Author: Translators without Borders

At Translators without Borders we are very lucky to have support from Content Rules. Founder and CEO, Val Swisher, besides being a board member, has also generously encouraged her English editors to volunteer time to edit important English content. In most cases the Content Rules team works with healthcare content for two of our biggest projects – the Wikipedia 80 x 100 project and the Open University HEAT project. Typically the team simplifies the content which is then translated into many languages. Additionally the edited English medical articles for Wikipedia are provided on simplified English Wikipedia and provided directly to readers throughout the world. This quarter we profile a number of the Content Rules Editors!

Nicole Acrey
I’m a trained linguist now working as a linguistic project consultant at Acrolinx GmbH. I studied linguistics during both my undergraduate and graduate studies and have had a lifelong affinity for languages – the way they can convey aspects of a culture and bring people together never ceases to amaze me. When I was asked to participate in a project for Translators without Borders, I quickly jumped at the opportunity, as I was greatly moved by the work that was being done by this organization. The editing and terminology work I’ve been doing for TWB has been eye-opening in terms of how valuable and important information can truly be. Getting to play even a small part in this fantastic cause has been a pleasure and I look forward to what comes next.

James Longbotham
As the Acrolinx project consultant responsible for supporting Translators without Borders, I’ve been involved in a number of initiatives on various fronts, mostly related to building up a medical glossary with translations in multiple African languages. I have a background in linguistics and don’t normally work as an editor, but I was glad to have the opportunity to move out from behind the scenes and help out with some actual editing. It became very clear, very fast, reading through and simplifying health guides for during and after pregnancy just how vital these initiatives are. If even only one life is saved because of access to this information, then all this work will have been more than worth it.

Amy Guzules
I’ve been an editor of networking technology content for 20 years. I’ve always known that the work that I do benefits readers by providing them with clear and concise instructions and conceptual information. Readers are better able to do their jobs because I work with content creators to correct errors and clarify meaning. When I’ve done my job well, readers don’t notice…they just get on with their work. But I don’t know that my efforts have had a life-changing impact on these readers. (Well, maybe the instructions to get two people to lift a fully loaded chassis helped to avoid a disaster!)

Then I was asked to volunteer my expertise for Translators without Borders. I felt called to help. I was amazed at the plans for the content and where it would be used after TWB was finished. Finally I could use my skills to have a positive, truly life-changing impact on other people. My work helps to provide clear medical information to people who do not have access to the type of medical care that I am blessed to have. This work feeds my soul, and I feel privileged to help TwB make a real difference in the world.

Marguerite Paolino
I have had experience in internal and external communications, journalism, marketing, public relations, speechwriting, and website development. In addition to providing freelance services, I work for UMass Medical School’s nonprofit health care consulting division, where I develop strategic communications for internal and external audiences.

I believe strongly in the mission of Translators without Borders. When I am working on a TWB project, I keep one thought in mind: the act of simplifying the words on the screen in front of me will make a difference for someone else. Access to clear, accurate information — especially about health care — can have a powerful, positive impact on individuals and communities. I am happy to have a role in making sure that people who need the facts actually have them.

Gaela Schlak
I have 15 years of experience as an Executive Assistant managing the busy schedules and projects of CEOs, Partners, Senior Directors, and Directors in both large and small companies. More recently I was promoted into the role of an Account Manager at Content Rules where project planning and management is the key to success. What I love most about what I do is the variety of projects and the diversity of people with whom I am privileged to work. I am still learning the content industry and I am fortunate enough to work with the best of the best at Content Rules.

It is my project management skills that I have found most helpful in working on Translators without Borders. We can have up to 10 articles in the process of being edited at any given time. I have the fun task of juggling each one of those articles, ensuring they get into the hands of our amazing editors.

There is no reason that the health of any person should be at risk due to a lack of properly written information – especially when we can do something about it! I am grateful to have the opportunity to participate on a project as far-reaching as TwB. I know the work we are doing is truly making a difference and changing lives.

