Rapid Response Volunteers for the European Refugee Crisis project

Sofia Vlavianou

1. Why did you decide to participate in the work of the Rapid Response Team (RRT)?

I have always admired the work of TWB and have made donations via my translation company, so when the RRT was formed I was happy to have an opportunity to offer some of my time to such a worthy cause.

2. What are your daily activities for the RRT?

Usually I spend about an hour a day translating news items and articles, or editing. The Skype group for the RRT is a great environment to work in, with excellent translators who like working together and ensuring a quick turnaround for vital pieces of information for refugees and refugee workers.

3. What are your views about the current refugee crisis in Europe?

I am greatly saddened by both the refugee crisis and the way it is being handled by Europe and the world. I think it is disgraceful that any nation should find excuses to turn its back on people in need, especially considering that most European countries have, at one time or another in history, experienced crises which forced their peoples to become refugees or migrants. As for my own country, Greece, I fear that it has been saddled with a burden that is much too heavy for it to bear, coming as it does on the back of a long-standing economic crisis.

4. Why do you think that language is important in such situations?

Certain concepts are universal and do not require language: stretching out to grab a child from the sea, handing a warm blanket to someone who is soaking wet, feeding someone who is starving. Beyond that, though, language, i.e. communication, is everything. Any concerted effort to provide assistance is based on being able to communicate with the people being assisted. Being organized also requires having a common language, to understand what people need, to communicate with the authorities. In this crisis, where the linguistic barriers are many and difficult, the role of translators and interpreters is vital.

5. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a full-time translator and interpreter based in Athens, Greece, wife to Nikos and mum to Manos. I am half Greek and half English and grew up on the remote Cycladic island of Amorgos. I studied in Manchester (UK) and in Naples (Italy). I enjoy traveling and am addicted to running! My dream is to run the Antarctic marathon one day.

 

Farzaneh Tamnanloo

People are always looking for peace, but today’s world is full of violence and cruelty. Everyone must do what they can to help make peace. I can understand the pain of people who have left their homes and have abandoned everything to survive. Many years ago, in my country, Iran, I saw people who were homeless after a severe flood. They had lost everything, but at least they could speak or communicate with others to get help. But refugees, in addition to their dire situation, cannot even discuss their basic needs ‫ with those trying to assist them. So I decided to become part of a Rapid Response Translation Team.

We translate news, information about camps and registration centers, weather reports, and instructions for asylum seekers. I usually translate about 300 to 1000 words per day as part of the Rapid Response Team. I also have an active profile in the TWB Workspace‫.

Language is one of the fundamental human needs. In this critical situation, people are suffering from psychological pressure, as well as the loss of their homes and family members. The suffering caused by not understanding other people’s words, should not be an additional obstacle to refugees. Translation helps to remedy this situation.

I’m a biologist. I have a Master of Science in Plant Developmental Biology. Plant tissue culture is my primary profession. Currently, I am working as an R&D manager of a research center. After finishing an English course, and because of my interest in translation, I started to work as a translator in specialized fields related to biology, medicine, chemistry, and agriculture. I now have more than eight years of translation experience.

 

Ahmed Samir

Volunteer work brings me a lot of joy and gives me a window to escape from deadline stress and stiff commercial content. Volunteering for a Rapid Response Team with Translators without Borders has given me the chance to really enjoy translation. It has given me the opportunity to communicate with other translators and coordinators across the region and globally. Collaborating with peers turns the process into an online rhythmic dance where everyone translates and edits each other’s work. There is a spirit that unites us as a team; there are vulnerable people and volunteers on the ground, struggling in extreme conditions and we should help them with our tiny in-house efforts.

I mainly edit media roundups, refugee stories and other journalistic material, but I sometimes join in the translation efforts for the Rapid Response Team and exchange information, guidelines and suggestions with other contributors. This dialogue has been constructive. Throughout last year, the project management response was impressive and professional. It provided the necessary help and orientation to raise awareness of the cause we are supporting.  I believe it would be useful to create a proprietary software platform that may further orchestrate the process and enhance consistency and terminology unification. Also, it could speed up the pace of delivery and increase quality.

