Stop labeling women as vulnerable

A TWB Community blog post by Mariana Estrada Ávila

About Mariana

Mariana Estrada Ávila is a specialist in communications and human rights. She has been working with international organizations for more than ten years. In 2018 she collaborated with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in the launch of the #IndigenousWomen global campaign.

A woman, Mariana, TWB Community member, smiling to the camera

It’s time to change the narrative on vulnerability, embrace equity and make women visible

If you work in a humanitarian or development organization, it is likely you’ll have read or even written or translated many reports, projects, or press releases that mention supporting a common but ambiguous group: “the most vulnerable people.’ And if we look deeper into this vague concept, we find that the first in line are women, followed by children, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, and people with disabilities, among others.

However, in many interviews, rural women, indigenous women, black women, migrant women, and women with disabilities, have agreed that women are not vulnerable people per se. Needless to say, the same goes for Indigenous Peoples, children, migrants, and people with disabilities. As medical doctor and indigenous woman Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine explains, they are people who have been placed in situations of vulnerability by different factors, such as a lack of respect for their rights, marginalization, discrimination, and violence, among others.

Why is the term “vulnerable” problematic?

First and foremost, because it invisibilizes. The problem with the use of such a vague and generalized term as “the most vulnerable people” is that it makes invisible the population that we are trying to prioritize and it ignores the causes of their vulnerable situation. Who knows who you are really addressing when you address such a heterogeneous group? How can you make programs that really help to solve their challenges if the diverse and complex issues and roots are ignored?

Second, the term “vulnerable” carries a negative connotation. It implies that the problem lies with them, or that certain people have some intrinsic characteristics or traits that make them vulnerable. This point has already repeatedly been underlined in the public health sector. The article ‘Vagueness, power, and public health: use of ‘vulnerable‘ in public health literature’ (2019) highlights that the term the most vulnerable people tends to put the burden on the people who are affected, implying that even if programs, policies, and processes change, their vulnerability will remain.

Women are not born vulnerable

Half of the world’s population is not born with fewer capabilities or inherent vulnerability. The systematic lack of respect for women’s human rights, and its intersection with other factors, such as violence, discrimination, or marginalization place women in complex situations of vulnerability.

For example, see this report published in 2021 on Complaint and feedback mechanisms: Effective communication is essential for true accountability in Nigeria. TWB noted that a lack of access to information in a crisis context could reinforce a situation of vulnerability, whereby women in particular, who often have less access to education and less opportunity to learn other languages, could be disproportionately affected by the lack of information in their own language.

Women around the world have advocated for programs and initiatives that address the root causes that can limit the development of their full potential, rather than an approach that builds on, and reinforces an assumption that they will always need assistance, and can’t lead change. As Pratima Gurung from Nepal underlines, it is important to recognize and make visible the potential of women to contribute to the development of communities and society.

Using the power of language to change the narrative on vulnerability

What can we do? No one knows the power of words better than those who use language as their main tool of work. First, it is important to promote a general reflection within our organizations. Through our use of language, are we reinforcing society’s tendency to position women as “vulnerable”? After all, language is one of the most essential components of social dynamics.

Secondly, instead of using “the most vulnerable people” as a catch-all, let us try to identify and name the groups we are really referring to. Let us think about the causes that have put them in this situation. As an example, instead of saying “this COVID-19 pandemic response program will help the most vulnerable people” we can try “this program will help women who were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic“. This allows us to clearly visualize our target population and the causes that have put them in a vulnerable situation.

As writers, translators, and communicators we have the power to change the narrative around vulnerability and thus contribute to reinforcing and making visible that there is something behind this condition – that vulnerability is not inherent to women or other people.

It is important not to forget that a human rights approach to language means focusing on the people and their dignity, rather than labeling them.

About TWB and CLEAR Global

Translators without Borders (TWB) is a global community of over 100,000 language volunteer translators and language specialists offering language services to humanitarian and development organizations worldwide.

TWB is part of CLEAR Global, a US-based nonprofit that also comprises CLEAR Tech and CLEAR Insights. CLEAR Global helps people get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak. We do this through research and scalable language technology solutions that improve two-way communication with communities that speak marginalized languages.

We believe in increasing equity for all people, especially those that are disproportionately affected by language barriers. We endeavor, in our communications, to amplify voices that are marginalized due to a lack of resources in their language. We want to create systematic change in the way the world communicates. This means putting people at the center of our programs and prioritizing humanity and dignity. As a nonprofit, we’re guided by the humanitarian principles of humanitarian aid which means delivering lifesaving assistance to people in need, without discrimination (UNOCHA). Learn more about this important work at clearglobal.org.

Follow TWB on Facebook and LinkedIn. Follow CLEAR Global on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Read more on women’s rights and equity this International Women’s Day

Read our TWB Community stories of women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Check out Maria’s blog on defying inequality in the translation industry.

