Translation Services

2.8.2.1. Current Translation model

Mandate and Structure of KCCM – Translation Services

The Meeting Programming and Documentation Service was established following the decisions of the Programme and Finance Committees which approved, at the May 1996 session, the document PC 74/2- FC 84/4 – Sup.1 Proposals for the Implementation of a New Financial Framework for FAO Publications and Documents. The document proposed the abolition of the Publication Division, GIP, and the assignment to GIC (KCC from January 2007) of responsibility for “translation, final typing and internal printing of meeting documentation and correspondence”.

The Service was established in order to deal with the many different elements involved in programming meetings (interpretation services, document translation and processing, meeting room facilities, official calendar of meetings), producing the high volume of documents for sessions and ensuring quality control of all language versions, including the screening and maintenance of rosters for both interpreters and translators.

The restructuring carried out in 1996 was mainly driven by the need to reduce costs and increase efficiency in carrying out the Publications Programme of the Organization while minimizing the impact on staff and using to the maximum extent all available resources. Up to 1996, a fixed non-fungible percentage of funds was earmarked for “Publications” and services were delivered on the basis of Key Unit Costs (basically a back charge rate).

Another important requirement was the need for more accurate financial control of the largest “pool” account of FAO (the language services are funded via charge-back of services to Divisions) which was operating in deficit. Since 1996 the Service has assumed additional responsibilities in managing accreditation of delegates for major sessions, in Rome and outside Italy, the organization and management of all non-FAO meetings hosted by the Organization.

The Meetings Programming and Documentation Service ensures the effective programming of the Organization’s meetings, to which it provides translation, interpretation and other relevant services. It processes and prints meeting documents including official correspondence channeled through KCCO, and arranges for documents to be translated and/or printed externally, as required.

Programming and Reference functions were subject to a further analysis and an internal reorganization of services carried out in 2002, merging the two groups. The Service is now structured as follows:

§ Office of the Chief

§ Programming, Terminology and Reference Group which includes the Internal Printing Unit § Arabic Translation Group

§ Chinese Translation Group § English Translation Group § French Translation Group

§ Russian Translation Group [phased introduction approved in 2007] § Spanish Translation Group

Root and Branch Review – Final report

Ernst & Young

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KCCM – Translation Services: Human Resources Arabic Translation Group

Professional

At the beginning of 2002, only 2 professional posts were filled out of 5 posts established. In the two following years this ratio increased to 3/5 in 2003 and 4/5 in 2004 and reached for a few months 100% in mid 2005. From 2006 onwards, there has been a constant decrease in the number of professional posts, which fell to just one at the end of 2007, following the resignation of the Senior Reviser.

General Service

The number of GS positions has been substantially constant, with a decrease of 2 positions over the period in observation (6 at the beginning of 2002, 4 at the end of 2007)

Chinese Translation Group Professional

There were 4 professional posts at the beginning of 2002, which became 5 with the filling of the position of Terminology and Workflow Officer: following the retirement of a translator in mid 2003 and the post abolishment in PWB 2006-07, the professional positions returned to 4 and no further change has been observed thereafter.

General Service

Following the promotion of a GS staff to Professional at the beginning of 2002, the number of GS positions was reduced to 4 and has been constant until 2007.

English Translation Group

The staffing situation in the English Translation Group - 1 professional and 1 GS staff – has remained unchanged throughout the period observed.

French Translation Group Professional

At the beginning of 2002, the positions encumbered were 5 (out of 7), which became 6 at the end of the year following the establishment of the position of Translation Workflow Officer. This position was then abolished at the end of 2006. The situation remained unvaried until mid 2007, when two positions became vacant following the transfer and retirement of two translators, reducing the number of encumbered Professional posts to 3 (one of which had been seconded to UN New York from September 2006 to March 2008).

Spanish Translation Group Professional

At the beginning of 2002 the positions encumbered were only 3 (out of 6), but the recruitment of 3 translators brought the number of posts to 6 in mid 2004. Then the trend indicated a constant decrease through the beginning of 2005 (5 in 2004 and 4 in 2005). As of mid 2006 and following the recruitment of a Senior Reviser, the number of posts returned to 5 and remained constant thereafter.

General Service

The number of GS positions has been the same over 2002-07 (4 posts), although a new position was filled during 2003. At the beginning of 2004 the staffing returned to the previous level (4) following the retirement of a staff member and remained unvaried until the end of 2007.

Root and Branch Review – Final report

Ernst & Young

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Summary of staff positions 1 January 1996 – 1 January 2009 Table 2-25: Staff level development of KCCM

1 January 1996 1 January 2009 Group Prof. GS Prof. GS Arabic 11 9 5 4 Chinese 9 5 5 4 English 3 2 1 1 French 18 8 5 6 Spanish 14 6 5 4 Russian (phased introduction) 1 1

Typing Pool [EFS,

dismantled in 1996] 26

Totals 55 56 22 20

The functions of the typing pool have been assigned to the Translation Groups since 1996. KCCM - Translation workflow

KCCM has established the following workflow for translation requests. The workflow has 8 steps until the finalization of a document. AS.T.1 Workflow management AS.T.2 Linguistic preparation AS.T.3 Translation AS.T.4 Self-revision by the translator AS.T.5 Revision AS.T.6 Layout and finalization of the translated document AS.T.7 Archiving of the translated document AS.T.8 Printing and web-

posting

Figure 2-24: Translation workflow

1. Workflow management: this stage involves the examination of the request for translation, the