French Translator, Language Services Division

Functional area: Communications

Function: The Directorate General Communications (DG/C) of the European Central Bank (ECB) is seeking an experienced translator of French mother tongue for a full-time position in the Romance and Mediterranean Languages Section of its Language Services Division – this recruitment campaign may be used to fill any similar position that becomes vacant in the Division within one year of the selection decision.
DG/C oversees and implements the ECB’s communications with the general public, the media, the financial markets and other audiences in the euro area and beyond in respect of its central banking and banking supervision functions as well as its internal communications. DG/C helps to explain the ECB’s decisions and actions, aiming to improve understanding of its work and role, and thereby building trust. Among DG/C’s key functions are: advising on the content, timing and channels for communicating with external and internal stakeholders; managing the ECB’s internet and intranet sites; organising campaigns, events and conferences; providing translation and editing in the official EU languages; and offering protocol services for high-level visits. DG/C also cooperates closely with the national central banks (NCBs) of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks, as well as with the national banking supervisory authorities.
The Language Services Division has four sections of translators and a terminology/language technology unit. It is responsible for providing the ECB with linguistic expertise and support in the official languages of the European Union, in close collaboration with the relevant national authorities.
The successful applicant will join a team of two French mother-tongue translators reporting to the Head of Section and will be responsible for translating texts from English into French, including documents related to banking supervision, working closely with the linguistic staff and other experts at the Banque de France, the Nationale Bank van België/Banque nationale de Belgique and the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution.

The successful applicant will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• translating texts from English into French (including documents related to banking supervision), revising such translations, editing texts drafted in French and proof-reading texts for publication in French;

• contributing to the development of the ECB’s existing database of multilingual terminology related to the European System of Central Banks and the Single Supervisory Mechanism by researching and compiling such terminology and by expanding translation memories in French;
• following the established working procedures of the ECB’s Language Services Division;
• helping to select and train a pool of freelance translators for French;

• supporting the annual traineeship scheme of the Division by assisting with the mentoring of French mother-tongue trainee translators; 
• contributing to the teamwork of the Division as its business processes require language units to coordinate their activities and plan efficiently – members of the French team are thus expected to support each other when needed and work together on tasks such as the scheduling of assignments, transfer of knowledge and skills, or training of new staff.

Qualifications and experience: Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies:

• a master’s degree in applied linguistics, modern languages or other relevant field; a master’s degree in translation would be an asset;
• a minimum of three and ideally five (full) years of proven professional experience as a translator working out of English into French, preferably in the field of economics or finance;
•  a sound background knowledge of economics and finance would be an asset; 
• experience of working as an in-house translator for an institution with clearly structured translation processes, preferably in a team, would be an asset;
• experience of working in a central banking and/or financial regulatory environment would be an asset;
• a mastery-level command of French;
• an advanced-level command of English;
• a good knowledge (Europass B1 level) of at least one other official language of the EU;
• a very good knowledge of MS Office, in particular Word and Outlook;
• a very good knowledge (Europass B2 level) of German would be an asset;
• familiarity with translation software, such as the SDL suite of tools, would be an asset.

Competencies:

The successful candidate will have the following behavioural competencies:

• communicates ideas effectively, ensuring mutual comprehension while interacting with colleagues diplomatically;
• handles sensitive information in a discreet manner, respecting confidentiality;
• understands clients’ needs and expectations; makes improvements on the basis of feedback; has an eye for detail and established methods of improving quality;
• manages his/her own workload independently, without burdening other team members unnecessarily;
• defines success in terms of the team as a whole, sharing information and supporting team members in the achievement of common goals; 
• easily adapts to changing plans and circumstances, and embraces new technology/processes with enthusiasm;
• demonstrates a conscientious attitude, ensuring that agreed results are delivered on time, also under difficult circumstances;
• balances individual needs with group and organisational needs;
• manages multiple assignments, prioritising tasks and tracking progress on numerous processes simultaneously;
• accurately establishes the duration and difficulty of tasks to ensure that business needs are met.

Further Information:

Three-year fixed-term contract, with possible conversion to a contract of indefinite duration subject to individual performance and organisational needs.
The successful applicant will occasionally be expected to perform work during non-standard working hours.

The selection committee may place suitable candidates on a reserve list, from which candidates may be appointed to similar positions in the same or another business area. It may also be decided to fill the position(s) advertised in this vacancy notice with a suitable candidate or candidates from the reserve list resulting from a recruitment procedure for a similar position. Candidates will be informed accordingly if this happens.

How to apply:

Applications are to be made in English and submitted using our online application form. For more information on how to apply please visithttps://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/vacancies/html/index.en.html

An "Applicants' Guide" can be downloaded from our recruitment pages.

The recruitment process may include a pre-screening exercise, a written exercise, a presentation and interviews.

Further information on the ECB's conditions of employment for fixed-term positions can be found at http://www.ecb.europa.eu/careers/newcomers/fixed-term/html/index.en.html.

Applications are accepted from nationals of Member States of the European Union.

The requirements laid down in the vacancy notice must be met by the closing date for applications.

This vacancy notice may be used to fill the same position again, or similar positions, within 12 months of the selection decision.

Closing Date for Applications: Mon, 27 Jun 2016