Appalachian United States, including groups of new immigrants and refugees, which can include:

• Planning and carrying out popular education training interpreter workshops and train others to help to facilitate these trainings.
• Supporting language capacity in other social change organizations through coaching, workshops, training of trainers, sharing of processes and documentation that ensures good language communication

Participate on Highlander’s popular education team and help with Highlander’s programs with multi-racial groups

• Share workshop facilitation, training responsibilities and hosting with Highlander’s  other programs, workshops, here and in the community as well as hosting visitors to Highlander
• Support for participatory research and cultural organizing with groups
• Field work with participants living in Appalachia and the Southern United States
• Active participation in democratic staff processes and with Highlander’s board.

Required skills for this job:

• Bilingual Spanish/English written and oral fluency
• Experience in simultaneous interpretation and translation work in English and Spanish
• Excellent workshop and training facilitation skills
• Ability to train and support others in learning skills of interpretation and translation
• Direct organizing, training and/or interpreting experience with grassroots groups/community organizations
• Knowledge and understanding of the issues facing immigrant and refugee communities
• Ability to establish rapport with activist and community members in diverse ethnic, racial, social and economic groups
• Ability to travel to do fieldwork in communities
• Political analysis and commitment to social justice and progressive movement building
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects/time management skills
• Able to work collaboratively with a team, support others on team and staff
• Good logistical skills
• Willingness to work long and/or irregular hours and often on weekends
• Willingness to learn new skills
• Ability to be a youth ally if not a youth
• Sense of humor

Salary/benefits:

The salary is $34,290 with excellent benefits including health, life and dental insurance, retirement contributions and excellent vacation policy.

Position will begin as soon as possible.  Applications considered when received.    People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply. Please send a letter of interest, a resume and references via fax, email or U.S Mail to:

Education Team Search Committee – MLCB

Highlander Research and Education Center

1959 Highlander Way

New Market, TN 37820

Tel – 865-933-3443, Fax 865-933-3424

hrec@highlandercenter.org