CLEAR Global is hiring a
Contract timeframe: April 2024
Hours: up to 30 days’ work over this period, full-time equivalent
Location: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Travel: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Reporting to: Program Coordinator
Deadline for applications: 5th April 2024*
*Due to the urgency of this project, screening and interviews will commence immediately and the post may be filled before the deadline for applications.
CLEAR Global is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to having a diverse team where individuals of all backgrounds collaborate and learn from one another. We believe we can be most effective with diverse experience and expertise in our team. We recruit on merit, actively seek diverse applicant pools and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, marital or parental status, or sexual orientation, and welcome all types of diversity.
The role
The Research Consultant will design, lead and report on a study identifying opportunities and barriers specific to Rohingya culture and language concerning the production of the audiobook. They will do this by conducting thorough research, gathering insights from the Rohingya community, and providing recommendations that inform the adaptation and production of the audiobook.
Context
The Rohingya refugee population in Cox’s Bazar has been identified by IRCC as a priority group for resettlement in the coming years, starting in 2024. A 2017 rapid assessment conducted by Translators Without Borders (TWB) in Cox’s Bazar found that 73% of Rohingyas self-identified as being illiterate. Furthermore, the report outlines that the Rohingya language is an oral language without a standardized and internationally recognized written script (TWB, 2017). Therefore, oral learning is the preferred method for providing essential pre-departure information to this target group of refugees. In 2023, IRCC and IOM’s COA programme identified the need to develop audio and audio-visual information tools for Rohingya refugees.
The COA programme is developing an informative audiobook version of the orientation information as a modality to deliver pre-arrival information and orientation to Rohingya refugees overseas who have been selected by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The audiobook is a learning tool that will be an accessible option for Rohingya clients facing barriers such as connectivity, disability, or illiteracy, and the language’s limitations in the written format. The audiobook covers 9 key resettlement-related topics including education, health, and supports and services. The content of the audiobook is sourced from IOM’s newly updated COA Participant Workbook.
The goal of the project is to conceptualize and plan the script adaptation of the audiobook into Rohingya so that the final scripts are accessible, linguistically intelligible, and culturally relatable for the Rohingya refugees. This includes a client-centered approach for the translation and cultural audit of the scripts which will need to maximize the participation of the target users throughout all phases of the project and provide them with decision-making power.
Currently, CLEAR Global is working on Phase 1 of the project, which consists of developing a detailed work plan for the adaptation of the O-Canada Conversations Audiobook scripts from English to Rohingya with linguistic and cultural relevance for the target population (Phase 2) and the production of the audiobook recordings (Phase 3).
Aim of the research
The current phase of the project and the research conducted during this phase aims to identify opportunities and barriers for using audiobooks as a learning tool in the Rohingya community, focusing on story-based scripts in the Rohingya language.
The study will use a qualitative approach with a relatively small sample of Rohingya community members based in Cox’s Bazaar. The study will include in-person activities in Cox’s Bazaar - 4 focus group discussions (FGDs) in 2 locations, to gather feedback from up to ten participants per group on distribution and digital literacy challenges.
The aim is to provide recommendations as to how to address these challenges and barriers in the adaptation/translation, production and distribution phases of the audiobook project.
The consultant will also support with identifying previous audiobook production projects that have similar requirements to the O-Canada Conversations audiobook in the Rohingya language.
Responsibilities
Please note that these responsibilities may change over time. The role will evolve along with the overall project and as activities develop.
Deliverables
The Consultant will consult with CLEAR Global’s global teams on the study, which must be completed, with submission of all deliverables, by 30 April 2024.
Qualifications
The consultant should be a creative self-starter with a strong sense of initiative and enthusiasm about the importance of increasing access to knowledge through language. The right candidate is an energetic team player who agrees with CLEAR Global´s core values and can work remotely to collaborate with partners and team members.
Requirements
Terms and conditions
The Consultant’s fees will be paid as follows:
The Consultant will be expected to use their own equipment and supplies (laptop, mobile phone, any recording equipment, etc.) and cover all costs related to the assignment.
How to apply
To apply for this consultancy please submit the following documents:
1. A technical and financial offer to include:
2. Curriculum vitae highlighting experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) and at least three professional references.
Please upload the technical and financial offer as one document under “cover letter” and present the CV(s) of the expert(s) proposed in one document under “CV”.
About CLEAR Global
CLEAR Global exists to help people get vital information, and be heard, whatever language they speak. We believe that everyone has the right to give and receive information in a language and format they understand. We work with nonprofit partners and a global community of language professionals to build local language translation capacity, and raise awareness of language barriers. Our network of over 100,000 community members translate millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year.
Core Values
CLEAR Global employees and volunteers are people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. CLEAR Global’s mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:
Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, CLEAR Global is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.
Integrity: CLEAR Global believes that every person, whether it is the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.
Empowerment: CLEAR Global believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.
Innovation: CLEAR Global recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.
Sustainability: CLEAR Global recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.
Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and conduct themselves professionally at all times.