IFPRI is seeking an individual consultant for transcribing and translating workshop recordings from Marathi and Hindi to English with complete accuracy, capturing every word and detail to ensure transcripts are comprehensive and precise for the Vision to Action (V2A) โ Advancing sustainable management of multifunctional landscapes. Additionally, the consultant will also translate two V2A workshop reports from English to Marathi and Hindi. This consultancy is for applicants based in India only.
Background:
The Vision to Action (V2A) exercise is designed to bring together community members, local institutions, and development partners to jointly imagine the future they want to see for their landscape, fifteen years from now, and identify practical steps to move in that direction. These one-day workshops in Shirdi (for Akole cluster), Maharashtra and Mandla, Madhya Pradesh offer an inclusive platform for women, youth, farmers, CSOs, government, and the private sector to share aspirations, align efforts, and co-develop locally grounded priorities. The approach emphasizes shared visioning, context awareness, and early action planning, while remaining flexible to accommodate stakeholder availability and dynamics on the ground. The workshop included following sessions:
1) Session 1- Visioning of the landscape: Develop a joint vision for the desirable future of Akole, Maharashtra and Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. Participants imagine that in 2040 a documentary team comes to their landscape (Akole or Mandla) to interview different stakeholders because the landscape (Akole or Mandla) became famous for its flourishing developments. The participants should think what they would like to tell the documentary team in terms of achievements in landscape management, how it affects different types of benefits enjoyed by different groups, and what institutions, attitudes, and paradigms have contributed to this change.
Participants enact a press conference where there is a panel of system actors from the different groups and, on the other side there are the journalists again consisting of members of the groups. A moderator asks the journalists to ask their questions which are answered by the system actor panel.
2) Session 2- Stakeholder mapping: We ask the participants to brainstorm about which actors would have an interest in the future of the landscape, and which could play an important role in achieving the vision.
3) Session 3- Actor Relationship Reflection: We embody key actors identified in the stakeholder mapping. With these actors we do an embodiment exercise wherein participants volunteer to take the role of one of the actors. Without speaking, the participants walk through the open space, taking on the role of the actor and finds a place and gesture that represents the actor. Once all players have entered the space, the facilitator invites them to adjust the position and shape in a way that represents the actors intuitively. Each actor speaks a short phrase that comes to their mind. Then, the participants are invited to move again and continue to move until a desirable shape of the social body comes to a stop. We resolve the constellation, and everybody goes back to their chairs in the circle. First the active participants complete sentences starting with: โI feltโฆโ, โI sawโฆโ; Then the other participants do the same. As a last step of this exercise, we ask, whether the experience triggers the wish to make changes to the earlier formulated vision.
Statement of Work:
The collaborator will be involved in the study for transcribing and translating workshop recordings from Marathi and Hindi to English with complete accuracy, capturing every word and detail to ensure transcripts are comprehensive and precise. The recordings add up to roughly 4 hours (2 hours of recordings in Marathi and 2 hours of recordings in Hindi). Additionally, they will also be engaged in translating two V2A workshop reports prepared in English by the project team to Marathi and Hindi, respectively. The collaborator will be responsible for the following tasks:
ยท Listen to audio and watch video recordings of workshops conducted in Marathi and Hindi with various categories of stakeholders
ยท Accurately transcribe every word spoken in the recordings
ยท Translate the transcribed Marathi/Hindi text into English
ยท Ensure that all verbal nuances, expressions, and contextual meanings are captured
ยท Ensure that the translation maintains the original meaning, context, and tone of the spoken content
ยท Translate idiomatic expressions, cultural references, and colloquialisms accurately
ยท Follow a consistent and pre-approved coding pattern across all transcripts
ยท Each transcript should be clearly labeled with the workshop place, stakeholder/activity type, and any other relevant details.
ยท Translate two workshop reports (around 25 pages each) prepared by the project team in English after finalizing the transcripts from the recordings to Marathi for one report and Hindi for the other report. The content for both the reports would differ and will be finalized by IFPRI project team.
ยท Ensure timely delivery of transcripts and reports as per the agreed-upon schedule
ยท The collaborator must ensure that the content of the interviews remain private and secure; all recordings should be handled with the highest level of confidentiality and professionalism
Deliverables:
ยท Detailed, word-for-word English transcript of each interview/recording in Marathi/Hindi within 30 days of the signed contract
ยท Word-for-word translated (from English) workshop reports - one report in Marathi and one in Hindi at the end of the contract
ยท Transcripts and reports should be provided in a digital format (e.g., Microsoft Word or Google Docs) at the end of the contract
Duration of Contract: 60 days from receipt of signed contract.
Required Qualifications:
The ideal candidate should possess minimum Bachelorโs degree with following skills:
1. Language Proficiency: High-level proficiency in Marathi, Hindi and English and excellent understanding of linguistic and cultural nuances in both languages (Marathi and Hindi)
2. Experience: Proven experience in transcription and translation, preferably in a similar context.
3. Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail to ensure accuracy in transcription and translation
Please submit your CV, brief suitability statement for the assignment, work samples demonstrating experience, and the expected professional fee for the assignment/daily rate in INR with your online application. Applications without these requirements will not be considered.
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We are unable to respond to all applications, only the selected applicant will be contacted