Guest post written by Mariana Estrada, English, and French to Spanish translator and TWB community member

Unlock the power of language with the TWB Learning Center

Discover our free online translator training courses: launching TWB’s new-look Learning Center!

Introducing the new TWB Learning Center – a place for community members to gain experience in humanitarian translation and learn in-demand language industry skills.

Part of CLEAR Global, TWB brings together over 100,000 language volunteers globally, helping people get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak. Together, we’re dedicated to translating and localizing important information to support the world’s most marginalized people. Our community members work to help our nonprofit partners worldwide provide lifesaving multilingual messages, ensuring everyone can understand. Now we’re launching our new-look Learning Center and brand-new, self-paced online translation courses! The TWB Learning Center is a great way for newcomers and language professionals alike to continue to develop their skills and stay ahead in the industry. So, dive in and get ready to learn something new!

Photo: All community members who successfully complete a course will attain a downloadable certificate. Here are our TWB Nigeria team members with their certificates.

Explore new translator training opportunities exclusive to TWB Community members

Available courses:

Discover the basics of translation (new!)
Introduction to humanitarian translation for the TWB Community
Introduction to Machine Translation (MT) and post-editing (PE)
Humanitarian Translation Training course
Humanitarian Interpreting Training course
Learn about Phrase TMS, our computer-assisted translation tool (coming soon!)

EXPLORE THE TWB LEARNING CENTER NOW

Every contribution matters – in every language: making translator training accessible

Our team of experts has revamped the existing e-learning platform for translators to provide our community members with free, high-quality courses. These courses are designed to be accessible to both experienced localization professionals and those of you who speak marginalized languages. Even if you’re starting from scratch. Perhaps you speak a language that lacks useful translation training resources? Whether you are looking to refresh yourself on the basics, or learn about machine translation and translating for humanitarian contexts, TWB’s Learning Center courses allow you to develop and apply your language skills. So you can make a bigger impact professionally, and personally.

Our community members help us make vital material accessible to more people around the world. The work you do matters. You’re helping some of the world’s most vulnerable people get answers to their questions in times of crisis, know their rights, and how to stay safe when forcibly displaced. You’re helping people get accurate and reliable health information. And you’re helping those who are most impacted by climate change protect themselves and our planet.

Grow your skills and translate for good

The TWB Learning Center offers community members a variety of interactive, self-paced online courses to learn and grow professionally and acquire new skills. Our courses empower linguists and non-professional bilinguals to participate in humanitarian and development translation tasks on the TWB Platform and initiatives for making their languages part of global conversations. These courses cater to everyone, from newcomers to the language industry with no previous experience, to professional translators who are looking to keep up to date with the latest innovations. In the TWB Learning Center, TWB Community members can choose to improve and build their capabilities in areas of their choice, such as translation, machine translation post-editing (MT PE), our computer-assisted translation tool (Phrase TMS), target terminology development and glossaries, desktop publishing, and more to come.

New to TWB, translation, or the humanitarian field?

Everyone is welcome. Our courses are designed to be accessible by speakers of low-resourced and well-resourced languages alike. If you’ve not yet joined the TWB Community, you can sign up today. Learn more about the community and join here. If you’re new to translation and the humanitarian field, complete the TWB Learning Center courses to learn about our translation tools and get practice using your new skills on impactful projects.

Work towards your professional goals with TWB:

Learn about key translation concepts and tools
Get familiar with the tools and skills you need to start working on translation tasks with TWB and in your career
Develop the experience and capability to take on more complex translator training and explore more specialized topics

Photo: a sneak peek of our Learning Center. Ibrahim, left, with a participant testing out a device powered by community members’ translations. It enables displaced people in Bakassi camp, Nigeria, to give feedback to camp staff in their own language. It lets people listen to vital information that matters to them, like how food distribution works.

Don’t miss out – course certification

Once you successfully complete a course on the TWB Learning Center, you can download a certificate. Showcase your skills, share certificates with your network, and enhance your resume. We love to see our global community learning and growing – here are some posts people have shared after completing their courses – why not join them?

Our language volunteers shared their experience

We spoke to Yuriy Kovalenko, English, Ukrainian and Russian translator who shares our love for learning on the TWB Platform

“I have been working with TWB for almost two years, but more actively since the full-scale war in Ukraine started. Now, for almost a year, the flood of information, manuals, and reports was overwhelming and this required faster rendering of diverse texts into the target language. Faster, but maintaining a high quality of translation, meeting deadlines, sustaining attention to detail, localization, and consistency, to name a few. TWB has a user-friendly platform, comradely and supportive staff, detailed and easy-to-follow Translator’s Toolkit for newbies, a Guide for TWB Community members, and Language Quality Inspection/Assessment.”

