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We are recruiting a paid translator and editor to review and correct Arabic translations drafted by the Network’s Kish Project and to undertake new Arabic translations. Apply by Sunday 23 March.
The Nahrein Network’s Kish Project
The Nahrein Network, directed by Professor Eleanor Robson in UCL’s Department of History, is a long-term research programme to foster Iraqi-led, interdisciplinary research on sustainable development of Iraqi history and heritage. Its Kish Project aims to recover lost archaeological and historical knowledge of the great Babylonian city of Kish, and render it useful to the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) with open-access, online editions in English, Arabic and other Middle Eastern scripts and languages.
Nearly a thousand inscribed artefacts were archaeologically excavated at Kish in the 20th century, but most are now in museums outside of the country, inaccessible to Iraqi archaeologists. They range in date from c.2500 BC to c.500 BC and were written in the ancient Akkadian (Babylonian) language in cuneiform script. This vital post-excavation work to analyse and interpret these excavated artefacts, in order to give them historical context and meaning, will enable SBAH to develop visitor resources for the archaeological site, and to apply for funding for urgent rescue and conservation work there.
In collaboration with Oracc.org and UCL’s Advanced Research Computing Centre (ARC), a team led by Professor Eleanor Robson have started to create an open-access multilingual catalogue and edition of the 2000 cuneiform tablets from Kish that are now housed in the Ashmolean Museum, using ARC’s new cuneiform editor, Nisaba. There are now over 660 cuneiform texts in the draft corpus, transliterated and translated into English, Arabic and Farsi: see https://build-oracc.museum.upenn.edu/kish/pager .
A team member also drafted an Arabic translation and adaptation of the Cuneiform Revealed website, originally written by Professor Robson for the State Archives of Assyria Online several years ago. About half of the translated pages are now online, the rest exist as Word documents. All need editing for accuracy, consistency and relevance for Arabic-speakers. See https://build-oracc.museum.upenn.edu/kish/cuneiform/index.html
The position
This spring and summer we are seeking an Arabic speaker with good knowledge of linguistic terminology to proofread and correct the work already drafted, and to make Arabic translations of new historical content and user documentation for Oracc. No prior knowledge of Oracc encoding is needed: training in simple markup will be provided. The work will mostly be done remotely, with the option of occasional meetings at our UCL office in central London. The successful applicant must have the right to work in the UK and a UK bank account for payment.
The position offers up to 160 hours of work from 1 April to 31 August 2025. The position will be paid through Unitemps at £22.79 per hour (Grade 7, spine point 30, including London allowance). The schedule of work will be agreed between the appointee and Professor Robson.
The responsibilities of the role
Specific responsibilities will be negotiated with Professor Robson but are likely to include:
Undertake basic training in Oracc conventions and procedures (5 hours)
Actively participate in regular meetings with Professor Robson to plan work and discuss progress (15 hours)
Check the Arabic-language “Introduction to Cuneiform” website for accuracy, consistency and relevance for Arabic-speakers, and enter corrections as needed (30 hours)
Edit and mark up the remaining content for the Arabic-language “Introduction to Cuneiform” website, in Oracc’s ESP encoding (15 hours)
Translate existing Oracc help documentation into Arabic and mark it up in ESP (50 hours)
Translate short essays on the ancient and modern history of Kish into Arabic and mark them up in ESP (50 hours)
Person specification
Essential criteria:
Good written and verbal communication skills
Able to work pro-actively and independently to deadlines
Excellent attention to detail
Fluency or near fluency in written Arabic and English
A high level of computer literacy
Experience in translation from English to Arabic in topics relating to language-learning, ancient history, Assyriology and/or computational humanities
How to apply
To apply for this position, please complete your application on MS Forms by Sunday 23 March 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be notified on Tuesday 25 March. Translation tests and interviews will take place on Tuesday 1 April. To make an informal enquiry about the role, please email nahrein@ucl.ac.uk