In the coming year, more work is needed, as the constant flow of refugees on a painful journey to where they think might be a new home continues. Language can be a tool to alleviate their grief. Even a translated sign or welcome note in a registration camp could make a difference and enhance relationships.

I work as a translator in Cairo, but sometimes feel that a linguist is just a small gear in a huge machine, processing languages for profit.  However, volunteer projects or community translation help to remedy this situation.

 

 

TWB Access to Knowledge Awards 2016

In February, TWB announced the winners of the 3rd Access to Knowledge Awards.  The awards recognize individuals or organizations that contributed outstanding work that exemplifies the our mission to translate for humanity.

The Access to Knowledge Awards began in 2012 to honor volunteers, donors, and non-profit partners.  The awards are given within each of the organization’s six pillars: Organizational Excellence, Translator Community and Workspace, Training, Nonprofit Partnerships, Financial Sustainability, Awareness and Communications. The Translators without Borders Board of Directors, staff, and advisers nominate candidates and vote for 6 winners. In addition, a number of honorable mentions are also awarded.

“Without the assistance this past year from all our dedicated supporters, Translators without Borders would not have succeeded in helping as many people and translating as many words as we did”, said Aimee Ansari, Executive Director of Translators without Borders. “We reached the major milestone of 30 million words translated earlier this year. In 2015, we activated the Words of Relief crisis relief network to respond yet again to an urgent crisis (the European refugee crisis), and we continue to build the capacity and to train translators in our field office in Kenya.  These are just examples of the work that is being done and we hope to continue to build on our successes. That is only possible with the generous support of our donors, the dedication of our volunteers, and the commitment of our non-profit partners.”


The 2016 Access to Knowledge Award Winners

The Excellence Award 

Awarded to an individual who has gone above and beyond the call-of-duty in helping Translators without Borders meet its mission.

Winner: Sue Fortescue

Honorable Mention: Marek Gawrysiak – TextPartner and Ewa Gawrysiak – TextPartner

The Right to Knowledge Award

Awarded to an individual (or company contributor), who has made a difference through his or her ongoing commitment to the translation of humanitarian information.

Winner: The European Refugees Rapid Response Team

Honorable Mention: Eric Ragu and the Nepali Rapid Response Team

The Empowerment Award

Awarded to an individual whose work has allowed us to significantly move the barometer in increasing language capacity within a critical region of the world.

Winner: Nancy Matis

Honorable Mention: Simon Andriesen

The Humanitarian Communicator Award

Awarded to a non-profit who understands the critical link between language/translation and access to critical knowledge.

Winner:  Jus MacKinnon and Ji Lucas – Qatar Computing Research Institute

Honorable mention: Humanity Road

The Donor Award

Awarded to the individual or company or foundation/trust that has made a significant financial contribution to aid TWB in meeting its mission.

Winner: Renato Beninatto, Moravia

Honorable Mention: Will Lewis, Microsoft

The Communicator of the Year

Awarded to the person who has creatively used marketing and public relations to build awareness of the organization and the need to provide content in the right language.

Winner: Marleen Laschet

Honorable Mention: Bjarne Poulsen

 

 

Markus Meisl

This issue’s interviewee and Volunteer is Markus Meisl. Markus has been working as a part of the Sponsorship Team for Translators without Borders (TWB) for 5 years, always ready to communicate with sponsors and ensure they get the recognition they deserve.

Here is what Markus shared with us about himself and his work for TWB.

“I grew up in Berlin when the Wall was still up, so I grew up in the coolest place on earth”, says Markus, when asked to tell us about his story. “I’m a trained conference interpreter, I studied in Heidelberg and lived in Vancouver, Canada, for more than 8 years- and I didn’t really want to come back!”

Markus, who has been working at SAP since 1998 and is now  manager in its language department, tells us how he found out about TWB and why he decided to volunteer.

