Translations Coordinator

The role

THE OPPORTUNITY

• To carry out professional legal and non-legal translations
• To review external translations; and 
• To carry out any other tasks that fall within the responsibilities of the Knowledge function, aimed at supporting the delivery of high quality products and service to the fee-earners across the Middle East offices

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following duties and responsibilities provide an outline to the expected day to day role, however this is not an exhaustive list and flexibility to get involved in other tasks outside of this job description is expected. 

• Translations 
• Produce high quality, efficient written translations of legal and non-legal documents from English to Arabic and Arabic to English with minimum supervision 
• Provide interpretation of legal and non-legal information upon request 
• Carry out translation work in the most cost-effective and appropriate manner

Third Party Translations 

• Review, proofread, and sense/spot-check of external third party translations upon request and as assigned by the Supervisor to ensure consistency, accuracy, and compliance with House Style
• Provide regular feedback on the work of the external translation providers 

Other 

• Within reason, undertake any other KM-related duties as assigned by the Supervisor
• Be willing to work outside of normal contractual hours to ensure timely completion of tasks and to meet deadlines 

ABOUT YOU

Qualification/Experience required:

• Degree level education (translations or related discipline) 
• Professional English level (written and spoken), to the level required to translate legal documents
• Professional Arabic level (written and spoken), to the level required to comprehend and translate legal and non-legal materials as described above
• At least three years’ professional legal translation experience in the legal department of an international organisation or professional services firm, preferably an international law firm in the GCC
• Legal project management (advantageous but not essential)

Communication 

• Fully bilingual in English and Arabic, written and spoken (essential)
• Mature and pragmatic with the ability to communicate confidently and effectively at all levels, including with senior management 
• Clear and concise in verbal and written communications (essential) 
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to exercise tact and diplomacy 

Commitment /Attitude to work

• A professional approach and commitment in terms of internal client care 
• Good use of initiative
• Ability to prioritise effectively and meet often very tight deadlines
• Results orientated
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail 
• A proven ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information 
• Experience in dealing with a demanding workload with conflicting priorities, and to manage the expectations of all key stakeholders effectively
• Ability to see delegated tasks through to completion at a high standard 
• Ability to stay calm and composed in often demanding situations 
• Display a consistently positive attitude and adopt a “can do” approach 
• Able to work well on own initiative as well as part of a wider team
• Ability to communicate own ideas and suggestions for improvement / alternative solutions 

IT Skills

• In-depth knowledge of global IT systems and the ability to quickly learn new online tools specific to the legal sector (such as iManage, Workshare, etc.)
• Microsoft Office (PowerPoint/Word/Excel/Outlook/PDF)
• Knowledge of English and Arabic (dual-language) document formatting
• Proven internet research skills including:

o    Mohamoon;
o    Eastlaw;
o    LexisNexis Middle East; and
o    Westlaw Middle East

• Online searches for academic commentaries and news article

ABOUT US

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.
Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING

We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.