“When I was invited by TWB to attend their online course on MT PE (machine translation post-editing), without hesitation, I signed up and learned how to apply my skills in a more efficient way. Now, this experience allowed me to understand better how machine translation works, and how AI (artificial intelligence) can be helpful in many respects. I now find it easier to translate more accurately using other different platforms and CAT (computer-assisted translation). I definitely recommend these TWB courses to any aspiring professional. The knowledge, skills and experience you acquire and hone will be invaluable. In my case, working with and learning from the TWB made me feel more accomplished.”
Yuriy Kovalenko, TWB Community member.

Mirriam Kitaka joined TWB as a young Swahili translator:

“I joined TWB in 2019 after a thorough Google search for a translation website that could give me an opportunity to grow as a young translator, and this was two years after my mentor introduced me to the field. When I found TWB, I joined as a Swahili Translator Volunteer (TWB Community member). I have since translated, reviewed, and proofread a lot of tasks on the TWB platform. Under the community recognition program, I have been awarded a Certificate of Volunteer Activity and a Reference Letter as a Translator, not to forget a phone top-up for attaining the minimum threshold designed by the organization.”
“TWB has given me the opportunity to take courses which have scaled my translation, proofreading, editing, and reviewing skills. For me, they offered specific content and information, especially in the humanitarian field. They are very nice and rich courses that I would recommend current and upcoming translators to study through elearn.translatorswb.org. As I write this, I have donated 42,870 words already. I am also working on a very huge revision project. And I can also confirm that I am now a “TWB Traveller!” Thank you Translators without Borders and CLEAR Global for the opportunity to save lives through my native language.”
Mirriam Kitaka, TWB Community member.

Your invitation to join us

Go ahead and explore the Learning Center’s free translation courses today at elearn.translatorswb.org

If you’re new to TWB – sign up here.

Our goal is to make our training resources multilingual, with a special focus on low-resource languages. We are starting by translating our Basic Translator Training course with the support of our community! Our team hopes to make it available in at least ten languages this year. By March, we will upload module two of the Basic translator training course, plus a brand-new course on how to use CAT tools including Phrase TMS. Behind the scenes, are also working on making new training courses available on language quality, developing glossaries, and more.

Watch this space as we learn and grow together!

We thank Microsoft for their kind Azure donation which hosts much of our language technology resources.

5 ways to help people connect this holiday season

Join our appeal to “Meet me in my language.” This International Volunteer Day, we invite you to volunteer, share or fundraise.

"Meet me in my language" this International Volunteer Day, December 5. With TWB and CLEAR Global.

“Meet me in my language” is our campaign to listen to people who speak marginalized languages and enable everyone to get vital information in their language.

Whoever you are, whatever language you speak, you can help people access essential resources and tools in their language. We know we can navigate the world more easily in a language we understand. Now, we can share that privilege with people who speak a marginalized language. Whether you volunteer, share or fundraise, you can help:

build communications solutions;
advocate for humanitarians to listen better;
and give people who provide vital health, protection and information services ways to engage in the right languages.

So we can make a bigger impact together.

There are eight billion of us in this world.

Four billion people don’t have access to the essential digital communications tools we benefit from every day. It’s time to act. We can make the digital world more inclusive if we meet more people in the languages they speak. By supporting our campaign you will help amplify the voices of the world’s most marginalized people. Help us ensure people are at the center of conversations that affect them, and nobody’s voice goes unheard. Facing a natural disaster, someone who doesn’t read might need advice delivered visually, or via audio. Older people might only trust doctors who speak their language. And someone in a rural community may want to ask questions in their mother language with a voice-enabled solution.

Small actions make big change

The money we raise will improve our community’s online tools so we can reach more people. We will build more accessible language technology solutions, like chatbots for marginalized language speakers. Together we can scale up and create communications channels that include more people in important conversations that concern us all.

By sharing our message with your friends, or running your own fundraiser, you can support this important work.

Here are 5 easy ways to take action today:

1. Join the community – volunteer

Share your language skills for good. With every word you donate, you will help us reach more people. Join the TWB Community to help people get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak. Thank you for being part of the solution!

Learn more about becoming a TWB volunteer.
Sign up today.

2. Tell your friends

If you’ve followed our story, you’ll understand the value of helping people make their voices heard. We want everyone to understand: language is vital. Spread the message:

See our campaign toolkit and share our posts or write your own, in your language.
Tag us on Facebook and LinkedIn @TranslatorswithoutBorders, Instagram @TranslatorsWB, and Twitter @CLEARGlobalorg

3. Participate in the #MeetMeInMyLanguage campaign

Post your own video.

Say “Meet me in my language” in your language.
Use the hashtag #MeetMeInMyLanguage

4. Raise funds for our urgent work

Fundraise on Just Giving.

Or, if your company wants to support our urgent work, see clearglobal.org/sponsor-us

5. Donate

However small or large, your donation can make a big impact – share the gift of connection with people who speak marginalized languages.

