World Intellectual Property Organization: Call for Applications to the PCT Fellowship Program for Graduate Students

January 30, 2020

The PCT Translation Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organizes a Fellowship Program for assistant terminologists, translators, technical specialists, and translation technologists, with the aim of providing on-the-job experience at an international organization. WIPO is now accepting applications for the 2020 edition of the Program.

wipopearl_news_30012020_fellows_845 — (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

There are four types of Fellowship position:

Terminology fellows are trained in the creation of terminology entries for the PCT Termbase and subsequent publication in WIPO Pearl.
Translation fellows are trained in the translation of patent abstracts and patent examination documents.
Technical specialist fellows have prior experience in industry or as a researcher in a specific technical discipline and share their knowledge with PCT translators.
Translation technology fellows are trained in the use and support of translation and terminology management systems and machine translation systems.

Staff of the PCT Translation Division at WIPO provide training and guidance to participants throughout the period of their fellowship in Geneva. Fellowships may vary in length but usually are not shorter than three months. Fellows are given a monthly stipend of 4,000 Swiss francs and are provided with medical cover. Additionally WIPO may consider paying some travel costs in certain circumstances.

Requirements

For the Terminology Fellowship

Candidates should be currently pursuing or be a recent graduate of an advanced degree program (Master’s, Doctorate or an equivalent level degree) in terminology, translation, a related linguistic discipline, or in a technical field provided they have a strong linguistic ability. Prior experience in applied terminology would be considered an advantage but is not a requirement, and applicants are expected to work in their native language.

In 2020, applications are invited from native speakers of Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, who also have excellent knowledge of English.

For the Translation Fellowship

Candidates should be currently pursuing or be a recent graduate of an advanced degree program (Master’s, Doctorate or an equivalent level degree) in translation, terminology, a related linguistic discipline or in a technical field with a strong linguistic ability. Prior experience in technical translation would be considered an advantage but is not a requirement, and applicants are expected to translate into their native language.

In 2020, applications are requested from candidates working in the following language combinations only:

Chinese to English
Japanese to English
Korean to English
English to Korean (localization focus)

For the Technical Specialist Fellowship

Candidates should have at least a first degree (Bachelor’s level) in a technical or scientific field and have demonstrated experience in industry or as a researcher, as well as a high level of linguistic ability in English and a second language.

In 2020, applications are requested from native speakers of Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

For the Translation Technology Fellowship

Candidates should be currently pursuing or be a recent graduate of an advanced degree program (Master’s, Doctorate or an equivalent level degree) in translation technology, translation or a related linguistic discipline including a translation technology component, or in a technical field such as computational linguistics or information technology. Prior experience in translation technology would be considered an advantage but is not a requirement, and applicants are expected to work in English or French.

How to apply

Persons interested in applying for one of these Fellowship positions should send to pct.fellowship@wipo.int the following:

their CV or resume in English, ensuring that
- their nationality is indicated, and
- their name is included in all file names
a letter of motivation in English indicating periods of availability, and
should mention in the email Subject field in English:
- “Fellowship application”
- preference either for “Terminology”, “Translation”, “Technical Specialist”, or “Translation Technology”, and
- language or language combination

For example: “Fellowship application, Terminology, Japanese”; “Fellowship application, Translation, Chinese-English”.

Note: Candidates may apply to more than one type of Fellowship position, or to all four, if they meet the requirements. In such cases, a separate application must be submitted for each type of Fellowship position applied for.

Following initial screening, candidates will be requested to take a terminology test, a translation test, and/or an aptitude test.

Candidates for a fellowship in 2020 should ensure that their complete applications are sent to the e-mail address indicated above by February 17, 2020.