“I was at a Localization World conference, and Lori Thicke held a presentation about TWB (which she founded). I was at an age where what you do in your work life ideally also satisfies your moral needs of doing something good for the world every day, and this seemed to be a really worthwhile cause. I had volunteered for an immigrant settlement agency in Vancouver before, and I thought it was a good time to get back into something similar, so I contacted Lori and asked if there was anything that I could help with.”

Of his role at TWB Markus says, “I work as a liaison between TWB and the companies who provide it with sponsorships on a yearly basis, such as translation agencies. When an agency pays the money they pledged, I make sure that they provide us with their logo, a short description of their company, and all their social media ID, so that we can recognize their contribution and that they can support us through their channels.”
Markus says that getting people to respond to his emails quickly is the trickiest part of the job, but this doesn’t stop him from enjoying volunteering for TWB: “I find it really satisfying to be helping an organization that does social work in a broader sense, it’s where I get that moral satisfaction that in my regular day job I don’t always have.”

Aside from working at SAP and volunteering for TWB, Markus spends his free time doing a lot of physical exercise (such as running, playing soccer, and skiing) which he needs in order to stay balanced, “At least that’s what my wife says!”. He doesn’t just play football, he also supports Berlin’s own team, Hertha BSC. Most importantly, Markus enjoys spending time with his wife and his kids. “We love taking the dog out in the forest and hanging out at coffee shops”.

 

 

The TWB Cookbook

Translators without Borders latest project: The TWB Cookbook!

The Translators without Borders (TWB) Cookbook project, launched in January 2016, was inspired by posts in the Foodie Translators Facebook group, created by Claire Cox.  When a member posted a recipe from her grandmother’s cookbook, someone suggested creating a family cookbook from the dozens of posted recipes.  Other members suggested using it as a fundraiser and supporting TWB!  As TWB Volunteer Manager, I accepted this proposal and the TWB Cookbook is quickly coming to life. The cookbook will soon be published as a series of downloadable PDF files on the TWB website. People who who access the recipes are encouraged to donate using the Donation tab on the website.  We also hope to make a printed version available at a later date.

The first recipe is for the veggie soup Ifty and his team of volunteers serve to hundreds (sometimes thousands) of refugees every day on the Greek island of Chios.  The soup is served from a woodfired soup kitchen, shown in the photo below.

The cookbook project has attracted lots of interest from people wanting to participate with TWB.  The cookbook was also  featured in the Institute for Translators and Interpreters London Regional Group Newsletter! This is a positive and fun way to raise awareness for TWB. A big thanks to all Foodie Translators group who has helped make this a reality. Your support is wonderful.

TWB supporters are welcome to contribute original recipes, (not subject to copyright or taken from websites or cookbooks).  For more information and the template for submitting recipes, please contact [email protected].

To join the Foodie Translators Facebook group, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/FoodieTranslators/?fref=nf#

 

 

Welcome message

Words of Comfort, Words of Relief

In a crisis, sometimes a word in the right language can make all the difference. For Translators without Borders, that word is “Welcome”.

Language might not be the first issue people associate with European refugees. In our work on the Greek island of Lesbos, we have seen an urgent need for information in the right language. Imagine surviving a perilous journey by sea with your family and not knowing where you’ve landed or where to go next, or  wondering whether the locals will help you or send you back out to sea.

Translators without Borders is making sure that the first word the refugees see and understand is Welcome. To make this possible and to ensure better communication on the ground, Translators without Borders has set up virtual Rapid Response Teams of translators for Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Greek, Pashto, and Urdu.  Rapid Response Teams work remotely to deliver essential translations in real time.

Without Greek or English language skills, arrival on these foreign shores can be bewildering and frightening. When the refugees arrive at night, they need to know whether they should continue on (travel is dangerous for them at night) and where they can find dry clothes and shelter for themselves and their children (directions are provided to the nearest refugee camp).

As the refugees move north, the search for asylum to escape the wars and other dangers they left behind. Translators without Borders continues to provide language support by participating in innovative programs sponsored by Google, the Red Cross, and the UN High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR.