Donate at clearglobal.org/donate

Putting people at the center of our efforts

When people have the tools they need, when we can get the answers we’re looking for, and really understand and engage in conversations, we’re empowered. We can make informed decisions, protect ourselves and thrive.

Read what our community members have to say about making an impact in their communities:

“TWB has given me the opportunity to give back to society the gifts life has given to me! During my time with the organization, I learnt a lot about different projects, met excellent and lovely people from the TWB team and fellow translators, improved my professional skills and was made to feel that I belong to a community that shares my values.
It is also very rewarding to know that every day, somewhere, somebody is benefiting from my effort, my knowledge, and my work.
The ever-growing importance of communications in the current world makes the work and commitment of CLEAR Global and the TWB Community indispensable.”
Patricia, TWB Community member

“I was happy to see there were organizations that worked with languages and translation. But what intrigued me the most was that TWB was accessible to ANYONE, no matter what background they were from, no ‘formal experience’ or ‘study in a relevant field’ were required”
Sifat, TWB Community member

“At TWB and CLEAR Global, I expect that there will always be a space for new visions to crystalize, new goals to be set, new resources to be provided and new tools to be developed. And this is exactly what today’s world, and it’s never-ending issues – even crises, requires.”

– Hiba, TWB Community member

Our work makes a difference.

However you choose to take action this holiday season, thank you from us and every person we reach thanks to your contribution. When we come together, our community, our supporters and sponsors around the world can make a big impact.

Your words, and your actions, have the power to change lives.

“Meet me in my language” – learn more.

Discover the community impact of our projects around the world

Thank you for being one in a hundred thousand TWB community members!

This year, we celebrated the milestone of 100,000 members. Together with CLEAR Global, we are making a bigger impact than ever.

TWB is a global network of language volunteers supporting others. Community members translate and localize information for people who have limited resources or digital channels in their languages. The TWB community is at the heart of CLEAR Global. Our nonprofit helps people get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak.

This holiday season, we want to share personal stories of the real-life impact our work makes.

Whether you need to speak to a doctor, learn how to secure your home or report abuse, information in the right language can make a life-changing difference.

The TWB community is helping create trusted support channels and make people’s voices heard. Hear from of some of our community members who translate, subtitle, and record voiceovers to reach marginalized communities in all corners of the world.

Together, we respond to urgent global challenges:

We’re making sure more women and girls know their rights. So we can all enjoy the same opportunities and get answers in our language on the internet.
We’re helping migrants and refugees get accurate safety information fast.
We’re connecting people with reliable resources they can undersotand. So the most affected communities can prepare for and protect themselves from flooding, drought, and disaster.
Our conversational chatbots help more people stay informed and safe from COVID-19 and Ebola.
Our multilingual communications solutions are powered by the community’s translations and CLEAR Global’s innovative language technology.

CLEAR Global's community projects around the world

Some of our projects around the world

With each document you translate, every subtitle you read, and word you revise, you are helping reach more people. Thank you for being part of the solution. Follow our community’s stories of impact and support our campaign to start more conversations, in more languages.

Salwa’s testimonial – translation provides opportunities

“It was my first time volunteering online, but one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I discovered that even when you’re home, you can still help others get vital information. This encouraged me to work daily on those tasks.

I have chatted with other community members – who are my e-friends now. They inspired me with all the work they do while they were going through hard times. I found many people who supported me and encouraged me to show the world what I can do. For me, this was an opportunity to work in different fields and help as much as possible.

I get to help provide language services for different causes – especially education and children. It’s more than enough to make me want to continue to volunteer with TWB. I know the work I do will help to enhance someone’s knowledge or help them get needed information. This makes it worth the time… even after a long working day.

Over the last two years, I’ve seen the TWB Community grow fast. It is amazing that you have reached 100,000 volunteers. And your way of coping with this growth was great as well. I am sure you will always find the support you need from community members. I can see TWB will keep evolving, flourishing, and expanding its capacities and resources to accomplish its mission in the best possible way. And I cannot wait to be part of your next stop on this long journey.”

– Salwa, TWB community member

head and shoulders shot of Salwa waring a light grey and white scarf and black jacket , stood against a dark grey brick wall.

Salwa is a French teacher who has donated 650,404 words in Arabic and French. She has worked with TWB and CLEAR Global on projects supporting health and education for American Red Cross, Concern Worldwide, Save the Children, the H2H Network’s COVID-19 response, and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. Her skills include translation, revision, subtitling, monolingual editing, desktop publishing (DTP), voiceover, and interpretation.

Tien helps Vietnamese migrants understand vital advice

“I was inspired by the fact that more Vietnamese migrants will be able to understand the information sent to them. I feel happy that more Vietnamese volunteers are joining the TWB Community. And I think CLEAR Global and TWB Community will develop strongly in the future.”

