1405-0191 Supporting Statement REVISED February 19, 2014

5

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

Office of Language Services Contractor Application Form
OMB Number 1405-0191
DS-7651

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Because interpreters and translators do not have a formal, standardized certification or accreditation process, the Office of Language Services (OLS) Contractor Application Form is designed to gather a detailed history of respondents’ linguistic and academic backgrounds. The information will be used to determine whether respondents have the credentials and skills to interpret and/or translate, and to determine whether respondents are legally qualified for contract work with the federal government. Completing the form is voluntary, but OLS may not be able to proceed with processing the form, or consider respondents who do not submit a completed form for potential contract work, until all requested information has been obtained. This may affect respondents’ contract prospects. The U.S. Government is authorized to ask for this information under 5 U.S.C. § 3109; 48 CFR Parts 9, 37, 4.800-803; 5 CFR Parts 731 and 736; and Executive Order 13467 (73 FR 38103).

2. The information collected is used by the Office of Language Services staff to determine the preliminary credentials and employment qualifications of the respondents (e.g., whether the person is legally employable in the United States). OLS staff also uses the form during language testing of respondents to verify employment and linguistic history, as well as contact information and availability for contract assignments. The form is also used by staff to enter suitable respondents into the OLS contractor database, begin their security paperwork, and occasionally to arrange travel accommodations for them.

3. In an effort to streamline the application process for both the respondent and OLS, OLS has designed an online application form that can be electronically submitted directly from its website. The questions have been reorganized and clarified, but there is no increase in burden. In fact, we anticipate that the online application will be easier and less time‑consuming for both parties. The respondent can fill out the application and submit it electronically without having to print it out and return it by mail, fax, or email to OLS. And, because of the changes in format, certain questions are no longer necessary (e.g., date of application, native language for translation). The advantage to OLS resides in the fact that the electronic nature of the form allows the office to automatically populate its project management platform with the applicant’s information. This will reduce the burden of data entry throughout the testing process. The respondent will still be able to obtain the paper form from OLS if desired.

4. The information collected is not duplicative of other collections.

5. The collection does not impact small businesses or other small entities.

6. If the information is not collected, there will be a significant impact on the U.S. Department of State’s interpreting and translating capabilities. The form is the primary means by which potential interpreting and translating contractors are identified by OLS. If the information is not collected, the roster of contract interpreters and translators in all of the languages for which OLS provides services would be severely diminished.

7. Respondents are required to submit the information requested if they would like to be considered for freelance, contract interpreting and/or translating work through the U.S. Department of State; however, applying for such work is voluntary.

8. The 60-Day Notice was published in the Federal Register on October 31, 2012, on page 65827. No public comments were received.

9. No payment or gift will be given to respondents.

10. Other than protections provided by relevant statutes, such as the Privacy Act, the Department will make no promises of confidentiality.

11. The form does not ask questions of a sensitive nature.

12. The number of respondents based on a one-year estimate is 1,100. This figure was based on the number of respondents over the past year. The annual burden is 550 hours. This was calculated by estimating that it takes an average applicant half an hour to complete the form, and then multiplying half an hour by the number of respondents (1,100). The Department assumes that the Private Industry Workers completes the form. Their average wage is $20.47. Therefore, the monetized annual time burden is: $20.47 x 1.4 x 0.5 x 1,100 = $15,761.90.

13. There are no costs to respondents associated with this collection.

14. Annualized estimated cost to the federal government is $33,696. This is based on an average hourly rate of $36 for a GS-12 employee who processes and reviews applications. Costs were computed using an estimated workload of 18 hours per week x 52 weeks x $36 = $33,696. There are no operational costs.

15. The annualized estimated cost has been updated to reflect current salary estimates and an increase in respondents as seen over the past year.

Reasons for changes from the paper format:

We have changed some of the questions to better target information now required by OLS. Because the application will populate the OLS database directly, it will allow for better records’ keeping and will be fully queriable. Some slight changes in wording were made to make data more specific and drop-down menus now allow us to limit options.

Information sought	Current form:	Proposed Online Application
Date of application	Today’s Date (mm/dd/yyyy)	Not asked, inherently collected.
Existence of a prior application	Have you applied previously? If yes, when?	Not asked, should be registered in system.
Form of address	Name: Mr., Mrs., Ms.	Not asked.
Contact information	Fax:	Not asked. No longer pertinent.
Familiarity with U.S.	How long have you lived in the U.S.?	Not asked.
Age	Date of Birth	Not asked.
Test applicant would like to take (Translation or Interpreting, if interpreting what level: LI, SI or CI?)	Questions found on Page 2	Opening question, the response to which populates a list of languages being tested at that level. And then tailors the questions to be appropriate to the applicant’s desired test.
Citizenship status	Dual Citizenship? Yes/No	Not asked. Not needed.
Confirmation of ability to work in the U.S.	If you are not a U.S. citizen, please complete below: Your citizenship_______ Visa you hold __________	Are you a U.S. citizen? Please select a visa type? A drop-down menu offers them the choice of USCIS Form I-551, H1B or other. If ‘other’ is chosen, a box appears to fill in the other visa type.
Age	Date of Birth	Not asked.
Foreign Language Immersion	Foreign Residence: list Country and dates of residence: (mm/dd/yyyy)	Actual date of travel to and return from is now longer requested, just month and year.
Foreign Languages Spoken	List languages (other than English) in which you have a fluent command and in which you are prepared to take a formal test.	Not asked. Information can be found in résumé or implicitly in the languages the applicant chooses to test in.
Work Status	Check the appropriate box: Employed, self-employed, Student, Retired, Unemployed	What is your current occupation? For how many years have you worked as such?
Interpreting Experience	Interpreting Experience Level: None, informal, professional	How many years of professional interpreting experience do you have, if any?
Availability	Availability: year-round, seasonally, three weeks or longer, short assignments only, domestic travel, international travel.	Not asked. Not needed until active
Translation Experience	What is your native language?	Now asked to only translate into native language.
Translation Speed	How many words per day can you translate?	Asked to describe professional translation experience.
Typing speed	What is your typing speed?	Asked to describe professional translation experience.
Knowledge base	When translating, what is your preferred subject area?	Not asked, in résumé
Electronic tools	Are you able to use: computer, email, fax machine, MS Power Point, MS Excel	Asked to describe career as a translator, including any experience with special translation technology.
Level of Professional Commitment	Not asked	Please select your professional associations: AIIC, ATA, ATA certified, TAALS, other

16. The information collected will not be published.

17. The expiration date will be displayed on the form.

18. There are no exceptions requested.

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This collection does not employ statistical methods.