 Translators without Borders Deputy Director Rebecca Petras leads the ongoing efforts to help the refugees. An inspirational team of volunteers is working to keep up with the demand, but more help is needed. Translators without Borders currently has a need for more Arabic, Pashto, Farsi/Dari, and Greek speakers  to help deliver rapid response to the European refugee crisis. If you are a translator in any of these languages and would like to volunteer with Translators without Borders, please fill out our volunteer form HERE.

Safety, dignity, and empowerment for all refugees is not possible without the right to information in their native language. The volunteers for Translators without Borders believe this is a cause worth fighting for. 

Lori Thicke

Founder Lexcelera and LexWorks (a Lexcelera technology company)

Founder Translators without Borders

Twitter: @lorith

We are Humanity: Volunteering on Chios

Translators without Borders has been working with aid organizations responding to the European Refugee crisis since September. Every day, TWB deploys its Words of Relief Rapid Response Teams in Arabic, Farsi and Greek to improve communications between refugees and aid organizations, governments and local residents. Having spent months engrossed in the crisis from afar, TWB Deputy Director, Rebecca Petras, decided to go to Greece with her family in late December and early January as an independent volunteer. Below is part one of her experience volunteering on Chios. Part two will focus on the language divide.


Volunteering on chios

There’s a boat! There’s a boat!” screamed my daughter from her perch 50 meters above the sea, correctly identifying the approaching black blob. Everyone mobilized. The ‘pirates’ grabbed rescue gear, cars were called to bring dry clothes. The nurse grabbed her kit. We ran to the van to get it warm for babies. And then the boat took a sharp turn up the coast. As often was the case, they had heard us and did not know if we were friend or foe.

When the cold, wet, scared bodies finally reached the shore and emerged from the brush, 200 meters up the coast, we were there, ready to help. Chaos ensued. Lifejackets thrown off. Arms gestured to determine if anyone was still in the water. Children clung to moms. A crying and soaked baby was thrust into my arms.

For the next hour we did what volunteers all along the shores of eastern Greek islands do every night. Helped take wet clothes off tiny children. Stood guard at brush where women could privately change their garb. Threw our coats around freezing babies. Held the emergency kit for the nurse as she treated a tiny figure. Put gloves on dozens and dozens of very cold hands. Gave families small change so they could take the bus to registration in town. All in the pitch dark, -4 degrees Celsius night.

And when they had all loaded on the bus, we sighed, dazed and confused. We stumbled around picking up wet clothes, saving the trousers and shoes that could be recycled for the next night, and waiting for the next call.

More than 1,500 refugees scrambled ashore that night on Chios.

Hungry and tired, these individuals and families hail from as far away as Afghanistan. They carry almost nothing. They wear the same clothes for days, weeks, months. When we give them a fresh pair of trousers, they leave the old, not wanting to carry more than required.

But their joy shines through. This is Greece. This is Europe. Safety. They think not about the hardships to come – they made it – and everyone in the boat made it. They were not the mother who lost her son at sea the next night, or the woman who was thrown out to lighten the load a couple nights later. Tonight they will sleep in a cold warehouse, dry and together. And that is good.\

Yet as volunteers, hailing from all over Europe and North America, we have a different view.

We see the hunger. With bad weather in Turkey, people wait days in the woods, waiting for their chance to get on a boat. Food is not the focus, getting across 6 kilometers of water is. When we feed this group and hundreds of others the next day, we feel inadequate: One cup of vegetarian high-protein soup per person with one piece of bread and a piece of fruit does not fill stomachs. But when all is sourced and financed by volunteers, it is the best we can do.

We see the misunderstandings, miscommunication and confusion.

At any given time, at least three languages are in play. Unlike other crises, where the affected population is generally on their home turf, in this crisis the local population does not speak the language of the affected population. They don’t even share common scripts; only a tiny minority understand Greek and one of the main languages of the refugees, Arabic or Farsi. As this is my particular area of interest, I’ll share more on this is my next posting.

