FBI to Host Foreign Language Job Fair in Chicago

The Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be hosting a foreign language career fair on Saturday, March 12, 2011. The fair will be held at the offices of the Illinois Medical District, located at 2100 W Harrison Street in Chicago. Persons interested in a contract linguist position with the FBI are invited to attend anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Free parking is available at the facility and at the southwest corner of Leavitt and Harrison Streets.

The FBI is looking to add to its foreign language program individuals fluent in Chinese (all dialects), Korean, Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Somali, Spanish, and Hebrew. However, positions are available for persons with any foreign language fluency. Applicants need to have United States citizenship, as well as a high level of fluency in English along with foreign language(s) ability. Applicants are asked to bring a resume and be prepared for an on-site foreign language assessment interview.

As a vital partner in today’s law enforcement and intelligence communities, the FBI continues its mission to safeguard America and its people. The FBI’s expanding role continues to create many new opportunities for linguists in a growing number of languages.

Contract linguists, through their language expertise, help in the continuing effort against cyber crime, terrorism, foreign counterintelligence, corruption, kidnapping, civil rights violations, and other crimes under FBI jurisdiction.

Contract linguists translate documents or audio into English, serve as interpreters for investigative interviews, and provide translation during visits by foreign dignitaries. The possibilities are as wide as the sense of accomplishment.

The Contract linguist position pays $27.00 to $41.00 per hour. Successful applicants will work for the FBI at its Chicago Field Office. Full-time language analysts, as government employees, come from the ranks of the contract linguists.