Debra Rubin
I am an award-winning editor and writer working as a communications consultant. I provide editing, website content, profiles, features, op-eds, and research for varied clients, including media outlets, advocacy groups, think tanks, and communication firms. I’m a freelance copy editor for CQ Roll Call and have been working with College Summit, a nonprofit that seeks to create a college-going culture among low-income students. My articles have appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, JTA, Religion News Service and Bethesda Magazine.

I’m interested in editing in the health field, so was delighted to volunteer as a copy editor to help simplify medical articles for Translators without Borders.

Daniel McMinn
I am a former Peace Corps volunteer to Ukraine who, after some world-traveling, decided with my wife that we would settle here in Lviv. You could say I liked Translators without Borders because I consider my technical editing a bit like doing crossword puzzles for a living. There’s enough challenge trying to figure out which words will fit where to make it interesting, and it’s profitable enough to meet my family’s needs, but I don’t feel like I’m making a contribution the way I sometimes feel about volunteer work. Since the Peace Corps I’ve been convinced that much of the best volunteer work is done by people who’ve found ways to repurpose skills they’ve developed from experience in the paying world. So of course I was thrilled to be able to use my content localization experience to help spread health information through the wonderful Wikipedia.

This past year has been exceptional for Translators without Borders. We have accomplished so much this year, much of which you can read about in this newsletter. None of it would be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and our donors, and the dedication of our volunteers.

To celebrate and honor our volunteers and donors, the board of Translators without Borders has established a new annual award program. The Translators without Borders’ Access to Knowledge Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond with their commitment to or mission and vision.
The Translators without Borders’ Access to Knowledge Awards have been created within each of our ‘six pillars’, identified earlier this year in our strategic framework. These pillars—Organizational Excellence, Translator Community and Workspace, Training, Nonprofit Partnerships, Financial Sustainability, Awareness and Communications—are like the gears in an old clock: They must work together to accurately achieve our mission.

Choosing recipients for our six new awards was very difficult! We created criteria for each award–including the need for each recipient to be active since early this year—and disqualified all board members and staff members. Then we took nominations from board members. Finally, the executive committee member responsible for each pillar made the decision on recipient and honorable mentions, and the executive committee as a whole reviewed the final decisions.
The Translators without Borders’ Access to Knowledge recipients will receive a fashionable Translators without Borders T-Shirt, a lapel pin and a certificate of gratitude. Not much considering all they have done—but we are a low-budget operation!

Finally, before unveiling the awards, I’d like to say the real winners are the people who can better understand vital information because of the hard work of ALL of our volunteers and support from ALL of our donors. I wish we could recognize by name every single person who has contributed to Translators without Borders this year. Thank you very much to everyone!

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.

Awarded to Henry Dotterer
We just cannot say enough about Henry Dotterer, his company, ProZ.com, and the overall support provided to our mission. Henry not only enthusiastically offered to host and power the platform where the action happens (The Translators without Borders Translation Workspace), but also provides us with a full-time project manager and a developer who keeps improving the platform. Henry is also personally an advisor to Translators without Borders, and if that is not enough, he offered a funding match as part of #GivingTuesday in November, ultimately funding six new translators through our Fund-a-Translator program!

Honorable Mentions

Anne-Marie Colliander-Lind is key to our fundraising efforts, but she is so much more than that. She is a true cheerleader and champion of our cause.

Rocio Haskell, our volunteer coordinator who has helped us significantly improve our volunteer management system

Marla Schulman, our non-profit coordinator and a Silver sponsor who is instrumental in helping us attract more non-profits to our cause.

The Right to Knowledge Award: Awarded to an individual (or company contributor) who has made a difference through his or her ongoing commitment to translation of humanitarian information.

Awarded to Ildikó Santana
Ildikó is our language lead for Hungarian in the Wikipedia project. She has contributed 47,555 words. What makes Ildikó special is her proactive character and broad contributions that made Enrique Cavalitto appoint her this month as day-to-day coordinator for all mainstream languages in the Wikipedia project.

Honorable Mentions

The Content Rules Editors, creators of critical ‘translations’ into simplified English, especially for our Wikipedia project and HEAT healthcare project.

Marcia Miner, our top translator, contributing over 120K words since January 2011.

Ashutosh Mitra, our top non-European translator, over 50K words contributed, leader of the Wikipedia project into Hindi.

