Announcement of Inviting Bids – Translation Services

Type of Service: Translation(English to Arabic)

Application Deadline: 18-04-2024

Employer: The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Coalition of Families of Persons Kidnapped by ISIS (Massar), Ta’afi Initiative.

Programs : Victim groups’ support project

Location: Translation services will be online with periodic meetings via Zoom or any other platform to be determined in the future.

Duration of Contract:

• This is a short-term assignment for individual consultants for a period of 4 months.
• This period includes periodic communication with an expert preparing the training material for the translated book.
• The selected service provider should be able to adhere to a pre-agreed upon schedule to ensure timely delivery.

Background

Under the project “Supporting Syrian Victim Groups”, funded by the European Union, The project implementation partners of SCM, Masar and Taafi will conduct a research about ambiguous loss in Syria to identify the best practices to address it and help adapt the book’s content to the Syrian context. Then develop a training curriculum to transfer the knowledge from the book

Purpose of the Assignment

The project partners are looking to support VGs’ regional capacity-building efforts by hiring an individual or a company “Translation Service Provider”. The selected candidate will be responsible for accurately translating the content of The book “Myth of Closure” with an approximate size of 51,000 words from English to Arabic. This includes not only linguistic translation but also the preservation of the intended meaning, tone, and style of the original text.

Activities to be Performed

Convert the book “Myth of Closure” consisting of approximately 51,000 words, including its introduction, margins, and appendices, into a precise and impactful Arabic version. Ensure the addition of footnotes and definitions to clarify concepts, create tables for terminologies, and commit to delivering well-thought-out electronic drafts that can be reviewed and produced within agreed-upon timelines. Preserve the context and literary style of the original book while guaranteeing an accurate understanding of its complex psychological concepts, emphasizing emotional and intellectual resonance consistent with the original text.

The Translation is aimed to achieve the following objectives:

• Providing a means for Arabic-speaking readers (from the families of victims) to access the content of the book, addressing topics of ambiguous loss and therapeutic resilience, accurately and effectively.
• Enhancing the understanding of complex psychological ideas and theories presented in the book and applying them within their cultural context.
• Preserving the original work’s quality to foster emotional and intellectual engagement with the content among Arab readers, specifically those affected by loss.

Deliverables

• translated book of 51000 words from English to Arabic.
• Content editing and peer review of the sanity of each chapter
• Proofreading of the book content in Arabic.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Translation of a specified number of book pages, agreed upon as 50 to 120 pages, with an average word count of 51,000, including the introduction, margins, and appendices.
• Adding footnotes, margins, and definitions, and indicating them at locations deemed necessary by the translator for the reader.
• Creating tables of terms and a concise glossary for concepts considered essential by both parties in the language of origin and target language.
• Committing to delivering three soft copy drafts (Word files) suitable for review and production at mutually agreed-upon time intervals. This includes comprehensive review and linguistic editing to eliminate linguistic, stylistic, and contextual errors, ensuring the translated work meets high standards of linguistic excellence and accuracy in psychological terminology.
• Reading and reviewing the printed typeset version (final output) of the book to address any errors that may occur during the formatting and printing process.
• Ensuring accurate representation of psychological and analytical concepts of the author in the translated version of the book. This involves a precise understanding and translation of complex psychological theories presented in the book.
• Maintaining consistent use of psychological terminology throughout the translation to create coherence and familiarity for readers, ensuring clarity to facilitate the understanding of complex psychological topics and reaching the intended meaning.
• Capturing and conveying cultural differences inherent in psychological and psychoanalytical contexts to preserve the accuracy and depth of the original work. This includes maintaining cultural content for psychological terms and concepts and considering cultural differences between the country of origin and the target audience.
• Translating with a focus on preserving the cohesive narrative flow of the book, paying attention to how psychological concepts contribute to the overall story, and ensuring that the translated version retains the intended impact of the book on readers.
• The translation should evoke the same emotional responses and intellectual reflections as the original text, enhancing the relationship between the reader and the highlighted subjects.
• Collaborating with the first party to clarify any ambiguity, verify interpretations of complex psychological concepts, and ensure their alignment with the author’s vision.
• The translator commits to ensuring that the translation adheres to academic integrity, intellectual accuracy, and linguistic precision, with particular attention to unifying translated terms throughout the entire text against the original terms. No additions or deletions shall be made to the original text without consultation with the first party and obtaining written approval.

Skills/Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field
• Proficiency in both English and Arabic.
• Proven professional experience as a translator related to the psychological context.
• Strong background in psychology and psychoanalysis to understand complex concepts and terminology.
• Previous experience in translating psychological content accurately while preserving the original style.
• Ability to conduct high-level linguistic review to ensure vocabulary and language structure accuracy.
• Effective communication skills with all stakeholders to clarify precise concepts and ensure proper direction.
• Good understanding of literature and style to maintain the literary impact of the original work.
• Analysis and understanding of cultural differences inherent in psychological contexts.
• Commitment to agreed-upon timelines and delivering high-quality translated content within specified deadlines.
• Respect for and preservation of the confidentiality of translated content and any other sensitive topics discussed with the first party.

Requirements Supporting Documents:

• An updated CV/ CVs of the applicant:
  • Applicants are also invited to submit comprehensive candidacies containing multiple individuals, upon provision of clear evidence which demonstrates that the collective qualifications, experiences, and capabilities are relevant to different aspects of the tender and must be included in the same financial proposition.
• TECHNICAL PROPOSAL:
  • The technical proposal should include but not limited to the following information:
  • A brief outline of recent experience and two client references in carrying out assignments of similar nature (One samples of past work in Arabic and English).
  • Detailed description of how the consultant/firm understands and will respond to the ToR including an initial Translation outline and a time frame (for the three soft copy drafts)
• FINANCIAL PROPOSAL:
  • The financial proposal must contain overall quotation in Euro for all the services to be provided and must follow the following:
  • Summary of the total costs for the services offered (cost sheet , priced by word) .
  • Any taxes if applicable
• Provision of 3 samples of previous work preferably in the same field.