Interpretation and Translation Opportunities
Volunteer Interpreters and Translators
Volunteer Interpreters and Translators assist with in-person and remote interpretation and translation needs to provide ongoing support to refugees, asylees, and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders. Under the direction of HIAS staff, the primary responsibility of the interpreter/translator volunteer is to facilitate accurate, culturally competent, and sensitive communication between non-English speaking clients and HIAS staff. All HIAS interpreters and translators are required to undergo HIAS' Volunteer Interpreter/Translator training once accepted.
This role directly impacts the lives, resettlement and legal processes of our clients as they navigate the U.S. refugee resettlement, asylum, and integration process.
*Translators and interpreters spend, on average, two hours per week volunteering their time and language expertise to HIAS’ asylum seeking and resettlement clients in person, over the phone or through remote written translation.
*Languages needed: Russian, Ukrainian, Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Sri Lankan Tamil, Arabic, French, and Spanish.
Mentorship Volunteer Opportunities
On-Call Accompaniment Volunteer
On-call Accompaniment Volunteers provide support before, during, and after appointments for HIAS’ refugee and asylum seeker clients. These appointments can be part of clients’ initial resettlement to the U.S. or pertaining to their legal cases. In this role, volunteers may assist with pre-arrival and post-arrival home visits (this requires language interpretation skills, often in Russian). Other opportunities within this role include helping clients to navigate public transit in order to obtain social security cards, enroll children in school, and more.
Opportunities for this role often include:
Home visits (pre-arrival and post-arrival)
Helping newly-arrived refugees understand the metro system
Going with refugees and/or asylum seekers to appointments and sometimes interpreting at these appointments
Assisting clients to find our office for their first intake interview
And more!
*This is an on-call volunteer position. On-Call Accompaniment Volunteers must be available between the hours of 9-5pm at least one day per week. Often, On-Call Accompaniment Volunteers have more flexible schedules to accommodate week-of requests.
ENL (English as a New Language) Tutor
ENL Tutors are matched with refugees and asylum seekers with varying levels of English. Students may have little to no English language skills, or may have greater conversational abilities. Through weekly sessions, concentrating on each client’s specific and unique goals, ENL tutors help refugees communicate with their neighbors, employers and service providers. This program is critical for HIAS clients’ long-term success. As an ENL tutor you would create your own engaging lesson plans, or use our tutoring materials to promote learning and cultural sharing. ENL tutors must have prior experience teaching English to non-native English speakers.
*ENL Volunteers meet with their students for two hours per week for a duration of five months.
Career Mentor
Career Mentors help refugees and asylum seekers navigate employment in the United States. Finding a job is one of the first and most critical steps for our clients, putting them on the road to financial independence and a future career. Career Mentors may assist refugees and asylum seekers by:
Reviewing or creating a resume
Preparing a cover letter
Finding job opportunities via websites such as Indeed.com, Idealist.org, and LinkedIn
Professionals from diverse backgrounds are essential to help guide refugees to find an entry-level job, re-enter former professions, and upgrade current employment!
*Career Mentors meet with their students for two hours per week for a duration of five months.
