The Translators without Borders (TWB) Community has over 100,000 members from different countries and backgrounds. We help people get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak. To date, we translated more than 85 million words into 200+ languages for 600+ partner nonprofit organizations. Over 40 million people have received vital information thanks to our community members.
You can be part of this. Read on to learn what it’s like to be part of TWB and how to join us!
Being a TWB community member
Being part of the TWB Community is more than translating – it’s a purpose, a charitable commitment to help people who need information – often lifesaving – in their language.
People join TWB for various reasons – to contribute to a good cause, get experience, learn, provide reliable information. Some people have experienced difficulties first-hand, and they join TWB to help others going through the same. Most often, it’s a combination of several factors that make each TWB experience unique.
Being a TWB community member is about:
The impact
When you join the TWB Community, you contribute your time and language skills for social good – to help your community, but also advocate linguistic diversity and inclusion. You help improve communication in various contexts, such as crisis response and mental health.
As a TWB community member, you understand the importance of communicating in the right language and through the right channel. You can see the impact of your contributions with every completed project – and it’s fulfilling. Because, when you translate important information from one language to another, you’re doing so much for people who need that information – you’re helping them learn how to protect themselves in a crisis, what to do during an earthquake or where to ask for help in case of harassment and abuse. You’re helping cast light on critical health topics, such as disease outbreaks or women’s reproductive health. You’re helping educate on nutrition and breastfeeding. You’re helping fight cholera during floods – and so much more.
The connection
As a TWB community member, you are part of the world’s largest community of language volunteers. You have access to our Forum and Platform, where you can connect with and get support from our Community team, language associates, project managers, and peers. To make the experience even more enjoyable for you, we organize interesting events, such as translation contents and LinkedIn lives, so we can get together and socialize.
The learning
In addition to the experience you gain by completing tasks, you also have access to our free courses on humanitarian translation and interpretation, machine translation, and post editing. We host webinars for you to learn about our work, organization, and the industry in general. Our Community team constantly seeks to provide you with an optimal TWB experience, so we’re always adding new opportunities for you to learn and gain new skills.
The growth
Being a TWB community member is rewarding in so many ways. We recognize your contributions and dedication through our Community Recognition Program. You can earn volunteer certificates, reference letters, and professional social media recommendations. If you share your story and TWB experience with us, we can include it in our materials, such as story maps and social media posts. This helps boost your professional profile and visibility, especially if you’re just starting out.
By completing tasks, you can build a portfolio and learn so much to advance your career and explore ways in which you can work in the language industry. Through our partners’ professional opportunities, you can even find a job while volunteering!
How does it all look like in practice?
Joining TWB is easy. You need to register on our Platform, where you can complete your profile – add your language pairs, certificates, and more. You’ll instantly have access to our dashboard, with all currently available tasks ready for you to claim. You can choose tasks you’d like to contribute to, as long as you are available to complete them. Otherwise, there are no restrictions or requirements: you can volunteer as much or as little as you want. However, we do expect you to act responsibly and in line with our Code of Conduct – the information you provide can have a serious impact on people’s lives. We have quality assurance processes in place to ensure content quality, but also foster a community based on trust and accountability. If you ever feel unsure or uncomfortable, you can always get in touch with us for support.
Hear from your fellow community members!
“Volunteering as a translator for TWB also helps to keep your eyes peeled and see things through a different perspective. The world is your oyster, as they say, and it’s out there for you to discover. I feel TWB helps you to do so.”
Andrea Alvisi, TWB community member
“I was fascinated by everyone’s commitment to TWB’s work – regardless of age, gender, country, religion, and work situation. Even members of the TWB staff volunteer with TWB.”
Andreia Frazão, TWB community member
“Volunteering for TWB is easy, professionally rewarding and an incredibly wholesome experience. The TWB staff is always incredibly friendly and helpful! So far, I’ve donated about 300,000 words, it was a positive experience for me, and I will try to make it last as much as possible!”
Elena Fofiu, TWB community member
“Volunteering allows me to appreciate the difficulties imposed by language barriers and the impact on the wellbeing of people who live in communities where they don’t understand the local language.”
Nabil Salibi, TWB community member
“I have been a refugee, and I know what it takes to live in a population with different languages with language barrier problems. I chose to volunteer with TWB for several reasons – to help other nonprofits, improve my skills, and receive recognition, while helping my community in a country facing challenges with different languages.”
Mohamed Abdihafid Issak, TWB community member
If you want to learn more about volunteering with TWB and sign up, visit the TWB language volunteer role page or sign up directly below!