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.

Awarded to Iribe Mwangi
Iribe is Senior Lecturer at University of Nairobi’s Department of Linguistics and Languages. He is advisor and counselor for TWBs activities in Kenya, is member of the board of directors of TWB Kenya, and has been a supporter of our work since November 2011, when we started preparing to set up the TWB Health Translators’ Training Center in Nairobi.

Honorable Mention

Common Sense Advisory, which created a critical piece of research for Translators without Borders this year, entitled “The Need for Translation in Africa.”

The Humanitarian Communicator Award: Awarded to a non-profit who understands the critical link between language/translation and access to critical knowledge.

Awarded to Médecins Sans Frontières (all regions)
In the first year of our awards, we want to recognize our very first non-profit, Médecins Sans Frontières. It was their request, and willingness to put funds back into their field operations, that kick started Translators without Borders almost 20 years ago! The organization continues to be a major believer in information provided in the right language, and several of MSF’ regions are active users of our services, especially Switzerland.

Honorable mentions

The Mother and Child Health and Education Trust/Nand Wadhwani , a real humanitarian hero.

Wikimedia Foundation/James Heilman, leader of a program that should change the availability of critical medical information in many languages.

Zafèn/Griselda Garibay, a great micro-lending humanitarian non-profit active in Haiti.

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.

Awarded to Lionbridge
Lionbridge is a long-term supporter of Translators without Borders. This year the company became a Platinum sponsor of our organization. The company’s culture of giving has contributed to many individual donations over the past two years, but just as important, the management has supported TWB with in-kind donations and significant staff time in Europe and North America.

Honorable Mentions

eLanex, our first Platinum sponsor with a very committed leader, Donald Plumley, at the helm

Rubric, our very first Gold sponsor and a truly dedicated supporter

Text Partner, a Fund-a-Translator donor who not only raised enough funds for two translators through their bike ride through Eastern Europe, but also created awareness for our cause.

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.

Awarded to Marina Sayfulina
Marina is our tireless social media maven. Through Marina’s efforts, our Twitter followers have grown to more than 4,400 and our Facebook fans have exceeded 5,000. While others certainly contribute to social media, Marina is always in the background, just chugging along, getting our name out there. She will often pull things from the website and get them on our networks in interesting ways. She has introduced us to Google+ and maintains communications through LinkedIn as well. She also communicates directly with people who post to our networks. And she does it all with a smile.

Honorable Mentions

Dominic Spurling, our chief web engineer without whom we would be lost!

Chily Vico-Gimena, our designer who created our website design, brochure design and much, much more

Markus Meisl, always there, communicating with our donors

Ashutosh Mitra is an English <> Hindi translator based in Allahabad, in India. He joined Translators without Borders (TWB) in August 2011 and, with 39,000 words donated, he’s the top TwB translator for English to Hindi. He’s also the language lead for Hindi in the WikiProject Medicine.

Hi, Ashutosh! Tell us a bit about yourself as a translator.

I was in marketing for nine years, but was dissatisfied. I come from a literary family — both my parents are Sanskrit and Hindi authors and teachers, so my passion for languages was calling. In 2002 I took the plunge and started writing and translating stories for children and neo-literates. I started working in the medical field and other domains in 2005.

What made you volunteer for Translators without Borders?

I had the urge to give back to society, so I decided to grab the offer placed by Enrique Cavalitto. He is the reason I joined and he’s very supportive… a big THANKS to him.

Any particular memorable TWB project or anecdote?

I have not contributed much (around 39,000 words only), but each project that I do is a challenge, as in our profession you have a new job almost every day, which need not be from common fields.

What challenges, if any, are you facing or did you face as a Translator without Borders?

Unlike many other languages, few Hindi translators are coming forward to contribute to the cause at Translators without Borders. Hence, most of the time, being busy with other projects, these projects get delayed from my side or from other contributors. Though I try to translate at least 200-300 words a day for the project, time management becomes critical. Content is always a challenge, and if it is missing… then translating will be like any other monotonous job.

You’re the top Translator without Borders in your language pair (English to Hindi). Tell us a bit about TwB Hindi projects?