We see the incredible care of the locals. Before the crisis, Toula was a single mom running a small tourist hotel south of Chios Town – she is now the heart and soul behind search and rescue, mobilizing teams every evening at her hotel, giving volunteers huge discounts at her hotel, and washing trousers every day to give to the next group. The pirates are three local guys who patrol the coast on their motorbikes every night. Despoina gave away all her clothes when she saw people emerging from the water in front of her home. Then she gave away all her husband’s clothes. When she had nothing for the wet and cold children who approached her, she knew it was time to create a donation shop where she works every day, organizing donations, giving out clothes to those who just came ashore, handing a small toy to each child.

We see the endless lack of leadership in this crisis. The Greek government. The Turkish government. The EU. The UN. The governments responsible for the bloodshed. Where are they?

And finally, when we leave, returning to our daily lives, we see and feel the emptiness in our hearts. Where did they go? Will they make it? Will they be able to carry the babies all that way? Will we learn to live together?

I left a piece of my heart on Chios. But I gained an understanding of what it means to be a true contributor to a better world, and I hope to hold on to that as I work to help from afar.

Rebecca PetrasBy Rebecca Petras, Translators without Borders Deputy Director and Head of Innovation

Twenty-seven million words donated, and counting!

Activity

Between 2011 (when the Translators without Borders Workspace powered by ProZ.com started running) and September 2015, TWB delivered 27 million translated words to humanitarian organizations.

In the 12 month period to July 2015 TWB delivered more than 7.4 million words, an average of almost 620,000 words per month. This represents a 10.4% reduction with respect to the previous 12 month period.

When the monthly variations are “smoothed” by graphing six month averages over a longer term, we can detect a sustained period of growth peaking in mid-2014 followed by a gradual downward trend (Figure 1).

Trends last 12 months
Figure 1: Trends last 12 months

Translators

2,839  translators had been approved by TWB by July 2015, a 7.5percent increase over the number reported in our December 2014 newsletter.

Interestingly, only 62 percent of this pool has delivered translated words. The remainder are either inactive or work on language pairs with low or no demand. Our top five volunteers, representing only 0.1 percent of the pool, have donated around 5 percent of our total translation output (a total of one and a half million translated words in the past 12 months.

They are Eric Ragu (360,655 words), ishaklamia (355,808 words), Ashutosh Mitra (283,212 words), Raquel Bentué (256,447 words) and Carine Toucand (256,151 words). One explanation for lower translator engagement is that individual language pairs show imbalances between translator availability and demand. This means that some translators have few opportunities while others are over-burdened; some pairs also show a high level of cancelled requests.

We are currently evaluating a revised recruiting procedure, to help us increase the average output of individual translators and focus on language pairs where we have the most work. This will increase the proportion of approved translators who are actively engaged in TWB’s translation work.

Language pairs

During the last 12 months our translators accepted volunteer assignments in 128 language pairs. The top language pair was English to French, representing 23 percent of the operation, followed by English to Spanish (16 percent), French to English (11 percent), English to Portuguese (6 percent) and Spanish to English (6 percent). Overall, the top three pairs represented 50 percent of the words posted for translation in the last 12 months, up from 48 percent in December 2014.

 

Words per language pair
Figure 2: Words per language pair

TWB strives to deliver translations in many languages, including hard to source languages of Africa and India. In reality our operation tends to concentrate on a few Eurocentric languages. In particular our top language pair is English to French, where demand tends to be stronger than our resources can deliver. French is a language of under-resourced countries and a major humanitarian language, so it is not surprising that it is our top language pair.

Additionally, the TWB board is re-evaluating the focus on quantity of output, instead considering more carefully how we can measure the type of content we are translating. For example, translating a short disease prevention poster into many Indian languages may not contribute to a high word count, but it does significantly increase access to information.

Figure 3 shows the monthly evolution of the top language pairs. The top pair shows moderate fluctuations around its average value of 23 percent. The top three and top five pairs average 48 percent and 61 percent respectively, but the most relevant factor is their clear upward trend. During the 12-month period reported, the top five language pairs went from 50 percent to 76 percent of total delivered words.