– Tien, TWB community member

Tien has long been a committed volunteer for TWB who has donated 82,8553 words to good causes. He has translated and revised with CLEAR Global, COVID-19 task forces, Partners In Health, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and more.

Hiba celebrates team effort in rapid crisis response

Hiba says, “I first discovered TWB at a time when I wanted to do more – to have a bigger meaning than my work, my circle, and me. I wanted to actually have an impact on people’s lives. And TWB just felt like the right place. Joining the community has been one of the best things I did. It gave me this sense that yes, I am doing something that matters. Something that – I hope – makes a positive change.

Plus, I’m impressed by the fact that TWB acts really quick to provide resources and linguistic help whenever a crisis arises, and in just less than three years, as you know, we have had COVID-19, the Ukraine crisis, and more. TWB works really hard to keep up with the language needs that arise. This takes me to the community. After all, this is not the work of one person, but hundreds of people – even thousands. The community now has 100,000 members – who decide to volunteer their time and effort, even on a daily basis, to help other people. This actually gives one hope about the future, no matter how grim the picture looks.”

– Hiba, TWB community member

Hiba has donated 1,294,561 words in English and Arabic. She has translated and revised projects for health, migration, and equality projects to help people get vital information with CLEAR Global, CARE International, IFRC, Oxfam, and other nonprofits.

Usman meets chatbot users in northeast Nigeria

“We have communications solutions at our fingertips. One Wednesday afternoon after office hours, I got a glimpse into the impact of one of our language solutions. I was at a local coffee shop when I heard a group of young people discussing the chatbot “Manhajar Shehu.” This is what we used to call it during our programs on the local radio’s live show. I keenly listened to their conversation as they debated some of the ways to get vaccinated and some traditional herbs that they had heard cured COVID-19. They had heard so many myths, they didn’t know what to believe. One of them used the chatbot in Hausa and they got reliable answers in seconds as he introduced his friends to Shehu.

Shehu is CLEAR Global’s AI chatbot which helps people get reliable answers to their questions about COVID-19 in Hausa and Kanuri. Some of them were amazed at how the bot responded promptly and accurately in their local language. I proudly told them I was part of the team that built the bot, which sparked a load of questions. It is of great personal satisfaction to me knowing that people are not only using the bot out of fun, but they’re also glad and amazed with the information they receive from the bot. We are making a great positive impact on the lives of people in North-Eastern Nigeria and Maiduguri to be specific.”

– Usman, from CLEAR Global

Our chatbots have exchanged over 100,000 conversations. One conversation can make a big impact, especially if it can save a life. We can bring more voices into global conversations. With translations, tools, and resources like these, we are helping people who face the most difficult situations. Even with the most innovative language technology solutions, the goal is to connect with a human.

Let’s reach more people – “meet me in my language.”

You can make a difference. “Meet me in my language.”

Spread awareness #MeetMeInMyLanguage
- Tell your friends you’re supporting the #MeetMeInMyLanguage campaign
- Tag us on Facebook and LinkedIn @TranslatorswithoutBorders, Instagram @TranslatorsWB, and Twitter @CLEARGlobalorg

Volunteer
- Share your language skills for good
- Sign up: kato.translatorswb.org

Fundraise or donate today
- On Just Giving
- Through clearglobal.org/donate

Meet Nan and Futu: sharing climate solutions in more languages

In May 2021, the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development gathered the world’s education and sustainable development communities to grow awareness on sustainable development challenges. ‘Education for Sustainable Development for 2030’ is the global framework for “the development of the knowledge, skills, understanding, values, and actions required to create a sustainable world, which ensures environmental protection and conservation, promotes social equity and encourages economic sustainability.” To be effective, the conversation about sustainable development must include people from all over the globe, whatever language they speak.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently remarked that “We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption.” So we are celebrating the efforts of translators who are informing their communities about the effects of climate change, and bringing more voices into the conversation.

People by a train in the countryside, Myanmar.

We interviewed two translators whose work is raising awareness of climate change. Nan and Futu are improving lives in their communities in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and beyond.

Over one million Rohingya people have fled violence in Myanmar in recent decades, arriving in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and its coastline is one of the most disaster-prone regions. Myanmar also is at severe threat of natural disasters and suffers from protracted humanitarian emergencies. The unmistakable threat of climate change pervades everyday life. These countries are some of the world’s most hard hit by the effects of the climate disaster. They are especially vulnerable to increased temperatures, cyclones, flooding, and landslides which further risk lives. When there’s little information available in your language, it becomes even harder to protect yourself from climate change and act to prevent it. These translators have worked on projects to help inform the Myanmar- and Bangla-speaking communities.

Nan, Myanmar translator:

Fascinated by documentaries
Interested in connecting with and learning from interesting people
Loves stories, and collects classic books, and listens to literature talks

Nan shares a photo of her book collection.

