Employment – Working as a Plain Language Translator

What does a Plain Language Translator do?

A plain language translator works as part of a small team of translators. The team is led by a plain language facilitator in The VRRI Research Department. The plain language facilitator calls in the team members when there is something that needs to be translated. The facilitator and the translators read the document together and replace words that are hard to understand. The translators are a very important part of this process. They have to be able to tell each other if they do not understand the material, and work with each other to find other words. They also get to make suggestions to the facilitator on how to lay out the text and what pictures to use to create a good, easy to read resource. In the end, a plain language translator helps to develop resources in plain language.

What is required?

Plain language translators need to:

• be able to read a little bit of English - we need a variety of people with any range of reading abilities to make the resource the best it can be
• be comfortable speaking up if s/he does not understand something - we recognize people have different comfort levels and will work to help someone become more comfortable with this
• be comfortable working with a group of peers
• know that work won’t always happen regularly - we call people when we need to translate something

The Benefits of being a Translator

Plain language translators:

• get paid for their time and help
• are likely to develop more self-confidence in interacting with others
• are likely to develop more self-confidence in reading and possibly improve their reading skills

Interested or Questions?

Contact the plain language facilitator at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The facilitator can give you all the details of this great opportunity.