 

Language pairs trends
Figure 3: Language pairs trends

 

Partner non-profits

A record 188 humanitarian organizations requested our services during the last 12 months, a 17.5 percent increase with respect to the 160 reported in our last newsletter.

Top partners during that period were Médicos Sin Fronteras de España (775,221 words delivered), Wikipedia (571,925 words), The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (361,411 words), Acción contra el Hambre de España (313,931 words) and Centre for Access to Football in Europe (228,469 words). In other words, 30 percent of the words TWB translated last year were submitted by 3 percent of partners.

 

 

 

Our response to the Nepal earthquakes

How would you feel if you were trapped deep inside a collapsed building after a massive earthquake, and the only sounds you can hear are people  the rescue teams working to locate you  shouting in a foreign language? And how can Translators without Borders (TWB) help?

News of the Nepal earthquake reached TWB almost as soon as it happened on 25 April.  We immediately issued a request for translation volunteers and activated a Rapid Response Team, consisting of 25 professional translators and bilinguals.  That team worked tirelessly to ensure that Nepalis affected by the disaster had access to timely, accurate and understandable information after both the first and second major earthquakes and during the severe aftershocks.

Specifically, TWB:

  • translated over 500 terms into Nepali, Newari and Hindi for search and rescue workers and for people monitoring messages coming from the affected populations;
  • translated, approved and sanctioned Twitter messages which contained crucial information about first aid and protection during and after the earthquakes;
  • translated and distributed a comprehensive First Aid document from English to Nepali;
  • translated and distributed ‘after earthquake’ messaging and public service announcements from the Centers for Disease Control;
  • monitored local language media, including print, radio and video, and provided transcripts of videos to help aid organisations improve their responses;
  • provided translations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for their #familylinks programme to help find missing persons; and
  • created a text-to-speech tool for Nepali, specifically designed for first responders.

“Translation really matters,” said Andrew Bredenkamp, TWB’s Board Chair. “The TWB translation team delivered aid by enabling the flow of critical communications in the native languages of Nepali and Newari.”

Heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers, and especially to the Nepali translators, many of whom were also coping with injuries to family members and damage to property.  Our thoughts are with them.

New Project Manager role and more freedom with files

The Translators without Borders Workspace powered by ProZ.com is now also available to ProZ.com corporate members. Several translation companies are using it to manage their commercial translation work, and their feedback and requests keep the platform evolving and improving.

New PM roles for the Workspace

The project manager role has been redefined with the following characteristics:

  • PMs can create work orders and access and manage the work orders and jobs they create;
  • PMs will have no access to jobs created by others, unless specifically invited;
  • PMs can be invited to a new work order (and all associated jobs) created by others;
  • PMs can also be invited to participate in a job already created by others; and
  • PMs will have no access to other critical information in the Workspace.

More freedom with source files

One of the main requests received was for a more flexible management of source files when creating a new work order. To this end:

  • all restrictions on file type were removed for the upload of source and reference files;
  • the restriction on file size remains (up to 10 MB) but it is now possible to create a work order without uploading a source file. Larger files can, for instance, be stored in a cloud service (such as Dropbox), while including the access information and the word count in the work order form;
  • this new feature is also useful for deploying and assigning a project while awaiting the final source file; and
  • it is also appropriate for creating a work order from a mobile device with bandwidth or file handling limitations.
Source file not to be uploaded
Source file not to be uploaded

Selecting “Source file not to be uploaded” will allow a work order to be created without uploading a source file. Information on how the file(s) can be accessed should be included in the Notes or Special Instructions areas. Also, a box will open to enable the file word count to be manually entered.

Client work order codes

When creating a new work order, it is now possible, to record a client code in the work order and all jobs associated with it. This code is searchable and will enable clients to track their translation requests in line with their own project management systems.

Client codes
Client codes

New support platform

Information on these new features and other TWB Workspace characteristics can be found on the new support page.