When she’s not reading or cooking a new recipe from Youtube, Nan works from her home in the northern Shan State of Myanmar. She volunteers for TWB projects on weekends and after work.

“I love how Myanmar has various ethnic groups and is rich with interesting cultures and traditions. The food is amazing, the nature is refreshing and our people have generous hearts. Even though I belong to one of the ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, Burmese is like my mother language. I love to learn about how the Burmese language developed and its very rich historical background.”
Nan, Myanmar translator.

Futu, Bangla translator

Stays up-to-date with global trends, human rights, and technological innovations
Likes to read and explore the daydreams of writers
Keeps busy with an energetic toddler at home

Futu enjoys working from his home office, situated near the enchanting lake of the Chittagong hills.

Do you see the effects of climate change?

“Yes, I’ve recently read about the drought in Pyin Oo Lwin on the news. It’s a serious issue because people in that neighborhood said they have never witnessed a drought before. Also in my hometown, even though spring has just arrived, some households have to buy water due to drought. And we couldn’t see sunlight for the past four or five days due to open agricultural burning and the sky is covered with haze.”
Nan, Myanmar translator.

Nan shares a photo of her office desk, from which she translates projects for TWB.

“I’m very concerned about the climate change in Myanmar. I wish we could build community-based initiatives to educate people about the effects of using plastic and burning waste and plastic in the neighborhood.”
Nan, Myanmar translator.

Translators play an important role in sharing information about climate change to help people understand the effect and what actions they can take. Key information in the right language can also help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. Nan explains that in her hometown, there are many ethnic groups who can’t speak or understand Burmese. She says it would help if the authorities could connect with local civil societies and try to translate key information into as many languages as possible.

Due to the geographic location, low elevation, floodplains, and population density, Bangladesh is similarly one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It creates food insecurity, water shortages, and concerns over shelter. Environmental impacts create very real health and safety issues for local communities. This is why it’s vital to make facts available to people in the languages they can speak and understand. It’s important to enable two-way conversations and make local people’s voices heard. Futu believes that:

“The only way global society can truly benefit is from sharing climate change research and implementing solutions.”
Futu, Rohingya translator, Bangladesh.

Nature Now

Nan and Futu worked on the Nature Now project in late 2019. It’s a video featuring climate activist Greta Thunberg and writer and climate activist George Monbiot. They explain that there is a natural solution to the climate breakdown: protecting forests. And they urge us to take simple actions which can have a great impact on our planet. The key message is to:

PROTECT: where nature is doing something vital, we must protect it.

RESTORE: help our environment where nature is trying to recover itself.

FUND: start funding initiatives that help our planet and stop funding entities that destroy our planet.

In this incredibly exciting project for the TWB community, we translated and revised the video into 33 languages. You can watch them here.

Nan says she is thrilled to have been a part of the movement by helping the climate solution message reach her community.

“It’s rare to see something like the Nature Now climate solutions film in the Rohingya language. It makes me feel as if I am campaigning to save the world from disasters when I work on these projects. It will be very good for the Rohingya community to benefit from more projects such as this in the future.”
Futu, Rohingya translator, Bangladesh.

Do you have a passion for supporting communities around the globe? By sharing your language skills, you can involve more people in vital conversations about climate change and more. Invite your friends and networks to join the TWB community. Share this link to sign up: http://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/translators

Written by Danielle Moore, Communications and Engagement Officer for TWB. With interview responses by Nan, Myanmar translator for TWB, and Futu, Bangla translator for TWB. To protect their identities, we have used pseudonyms in this piece.

Valérie travels the world and translates

Translators improve lives by translating potentially lifesaving information into languages spoken by vulnerable individuals. Those who volunteer as part of the Translators without Borders (TWB) Community have a range of experiences and skills. They share our vision of a world where knowledge knows no language barriers. We are grateful for all our translators, and we love sharing their stories.

Valérie Thirkettle is a multi-talented translator who has worked with TWB since 2018 and has donated almost 550,000 words of life-saving information. Her dedication and motivation to take on new projects and the care she puts into her translations make it an absolute pleasure to collaborate. Valérie is a lawyer who spent the majority of her career working for a prestigious intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space. Recently, she retired to pursue her passion for translation.

Valérie travels and translates — “How I feel when I sit down to face a big revision task” – Valérie.

A flexible working life

An avid traveler who divides her time between the Netherlands and South Africa, she enjoys the flexibility of TWB’s internet-based system. It gives her the chance to enjoy her other pleasures, studying literary translation, spending time with family and friends, golfing and enjoying nature, particularly in her beloved Africa. All the while, wherever she goes she can feed what she calls her “translation addiction.”

Valérie in Africa — Valérie enjoys the natural surroundings of Africa.

“I was attracted by TWB’s technology focus. I discovered how much language matters in humanitarian settings, so I hope my contribution can help people. And that it can improve the advocacy efforts of the organizations I translate for.”

