Amharic Translator & Family Correspondence Support

Ethiopian families, in Australia and around the world, use our registry to document and search for missing loved ones. Our guidance must read as naturally in Amharic as it does in English. You will help us make that true.

Key duties:

• Translate our public guidance pages, FAQs and family information into clear, natural Amharic
• Review existing Amharic content across our registry for clarity, tone and dignity
• Help polish our template correspondence so families receive replies in warm, respectful Amharic
• Note your translation choices so we learn from them; your judgement genuinely shapes the work

Skills and experience:
Fluent written Amharic and good English. No humanitarian or translation experience is required. Care, discretion and a feel for respectful language matter most. We provide training in our writing standards and practices, with direct mentoring and feedback on your early work.

About us:
Voices of the Missing is an Australian registered charity (ABN 70 701 506 612) operating free, public missing-persons registries for communities that lack access to such services: Missing From Ethiopia, Missing From Eritrea, Missing From Sudan and Missing From Somalia, in six languages. Families document a missing loved one in a permanent, searchable record, published with their consent, always free. You will work on public content only: case information and family details remain with our review team, a separation that protects the families we serve.

Why volunteer with us:
You will gain real, usable experience: training in humanitarian documentation practices, direct mentoring with feedback on your work, and skills in translation for sensitive, high-stakes contexts that very few roles teach. Your hours are formally recorded, and a reference reflecting your contribution is always available, which is valuable for study, work or migration pathways. Your translations are genuinely used and published. The role fits around your life, not the other way around: 2 to 5 hours a week, fully remote, your own schedule, pause anytime life requires.

The impact:
When a family can read our guidance in natural Amharic, trust what they read, and receive replies written with care, they feel safe enough to report, and a missing person gains a permanent public record, with a real chance of being found. Your work shapes how families experience our registry at every step, from the first page they read to the replies they receive. You will be helping people on the hardest day of their life, in their own language.

To apply:
Apply through SEEK Volunteer with a few lines about yourself and your connection to the languages. Shortlisted applicants complete a short translation sample (around 20 minutes) and sign our simple volunteer agreement.