Interpreters and Translators, DOS Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Mid-Term Evaluation of the South Asia Governance Fund At Social Impact

Social Impact is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

Proposal Objective:

Under the Performance Management and Evaluation Services (PMES) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) seeks to conduct a mid-term evaluation of the project design and management of the South Asia Governance Fund (SAGF). Due to COVID-related travel restrictions, the evaluation will be a desktop study only. SAGF started in September 2019 and is expected to end in September 2022, although a no-cost extension is possible due to COVID-related delays.

The purpose of this mid-term evaluation is to assess the performance of SAGF against stated objectives and expected outcomes, examine the implementation challenges and/or successes, and draw lessons learned for future programming. Recommendations and findings from this evaluation should identify corrective measures for the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of SAGF, and highlight best practices for replication. The evaluation should provide information on ways to improve management, oversight, and compliance with the assistance award. Additionally, the evaluation should articulate actions for follow-up, reinforce initial benefits of previous activities, and identify mid-point course corrections, if any. This evaluation is a mid-term performance assessment, where the focus of the examination is on implementation, inputs, outputs, and likely expected outcomes.

Position Description:

SI is seeking Interpreters/Translators to provide language support services for the evaluation team. The positions will be entirely remote and on-call as needed throughout the six-month period of performance, contingent upon contract award. Each Interpreter/Translator will report to the Social Impact Project Manager. For this evaluation, the following target languages are needed:

• Bengali
• Nepali
• Sinhala
• Tamil

Responsibilities:

• Provide translation support from target language to English and vice-versa for the team throughout the evaluation.
• Provide interpretation for SI employees and consultants in meetings with local relevant stakeholders, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews.
• Conduct other interpretation/translation tasks as assigned.
• Work closely with SI HQ team and communicate in a timely and effective manner with all project personnel.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least three years of relevant interpretation and translation experience.
• Oral and written fluency in English. Fluency in at least one relevant target language, including Nepali, Bengali, Sinhala, and/or Tamil, is required.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Previous experience working on DOS or other USG-funded projects in South Asia of similar size and scope.
• Ability and willingness to undergo a moderate risk public trust background investigation.