Her ability to infuse her multi-sector knowledge into her translation work allows her to work on a number of different projects. “I am a trained lawyer and I have worked in international legal subjects and HR subjects. I like to make myself useful with the skills I have and contribute to the causes that resonate with me, and on a volunteer basis.”

Valerie keeps in contact with TWB’s Language Services Team by email. She is celebrated as a central, fun member of the community. The team recalls sharing many laughs with Valerie. With her varied experience, Valérie has seen the funny side of translation and mistranslation. She told us a story about a translation she once reviewed in which she noticed the section to sign and “date” the form mistakenly read “rendez vous d’amour.” “I loved it,” laughed Valerie, “filling in forms suddenly turned into something really exciting!”

Education for everyone

One of her favorite projects with TWB involved the revision and final linguistic sign-off of the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network’s How-to Guide to Collective Communication and Community Engagement. This is essential for teaching better communication strategies on the ground. It helps inform people about their rights and situations in languages they understand.

Translators can often become emotionally involved in a project. When working with Street Child, for instance, Valérie says,

“I felt a strong resonance with the task, and, like with a good novel, the end came too early!”

Children in Bangladesh — Children learning in school, Bangladesh.

In fact, projects that assist young people tend to stand out for Valérie. Her time working with Think Equal also left an impactful and memorable mark. Think Equal has developed an early years education program for social and emotional learning. It was a large project in which Valérie took care of the entire revision. It included revising French versions of the program, an extensive set of books, lesson plans, and teaching materials. “The size and spread of this project made it complex, but an opportunity to develop new organizational skills for my translations.”

Overall, her translation experience has taught Valérie to appreciate the varied skills of other translators. She comments on how they build on one another’s strengths to deliver great work. She’s become increasingly involved in revising tasks and has embarked on qualifications in revising and proofreading. “My work with TWB gives me a great opportunity for continuous learning.”

One of her tips for other Kató translators is to “pay attention to the glossaries and be as consistent as possible with the terminology you use.” Valérie points out that you’re able to ask project managers for feedback throughout the process. “And of course, keep claiming more tasks, the humanitarian sector needs all the language help it can get!”

Get involved with the TWB translator community.

Written by Danielle Moore, Communications Officer for Translators without Borders. Interview responses by Valérie Thirkettle, Translator for Translators without Borders.

TWB intern is recognized as a Young African Leader

Cédrick Young African Leader YALI — Cédrick Irakoze

At Translators without Borders (TWB), we are lucky to have extraordinary team members who are recognized worldwide. We are always grateful to have uniquely skilled members of the international community choose to be part of our cause. Today, we are proud to share the story of Cédrick Irakoze, Crisis Response and Community and Recruitment Intern for TWB. He was recently awarded a place to be part of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) network. The YALI network invests in the next generation of African leaders, providing invaluable opportunities to connect and learn from experts. Learn more about the YALI network here.

Cédrick is a young Burundian language professional. He holds a bachelor’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Burundi, and has years of experience as a professional translator. He believes that language can improve or even save lives in this global world. And interaction in the right language can be vital for everyone, no matter people’s language, culture, or the color of their skin.

“TWB is my professional home” – Cédrick

In 2018, Cédrick first featured in our blog as a volunteer translator from English and French into Rundi. This was his introduction to the world of language in humanitarian work: “When I joined TWB as an intern, I joined a community of like-minded individuals serving the global community. Now I call TWB my professional home.” Day-to-day, Cédrick engages and collaborates with our translator community to help create a world with no language barriers.

But in late 2019, he did something different. He successfully applied for the Young African Leaders Initiative program.

The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)

In 2016, Cédrick joined the Young African Leaders Initiative network with over 25,000 other young and talented individuals. In 2019, he met with 108 successful candidates from over 7000 applicants to attend a one-month leadership training course.

A group of YALI network members in Nairobi.

Energetic public officials, business owners, and local and international nonprofit leaders from all over Africa came together in Nairobi, Kenya. On hearing their stories, Cédrick reflected, “The way they are each committed to making their communities better inspired me.” The Translators without Borders team is delighted to have witnessed a team member take on such an exciting, formative challenge.

“Thank you very much. TWB showed me so much love and support before and during the program!” – Cédrick

Cédrick Irakoze, right, with TWB Kenya Manager Paul Warambo, left.

It’s all about communication

The course was about inspiring and equipping one another to become better leaders. Participants developed their communication skills and built solutions-oriented networks. These factors are central to the changes these young leaders want to see in society. Each member of the diverse group – native speakers of over fifty languages – played a vital part.

Cédrick Irakoze, left presenting to the YALI network members.

