Somali Community Interpreter Portland and Vancouver

Benefits:

• Company parties
• Flexible schedule
• Opportunity for advancement
• Training & development

Mindlink is seeking a dedicated and culturally responsive Somali Community Interpreter to support multilingual students families and staff across Educational/Local Gov/Other Non-Profit Clients in the Vancouver WA and Portland OR area. This role includes both onsite interpretation at client sites and remote video interpretation for virtual meetings and assessments.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide accurate and culturally appropriate Somali interpretation during IEP meetings parent-teacher conferences academic assessments school events and other events.
• Deliver services both in-person and via secure video platforms.
• Maintain confidentiality and adhere to professional ethics.
• Collaborate with educators specialists and administrators to ensure meaningful access for Somali-speaking families.
• Use tools such as LinguistLink for scheduling and feedback and contribute to glossary development for school-specific terminology.
• Troubleshoot basic technical issues during video sessions.

Qualifications

Required:

• Minimum 3 years of professional interpreting experience.
• Verified third-party Somali language proficiency.
• Native-level fluency in Somali.
• Familiarity with Zoom Microsoft Teams and other video platforms.
• Ability to work in a secure quiet environment for remote interpretation.

Preferred:

• Completion of a 60-hour interpreter training program.
• Certification from CCHI NBCMI RID NAJIT or Oregon State Court Interpretation.
• Experience in K-12 educational settings especially with IEPs and special education services.
• Local candidates in Portland/Vancouver are given priority

Technical Requirements (for Video Interpretation)

• Reliable high-speed internet.
• Professional headset and webcam.
• Secure and quiet workspace.

Professional Development

• Access to Mindlinks Learning Center for ongoing training.
• Participation in feedback cycles using tools like LinguistLink.
• Opportunities for certification advancement and skill development.

About Mindlink

Mindlink is a mission-driven organization committed to language access and equity in education. We believe communication is a human right and strive to create inclusive environments for all.

Diversity Policy

Mindlink welcomes all applicants regardless of race color religion creed age gender gender identity national origin or ancestry tribal affiliation marital status veteran status sexual orientation political affiliation mental or physical disability or any other considerations under federal state or local law.

Flexible work from home options available.

Compensation: $25.00 - $35.00 per hour

WE LOVE WHAT WE DO

Over 10 years helping clients

MindLink Resources has been helping clients with the language needs since 2010. Started by Stacey we have successfully helped customers navigate language barriers across languages and organizations.

Mindlink is a small relationship-focused language services business that aims to improve the lives of our non-English speaking community members through interpretation and translation services.

As a business we affirm and uphold that language access services are critical to helping non-native English-speaking community members receive information in their own language so they can resolve problems learn connect feel included experience equity and thrive. One in five of our neighbors speak a language other than English at home. Thats 64 million people with potential language barriers who may not be able to talk to doctors bankers school counselors or teachers healthcare workers immigration officers and/or government representatives.

How do we drive improved outcomes for our communities through language access services

1. We put humans first. Relationships and human connections matter above all.
2. We have amazing talent. Our teams expertise and commitment to excellence result in flexible and comprehensive solutions.
3. We are partners. We work with you to build the right solutions to drive the best outcomes. We involve you in the process and keep you fully informed all the way.
4. We are community-focused. We have a heart for service we care about the community and want to help non-natives speakers thrive through languages access.

Whats more we provide organizations with an easy-to-use job portal called LinguistLink which:

• Quickly connects customers with qualified vetted translators and interpreters
• Manages scheduling and logistics
• Empowers our clients with options visibility and control
• Provides analytics and tracking

Our clients include schools governments medical clinics and non-profits.