My major contribution is for the WikiProject Medicine (almost 90%). In India, literacy and health care are major issues. Hindi is spoken and understood across the country, so any information available in Hindi will certainly reach masses. The other project is the “HealthPhone healthcare project”. In India, mobile phones have reached even uneducated people, so these healthcare-related audio and visual materials, if made available with cheap phones, will be a big help for these populations.

When you are not translating for TWB, what do you enjoy doing to take a break from translation?

Rejuvenation is very important. I take breaks and spend few full days with my family, especially with my children.

For our last issue of this year, we interviewed Rocio Haskell, a Paris lover and a yoga teacher, who has a varied professional background, and is in charge of coordinating non-translator volunteers for Translators without Borders (TWB). Rocio has helped to bring some structure and centralize information about volunteers, so as to meet Translators without Borders’ current needs with the right volunteers for the tasks ahead.

• If you were to write a brief wiki article about yourself, what facts and personal characteristics would you include?

I am dedicated to many diverse activities; I have never planned anything, but things just sorted themselves out! I studied Management at Northwestern University, and later my experience in different jobs has taken me to many places all in the world, including almost every country in Latin America. I have been living in Geneva for a year now since my husband took a position here.

• What is your role at Translators without Borders?

My main role involves coordinating non-translator volunteers. I met Rebecca and Lori in Paris, and told them I had signed up for volunteering 6 months earlier, and no one had contacted me! So I told them, “You need somebody to coordinate the rest of the tasks, such as social media, the website…” There was nobody looking for help with non-translation tasks like accounting. Now, we have added some pages to the website, and we recruit people who are not translators as well since we also need other types of volunteers. Basically, I deal with issues that do not have direct relation with translation itself, but with screening translators, reframing the processes, putting in place the structure, the network, and the organizational framework. I also address questions such as, “What are our needs? Do we have the right people with the right skills to fulfill those needs?”

• What has motivated you to help TWB?

Translators without Borders crosses over many non-profits since it supports other organizations and it helps them to communicate better. I have engaged with TwB’s message and goals, and I think I have found my own niche within the organization: I identified the need of recruiting non-translators and I volunteered to be in charge of this task.

• How do you squeeze in time for your volunteer tasks?

Every day I devote a couple of hours to working with volunteers; I feel productive and useful spending my time with TwB’s tasks. I really enjoy talking and working with Lori and Rebecca; they are so different from each other, but their individual voices project so much enthusiasm – they are inspiring!

• What do you consider are the challenges ahead for your role and for TWB?

As Translators without Borders is an entirely volunteer-based organization, the main challenge is expanding the network to find translators and other necessary roles; that is, finding the right people with the adequate set of skills (in relation to fund raising, for instance) and having the channels to find dedicated people for sustained periods of time. We need to keep volunteers engaged with our cause.

• What would you say to someone who is thinking about joining a cause like TWB?

Well, to someone who is not a translator, but would like to join Translators without Borders, I would say that we definitely need supporting roles and supporting players in order for translation to occur. Join in, try it and see if it is for you! All roles are important, and sustained volunteering is paramount; every ten volunteers, one sticks – that makes it worthwhile.

• To what extent do your professional and personal goals come together with your volunteer work?

Very early on in my career I noticed that I can help people out with the business side of things. For example, when I served as a Localization Manager with Wells Fargo, I collaborated with La Cocina, a small business initiative, where women knew a lot about the core of the business – cooking – but needed help with bookkeeping. So I select causes that are part of my world, i.e., which involve multicultural communication.

• What do you feel is your greatest achievement within Translators without Borders and beyond, and what is your biggest dream in life?

I think that some great achievements in my area include building a database for volunteers who are non translators, allowing the board to support their higher up activities, setting up a process, identifying needs – since when you need volunteers, you also need marketing and a means to communicate with them, through social media, for instance. Now, everything is in one place, and all applicants go there. We have centralized the information, which makes it easier and more efficient for everybody – and most importantly, we all share the same information now!

Target shooting
In paper: Classic French novelists 
On the web: New York Times and all sites about Paris!
Open-air activity: Bike-riding 
With friends: A cup of coffee and some pastry 
Family gathering: Thanksgiving