Interpreting Services Internship

Organizational Description:

Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ the best-qualified personnel without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, gender identity, marital status, or any other reason prohibited by law. 

Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc. is a refugee resettlement and immigration services provider for the Western New York Region. Journey’s End works to assist newly arriving refugees to find gainful employment and avoid dependency on social services. 

Hours Required:

8-15 hours per week for 3 months. Hours available between 9-5 M-F.

Position Description:

Interpreting Services provides in-person interpreting and translation services to outside agencies via a team of trained, part-time, ‘on-call’ interpreters representing over 40 languages. The intern will assist the departmental staff of 3 with their goals and responsibilities. Duties may include review of interpreter applications, filing by language, working with our online scheduling system, working to standardize customer location database protocol.

Responsibilities may also include drafting an interpreter handbook, via compilation of existing documents as well as researching what other agencies or departments may use. Attendance at special events or trainings may be requested.

Requirements:

  • Current graduate or undergraduate student.

  • Professionalism, dependability, confidentiality, and punctuality

  • Strong writing skills

  • Strong organizational ability

  • Ability to innovate and self-start

  • Adaptability to a rapidly changing environment

  • Effective interpersonal communication skills for working with people from other cultures and with limited English

Ideal candidates will have the following:

  • A major in international studies, languages, administration, database management, etc.

  • An ability to conduct research.  

  • An interest in the daily functioning of non-profit organizations.

  • An interest in Buffalo's refugee population.

  • Prior experience with Microsoft Office and Google applications.

Intern will gain:

  • Experience working with the refugee and immigrant population and learning the concerns thereof.

  • Experience working around rapidly changing priorities.

  • Professional feedback and guidance.

Journey’s End supervisors will:

  • Communicate with intern about learning goals and outcomes.

  • Train and evaluate intern.

  • Provide proof of attendance, if needed.

Interested candidates should email a résume and cover letter to volunteer@jersbuffalo.org. No phone calls please.