On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 12:42, Fred Bauder
<fredbaud(a)fairpoint.net>
wrote:
I
understood that they wanted someone who was ideally *not* a native
English speaker. That was something that concerned me when I read it,
because it looked as if the intention was to disadvantage applicants
who had English as a first language. Or did I misunderstand it?
"Demonstrated ability to work (speak, read, write at a professional
level) effectively in a language other than English (ideally as a
native speaker)"
English speakers and Europeans generally, such as you and I, dominate
most Wikimedia conversations. I doubt anyone could function in this
position if they didn't understand English, but our hope is to get the
rest of the world involved.
However it is hard to imagine an ideal second language that is not
European; only Arabic is spoken by a large diverse population with
internet access.
Is that kind of bias against national origin allowed when hiring?
I don't think it is bias. Giving extra attention to the global south is a
legitimate goal. Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, and
Chinese are commonly spoken there. There are different considerations
with respect to each language. Actually I think more people speak Hindi
than speak English.
Fred