Richard DeLong

Age 32. Currently in Kiev, Ukraine with relocation possible. 10 years' living experience in Eastern Europe. RickDeLong.com.

EXPERIENCE

2003-present: Writer and website administrator (self-employed)
Design, develop, and write articles for my own websites. Among my successful, text-laden sites are both commercial and non-commercial sites, a wiki, and an active forum. Topics include travel and living in Ukraine, skiing in Ukraine, social psychology, and backpacking. Some sites have content in Russian. These websites are now the most authoritative in their respective fields or niches and have become my main source of income.

1997-present: Translator and interpreter (mostly self-employed)
Russian to English, English to Russian, and Ukrainian to English. Did technical translations for National Guard for nine months. Performed simultaneous two-way interpretation for business and organization representatives, interpreted for formal events and public presentations. Have translated medical articles and questionnaires, technical specifications, contracts, exhibition programs, business proposals, websites, and texts for TV shows. Have long-term clients who are very pleased with my work.

2005-2008: English teacher, American Academy of Business English, Kiev, Ukraine
Taught business and conversational English to small groups and individual students for approx. 5-10 hours a week.

2006-2008: Coordinator and guide, Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe, Ukraine
Managed program for two students from U.S. college charity organization each summer in Ukraine. Organized homestays, travel, sightseeing, meetings, and service projects.

2003-2007: Program director (self-employed)
Created and managed Ukraine Work Study Program, advertising it at my site TryUkraine.com. Set up internships for foreign students and professionals with organizations in Ukraine whom I had searched out and approached about hosting an intern. Recruited families for homestays and organized apartment rentals. Small-scale program; I helped a dozen interns over three years.

Fall 2002: FSA/FLEX recruiter, American Councils for International Education, Kiev, Ukraine
Conducted presentations in Ukrainian on exchange programs for large and small audiences of school children, university students, and teachers. Administered three rounds of testing and interviewing of teenagers while traveling through five regions of Ukraine with assistant. Completed detailed reports on all aspects of program recruitment. Four-month position.

Summer 2002: Program assistant, Counterpart International, Kiev, Ukraine
Edited and translated organization's English language materials. Coordinated effort to improve office's website. Interpreted on five-day trip around south-central Ukraine.

2001-2002: Ukrainian representative, American IT business and charity initiative, Ukraine
Represented oversees boss in forming Ukrainian NGO, working with attorney and other partners, researching opportunities, and establishing contacts in Ukraine. Encountered difficulties, and arguably unrealistic project was unable to get off the ground.

2000-2001: Germanic and Slavic Department secretary, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Answered students' questions, assisted department professors and public. Created database of department alumni and their academic and professional paths.

Summer 2000: PR manager (intern), Scholz & Friends advertising agency, Kiev, Ukraine
Coordinated press coverage with journalists and launched company newsletter. Translated contracts and documents and drafted articles in Russian.

1999-2000: Russian Club president (unpaid), Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Met with club officers and organized monthly socials, cultural presentations, and Russian-speaking opportunities for club members.

1997-1998: Mission secretary (unpaid), St. Petersburg, Russia
Took care of nearly all office operations except accounting and computer maintenance for six months. Handled phone calls, visitors, and office correspondence. Ordered and distributed supplies to 120 missionaries. Prepared and translated materials for mission leadership and arranged leadership meetings. Began several projects on my own (streamlining office filing and material distribution systems, getting rid of backlog and unused materials, cleaning up office, translating videos, and sending letters to old contacts) and achieved best results of any secretary in recent memory. This job was high pressure, high responsibility, and basically no supervision.

1996-1998: Missionary (unpaid), LDS Church, St. Petersburg region, Russia
Searched for new contacts and taught lessons. Studied and practiced Russian continually. Led congregation of 25 Russians. Counseled and trained members and conducted worship services, socials, and Sunday school. FYI, I am not currently involved in any type of missionary activity.

1995-2000: Various odd jobs, California and Utah
Packing Pepsi-Cola, selling Cutco cutlery, grading math assignments, tutoring in Russian, and helping professor research 18th century German settlements in Russia.

EDUCATION

1995-2001: B.A. in Russian, minors in Math, Statistics, and Psychology from Brigham Young University, Utah. National Merit Scholar (ACT=36) and winner of 1995 Hughes Aircraft Company Jarvis Scholarship.

1994-1995: AFS exchange student in Trencin, Slovakia. Lived with Slovak host family, attended local school, and learned Slovak language.

INTERESTS

• Adventure travel, hiking, and cycling; hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in summer 2009
• Natural science, geography, and environmental conservation
• Global societal trends, international politics
• Foreign languages, cultural anthropology
• Psychology, religion, personal development
• Writing, photography
• General art, playing guitar and piano

SKILLS

• Native English, near-native Russian, advanced Ukrainian and Spanish, passable German and Slovak
• Intercultural awareness and extensive travel experience
• Writing intelligibly and insightfully for a general audience
• Pursuing objectivity, fairness, and rational conclusions
• Recognizing and satisfying people's need for information
• Web design and development
• Inventing and developing unique projects that stand out from those that already exist
• Building grass-roots movements and collaborative endeavors

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more detailed information about my current and past work projects, read my Projects page. To learn more about my career path, see the "Work" section of my Facts sheet. To contact me, use the "Contact" link in the top right corner of this page.