New Language Advocates: an overview of the role of advocate

Each language has one advocate team (individual(s) or organization). We have more than 30 Language Advocate teams now. They lead the translation/localization team and efforts in their language. Here is a list of all the Language Advocates.  If your language is not listed and you want to take ownership of the translation/localization effort for your language, read on... 

Note: Since school closures in response to COVID-19, our small international team is busier than usual. Therefore, we are temporarily not reviewing applications or onboarding new Language Advocates. However, you may apply for the Language Advocate role if you are interested in potentially being a Language Advocate in the future

Language Advocate Duties

Please note this is a volunteer position (advocates are not paid by Khan Academy).

1. Ensure quality and effectiveness

The Advocate accomplishes his/her primary responsibility of quality control of translations by:

• Reviewing initial applications from applicant translators and selecting volunteers (or paid translators)
• Giving appropriate feedback and suggestions to translators based on Khan Academy guidelines
• Reviewing dubbed videos and subtitles on an ongoing basis and soliciting reviews
• Curating the language's Khan Academy YouTube channel

2. Coordinate with the translation team

The Advocate coordinates with the Khan Academy Translations Team and Advocates for other languages to share data and ideas by:

• Managing how translated videos are mapped to original English videos
• Coordinating ongoing translation/localization efforts to ensure progression through the core courses and content
• Participating in the Advocate discussion forum to share ideas and ensure consistency across languages

3. Engage volunteers (or paid translators)

The Advocate engages and manages the volunteer community for a particular language by:

• Reaching out to volunteers who have expressed interest online
• Explaining the mechanisms for translating (text, subtitles or video dubbing/recreation) to new volunteers
• Managing a Google group or other communication channels for volunteers in that language
• Sharing instructions, resources, and news about the translation effort via the Google group
• Administering a Facebook page (or other social media) for the specific translator community

Some advocates also raise awareness and encourage usage of Khan Academy in their language by doing outreach and working with schools. And some advocates also work with Ministries of Education to curate Khan Academy content into courses that fit their local curriculum. 

If you are still interested in becoming your language's Advocate, and have at least 8 hours per week to commit to the project, please fill out the Language Advocate application form, and then email [e-mail] with “Completed Advocate Application (name of your language)” in the subject. 

Reminder: Since school closures in response to COVID-19, our small international team is busier than usual. Therefore, we are temporarily not reviewing applications or onboarding new Language Advocates. However, you may apply for the Language Advocate role if you are interested in potentially being a Language Advocate in the future