Call for tenders: Translation Services

About us 

The Green European Foundation (GEF) is a European-level political foundation funded by the European Parliament. GEF is affiliated to but independent from the European Green Party and Green movement in Europe. Our mission is to encourage European citizens to participate in European political discussions and in particular when it comes to envisioning what a Green Europe would look like. As a forum for cooperation at the European level, we work closely with our national member foundations and thereby aim to strengthen the Green political movement and green ideas in Europe. 

 

About the Project

The Green European Journal is Europe’s leading political ecology magazine and a flagship project of the Green European Foundation. The journal stands for an open, sustainable, social and feminist Europe. In print and online, it publishes quality articles which track political currents and ideas offering fresh perspectives and frontline analysis. Editorially independent, it has been published in over 20 languages since its foundation in 2012 and collaborates with partners across Europe to connect with new audiences and open up spaces for real debate. Based within the Green European Foundation, the spirit of the magazine is that of a broad conversation about political ecology and what it means for our society, today and for the years to come. See www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu for further information.  

The Green European Foundation also publishes and translates a wide variety of other studies, papers, books, manuals, and e-learning materials. These originate in GEF’s work with partner foundations across Europe and help foster cross-European study and debate, on topics from peace and security to ecofeminism, just transition to economic transformation. Find our latest tools and publications at gef.eu/tools-and-publications.  

 

Purpose of Tender 

We are looking for translators to support GEF and its independent publication the Green European Journal in delivering high-quality translations in 27+ languages. With this diverse language offer, GEF and the Green European Journal require reliable, highly qualified, and experienced translators who are able to perform translations as well as conduct proofing and quality check before delivery. Participation in this call is therefore open to any translation service providers in Europe, both individuals and companies, who can show proof of their qualification, experience, and capacity to perform translation. 

 

Scope of Tender 

Multiple translators or translation agencies will be selected to form a pool. The volume and frequency of work assigned will be negotiated with the provider throughout the duration of the contract. Offers should indicate the providers’ capacity for small ad hoc assignments as well as larger translation projects. 

The partnership will be conducted under a framework agreement between the Green European Foundation and the selected translation service provider(s). The framework contract with the selected provider(s) will be valid for a maximum of 5 years. 

Selection Criteria  

• Proven record of providing high quality translations 
• Demonstrable experience of translating texts (publications, articles, interviews etc.) on politics and/or current affairs and/or green topics 
• Capacity to translate both short and long texts (800 min – 5000 max words for an article, and 40,000 words max. for a publication) 
• Coverage of European Union official languages and non-EU languages, for example Turkish, Macedonian, Russian and Ukrainian 
• Conducts quality control pre-emptively and upon request from GEJ/GEF teams, including re-proofreading when needed. 
• Provides after sales service and technical assistance  
• Capacity to deliver in short turnaround time and meet deadlines 
• Competent in technical tools including Outlook, Microsoft 365 and able to use them to organise a smooth translation process and orderly file sharing 
• Responsive and able to communicate efficiently in English with the GEJ/GEF team regarding the status and progress of translations 
• Operates sustainably and/or has sustainability as an objective in their work 
• Attention to detail 
• Best price- quality ratio 
• Able to provide compliant invoices in English, expressed in euro 
• Formally registered and/or located in Europe 
• Available to work on an ad-hoc basis as of summer 2023 

We encourage providers of all sizes to apply. 

By submitting this offer to the Green European Foundation’s Call for Translations Services, the applicant guarantees its validity and prices for the next six months. 

Application Process

Providers are invited to submit an offer comprising: 

• A brief introduction (maximum 200 words) of the individual or company, outlining their interest in supporting the work of GEJ/GEF as well as their sustainability policy;  
• The extent to which they fulfill the criteria mentioned above;  
• Samples of recent work (a portfolio featuring samples of translated articles and/or interviews on politics, current affairs, or green ideas); 
• Description of the process applicants follow when engaging in translation projects, including an explanation of their process for organising translations and quality control, contact person(s), the extent to which machine-translation will be deployed and for which languages; 
• Feedback and recommendations from previous clients (optional). 

Application without these elements will not be considered. Applicants will be contacted after we have reviewed all submissions.  

Practical Information 

All offers should be submitted by 1 September 2023, at 23h59  via the application form.   

For any questions regarding this call for tender, please refer to our Executive Assistant and Office Coordinator at giovanna.lamarca@gef.eu