Legal Translator Consultant

Country: Lebanon Organization: UN Development Programme Closing date: 6 Oct 2026 POSITION INFORMATION Organization: UNDP Lebanon Through Stars Orbit Consultants and Management Development VA No.: UNDP/LBN/VA26/184 Position Title: Legal Translator Consultant Duty Station: work from home, with occasional meetings with UNDP and the constitutional Council Duration: 3 months (without exceeding 18 working days per month) Vacancy Date of Issue: 29 September 2026 Vacancy Closure Date: 06 October 2026 National or International consultancy: National consultancy To review the full Terms of Reference (TOR), please follow link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F-fOi836x5_6VJjAu-TOVD03veync518/view BACKGROUND The UNDP Lebanese Electoral Assistance and Parliament Support Project (LEAPS) has the main objective of enhancing the efficiency, transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process in Lebanon ahead of the upcoming municipal and parliamentary elections. It seeks to do so through improved electoral processes and legislation, and more inclusive public participation, addressing challenges that hamper democratic consolidation in Lebanon. Through a multi-component approach, the project intends to provide technical assistance and support in the following key areas: • Enhancing the efficiency, transparency and inclusiveness of electoral management and administration through improved institutional capacity and legislative reforms. • Strengthening the institutional capacity of the SCE to perform its mandate and functions sustainably and independently. • Enhancing the effectiveness and transparency of the electoral dispute resolution (EDR) mechanism through technical assistance to the Constitutional Council. • Enhancing the inclusion and participation of vulnerable and marginalized groups in electoral processes. • Strengthening the institutional capacity of Parliament to function, debate and adopt key reform legislation. The Constitutional Council is the principal judicial institution mandated to adjudicate constitutional and electoral disputes, including challenges to parliamentary election results. Within the framework of support to EDR, the Council has requested UNDP’s continued technical support to build on translation work previously undertaken in collaboration with the Council. The assignment will cover the translation and technical legal editing into French of selected Constitutional Council decisions relating to electoral disputes and constitutional review of legislation, issued between 2019 and 2026. UNDP therefore seeks to engage an individual consultant with the required legal and linguistic expertise to undertake this specialized assignment. The resulting French-language compilation will serve as an institutional reference resource, facilitating access to the Council’s jurisprudence and supporting academic and professional exchange with international counterparts, including judicial and constitutional institutions, legal practitioners, researchers and other relevant stakeholders. It will also provide a reference for international electoral observers and technical partners seeking to better understand Lebanon’s legal and judicial framework for electoral dispute resolution. Given the substantive and specialized nature of Constitutional Council decisions, the assignment requires more than linguistic translation. The consultant will be expected to preserve accurately the legal terminology, reasoning, references to legislation and jurisprudence, procedural elements, structure and operative provisions of the original decisions. The assignment therefore requires advanced language proficiency and demonstrated legal expertise, including the ability to understand, interpret, translate and technically edit legal and judicial texts. This approach will ensure that the translated compilation maintains the legal substance and integrity of the original decisions while improving access to, and international dissemination of, the Council’s electoral and constitutional jurisprudence. SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK Under the general supervision of the UNDP Governance and Rule of Law CTA, and in close coordination with the President of the Constitutional Council, the consultant shall provide legal translation and technical legal editing services for 77 Constitutional Council decisions relating to electoral disputes and the constitutionality of laws, comprising a total of 1,250 pages. The assignment will focus on ensuring the accurate and consistent translation of the legal substance, reasoning, terminology, references, procedural elements and operative provisions of the original Arabic decisions, in line with professional and institutional standards. A. Review and legal analysis of source documents Before undertaking the translation, the consultant shall: • Review each decision in its entirety to understand its legal and procedural context, reasoning, findings and operative provisions. • Identify key legal concepts, terminology, and legislative and institutional references requiring particular attention during translation. • Establish and maintain consistent legal terminology across the full set of decisions. B. Legal translation The consultant shall: • Translate the assigned decisions from Arabic into French, ensuring substantive and legal accuracy rather than relying on literal linguistic equivalence. • Apply appropriate terminology relating to constitutional and public law, judicial proceedings, legislation, elections and related institutional matters. • Preserve the structure, numbering, references, headings and operative provisions of the original decisions. • Ensure that legal concepts and terms are accurately rendered where direct linguistic equivalents do not exist. C. Technical legal editing and quality assurance Following translation, the consultant shall conduct a substantive legal and linguistic review to: • Review each translated decision against the original Arabic text to verify accuracy, completeness and consistency. • Correct any omissions, mistranslations, ambiguities or inconsistencies that may affect the legal substance or interpretation of the decisions. • Proofread and technically edit the final documents for linguistic accuracy, clarity, formatting and consistency across the collection. • Coordinate with the Constitutional Council on the final translated versions, address agreed comments or clarifications, and submit the finalized documents for approval. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES The consultant is expected to complete the above tasks and activities within a total duration not exceeding three months, comprising no more than 54 working days and no more than 18 working days per month. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS • The designated project manager or institutional focal point will manage the assignment on a day-to-day basis. • UNDP will provide the consultant with all necessary project materials in a timely, thorough and transparent manner. UNDP will also provide clarifications and facilitate the work. • The consultant will cover day-to-day transportation between home and office and will use their own means of communication and transportation. DURATION OF WORK The consultancy will last three months, with no more than 18 working days per month. The assignment is expected to commence immediately after contract signature and be completed no later than 15 January 2027. Five working days will be allocated for the review, provision of comments and approval of deliverables and outputs. DUTY STATION The consultant will work from home, with occasional meetings with UNDP and the Constitutional Council. STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Translation or Law is required. Experience: A minimum of four (4) years of relevant professional experience in translating legal documents from Arabic to English, including review and interpretation. Language: Professional proficiency in Arabic, and French is required, including the ability to produce accurate and legally appropriate written documents in the required target language(s). “The Personnel will be covered with Health insurance and Personal accident insurance; the fees shall be deducted from personnel's monthly payment”. How to apply To apply for this position please follow the link below. Kindly note only CVs received through the link will be considered for this position. Link to Apply: https://vacancies.my-soc.org/apply/20260929123444/VACANCY-6ABBB06429C41