Summary
Serves as a translator and interpreter for the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, (USIBWC), translating Spanish language documents into English, interpreting Spanish to English, and English to Spanish; and utilizing various technologies to perform translation and interpretation services, including machine translation systems, remote interpretation software and equipment, conference interpretation systems, and simultaneous interpretation equipment.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Status Candidates (Merit Promotion and VEOA Eligibles) / Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Federal employees - Competitive service, Individuals with disabilities, Land & base management, Military spouses, Special authorities, Veterans, and the Public.
Duties
- Performs translation of Spanish language documents into English.
- Accompanies agency officials and personnel on field trips to provide interpretation services.
- Provides simultaneous and consecutive interpretive services from Spanish to English and English to Spanish.
- Researches, utilizes, provides training, and deploys a full range of translation and interpretation equipment.
- Operates electronic, radio, wireless computer, conference, and telephonic equipment or devices to perform interpretation services.
- Uses machine translation software and office software programs to format graphical elements of translated documents, including illustrations, graphs, and tables.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen or Naturalized U.S. Citizen.
- Status Candidates Only: You must meet one or more criteria in the Area of Consideration section.
- You must obtain and maintain a favorable background investigation.
- You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
- You must maintain Direct Deposit of your Federal pay.
- You may be required to work overtime.
- You must be able to lift and carry light items weighing up to 15 pounds unassisted and sustain periods of bending, stooping and reaching.
- You will be required to receive initial Ethics Training within thirty (30) days of your appointment.
- You may be required to enter Mexico to carry out official agency business.
- You may be required to travel, with overnight stay, for official business, up to 25% of the time.
- You must complete and submit the required U.S. Office of Government Ethics Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of your appointment, and annually thereafter.
Qualifications
Qualifications must be met by 05/01/2024
Basic Education Requirement: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - the appropriate foreign language from an English-speaking college or university, English from a college or university in the other country or translating or interpreting where English and the foreign language were prerequisites.
Minimum Qualification Requirement: In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.
Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement above, to qualify at the GG-12 grade level of this position, you must have: at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GG/GS-11 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector, which provide you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. Examples of Specialized experience include: independently planning and carrying out assignments; translating a wide range of material and making a detailed examination of the foreign language texts; applying fluency and precision of vocabulary during translation; analyzing English subject matter references in order to correctly translate concepts, specialized terms, scientific notations, and abbreviations; simultaneously and consecutively interpreting a variety of specialized and technical subjects; analyzing oral statements made by others to ensure statements are logical, and factually plausible; performing on-the-spot oral interpretation; researching literature of subject matter; resolving linguistic problems that arise; utilizing and deploying interpretation equipment and translation technologies such as machine translation systems; providing translation of illustrations, tables, and graphs; and composing written statements that are clear and accurately reflect the intent of the original material.
Testing Provision: You may be tested for Spanish and English language proficiency through a simultaneous interpretation/translation test. If you are unable to demonstrate Spanish and English language proficiency, you will not be qualified for this position.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
Time in Grade (TIG): Current and former federal employees must have a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level in the federal GG/GS pay system or equivalent pay band in the Federal service to be eligible under Merit Promotion procedures.
Your resume must have complete information: Please ensure your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY; and total hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.
Part-Time or Unpaid Experience: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid work on the same basis as for paid experience. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. To receive credit for such experience you must indicate clearly the nature of the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the number of hours per week spent in such employment.
Education
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - the appropriate foreign language from an English-speaking college or university, English from a college or university in the other country or translating or interpreting where English and the foreign language were prerequisites.
Copy of your transcripts or equivalent documentation is required for positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
College or university degree generally must be from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.
Foreign Education: Education completed in a foreign college, or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For more information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a qualifications review will be conducted. Resumes and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify eligibility and determine qualifications. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Your rating will be based on the responses to the assessment questionnaire and the information provided in your resume. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. This could cause you to lose consideration for this position.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on your entire application and the extent to which you demonstrate the following competencies and/or knowledge, skills, and abilities:
- Simultaneous Interpretation (English to Spanish and Spanish to English)
- Translation (Spanish to English)
- Translation and Interpretation Equipment Technologies and Systems
Required Documents
All applicants are required to submit the following documents as part of the application package:
- Resume: Your resume MUST state complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY; and total hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package will be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.
- Completed on-line occupational questionnaire.
- Transcripts: You MUST submit a transcript from an accredited educational institution. If you do not submit your transcript, your application package will be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.
All Status Candidates as described under the Area of Consideration section are required to submit proof of eligibility (as applicable):
- Merit Promotion/Current or former federal civilian employees MUST submit an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, indicating the job title, series, grade, position occupied, and tenure to verify eligibility for merit promotion appointment. If you fail to submit a copy of your SF-50, your application will be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.
- Time in Grade Restriction: Current or former federal civilian employees MUST submit an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action(s), indicating the job title, series, grade, position occupied, and tenure that demonstrates a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level in the federal GG/GS pay system or equivalent pay band in the Federal service. If you fail to submit a copy of your SF-50, your application will be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.
- Veteran applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): You must submit a copy of your DD-214 that states the nature of discharge (member 4 copy preferred). To be eligible, a veteran must be honorably separated, and have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service, or be a preference eligible.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) / Interagency Career Transition Plan (ICTAP) (if applicable): In addition to your Resume and complete Occupational Questionnaire you MUST submit:
- 1) proof that you are a displaced federal employee, e.g., Reduction in Force (RIF) letter, Separation Notice, etc.; and
- 2) an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, indicating the title, series, grade, position occupied, tenure, and duty location; and
- 3) your most recent employee performance evaluation.
All Applicants Claiming Veterans' Preference should include the following documents as part of the application package:
- All Veterans: DD-214 (Member 4 copy is preferred), which includes character of service, or for Active-Duty Service Members a certification which includes service dates, type of separation, and character of service. A "certification" is a written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active-duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.
- Disabled Veterans: VA Disability Letter (with percentage of disability) OR document of disability determination from a branch of the armed forces which reflects a compensable service-connected disability rating and completed SF-15.
- Derived Preference: The spouse, widow/widower, or mother of a veteran may be eligible to claim veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it. To do so, you must submit an SF-15 www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf and the documentation required by that form Veterans' Preference: For more information and/or to determine if you are eligible for Veterans' Preference, please visit www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx (for veterans) or www.fedshirevets.gov/job/familypref/index.aspx (for family members). Below is a website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214 online: www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/ and the documentation required by that form.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EDT) on 05/01/2024 to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
- It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
- To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12378940
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. Based upon your score, you may be referred to the hiring official. If your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly by that office for a possible interview.
You will receive status notifications through Application Manager or via email within 4-6 weeks.
|