World Intellectual Property Organization: Call for Applications to the PCT Fellowship Program for Graduate Students
February 24, 2021
The PCT Translation Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organizes a Fellowship Program for assistant terminologists, translators, and translation technologists, with the aim of providing on-the-job experience at an international organization. WIPO is now accepting applications for the 2021 edition of the Program.
There are three 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.
- 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 5,000 Swiss francs and are provided with medical cover. Additionally WIPO will assist with travel and visa arrangements.
Please note that the 2021 edition of the Program is taking place subject to the conditions prevailing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Successful applicants would likely not begin their Fellowship with WIPO before autumn 2021. In addition, we would like to inform applicants that WIPO staff and hence also Fellows are currently (February 2021) working from home within the Geneva area, rather than in the office at WIPO. It is not yet known when this situation may change, since it depends on the evolution of the pandemic.
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 2021, 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 provided they have 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 2021, 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 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 submit their application by accessing the relevant Fellowship vacancy announcement.
Following initial screening, candidates will be requested to take a terminology test, a translation test, and/or an aptitude test.
The closing date for applications is 23:59 (CET) March 15, 2021.