This richness and diversity are reflected in TWB’s own community of translators and supporters, and in our way of working. We too rely on the power of teamwork to make change — to improve communications and access to information worldwide. Cédrick’s big takeaway is that when we come together we can innovate, we can flourish and we can make each other feel valued.

“Diversity is richness in professional life” – Cédrick

With the skills he’s learned through this course, Cédrick hopes to make a positive impact in his professional and social circles. “I can’t wait to contribute more and better to our common mission: to create a world that knows no language barriers.”

Cédrick Irakoze and friends at the YALI network meetup in Nairobi.

Start your own journey as part of the TWB community.

Written by Danielle Moore, Communications Officer for Translators without Borders. Interview responses by Cédrick Irakoze, Crisis Response and Community and Recruitment Intern for Translators without Borders.

Humanitarian work close to home: Irina Nosova

Shared philosophies

Irina’s philosophy fits right in with that of Translators without Borders: “In our information-packed society, it is essential to maintain access to vital information for everybody. So, my biggest motivation is helping people by delivering information to interested parties,” says Irina, former lawyer now turned English-Russian translator. Since joining as a volunteer translator in 2016, Irina has translated and revised a total of 110,220 words into Russian, one of our top ten most frequently requested languages.

Irina Nosova English Russian translator — Irina Nosova, translator

The projects touch on all sorts of information, including healthcare. Often, information and research in one language benefit speakers of another language – but it needs to be accurate and it needs to be available. So we asked about a particular project which made vital information available in Irina’s own country, in Russian, her mother-tongue. When tasked with translating an important anti-tuberculosis study she found it to be one of her most difficult projects to date. The translator translated study protocol and presentations to find out more, before later reading news articles and discovering the reality of the tuberculosis situation in Russia.

“I was shocked to find how high the burden of tuberculosis is in my country!” – Irina

Finding practical solutions

Although Irina focuses on the importance of language in Russia, she is also hopeful about how sharing information in many languages can spread helpful and life-changing information. “I hope that the study of novel tuberculosis treatment will speed up the registration of new drugs which are vital for successful treatment,” she told TWB.

As well as more academic pieces, Irina finds translating personal stories equally important. One of her projects involved translating patients’ stories for partner non-profit EURORDIS – Rare Diseases Europe.

“I realized that stories shared by patients with rare diseases and their families could inform people in similar situations in Russia about how to deal with those diseases.” – Irina

Tapping into your skillset

Irina’s desire to help as a volunteer translator has helped her tap into personal and professional skills. “Volunteering improved my time management: I have to calculate and allocate the time I can spend to complete the tasks before the deadline, alongside my other daily tasks. Before launching my own business, I worked as a lawyer and I volunteered with TWB at night, after work. Now, I can be more flexible and am able to contribute more time.”

Her advice for other TWB Community members is to constantly improve your skills, learn new terminology, and check your quality of translation. “Doing translation in Kató – TWB’s online translation environment – requires the same quality approach as any other project: the highest possible. So, before claiming the new task make sure you understand the topic and do your own research to provide the best possible translation.” It helps you understand the context and importance of the situation you are translating about – like in the case of Irina’s tuberculosis project. When Irina dug deeper into the topic she was translating about, she discovered a personal interest in medical translation and later, clinical research. Her projects opened new doors: “Volunteering with TWB improved my resourcefulness and research skills and pushed me to explore new horizons in translation, take new courses, and dig deeper.”

Join our translator community.

Written by Gloria Malone and Danielle Moore, Communications Officers for Translators without Borders. Interview responses by Irina Nosova.

TWB’s first Arabic translation contest

We recently held our very first translation contest for Translators without Borders’ thriving community of Arabic translators. Ninety-two talented translators submitted a total of 124 translations on a mixture of humanitarian and literary topics. Each translation was evaluated by fellow community members for accuracy, terminology, and style in order to provide constructive feedback and create greater engagement among the Arabic community.

The winners: humanitarian translation

Shaimaa Elhosan is an English to Arabic translator specializing in humanitarian translation because of her desire to help others. She studied UN translation at the American University in Cairo, which helped her follow her passion.

“I want to help other people, especially children, victims of conflicts, and abused women, people affected by natural disasters. Thus, I volunteered with Translators without Borders (TWB).”

A career highlight as a freelance translator was working on a book titled The Happy Healthy Nonprofit, by Beth Kanter and Aliza Sherman. At that point, Shaimaa realized what a leading role nonprofits play in improving difficult situations.

Shaimaa Elhosan, Arabic translator for Translators without Borders — Shaimaa Elhosan, Arabic translator for TWB

The first story she encountered with TWB was poignant: it told of the daily suffering of victims of war. And it highlighted the misleading images of a comfortable life in camps which too often circulate on social media.

She went on to translate the toolkit for the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster, a TWB partner. The toolkit aimed to improve the quality of life and dignity for displaced people living in communal settings.

Since 2017, Shaimaa has used her skills to translate 8,951 words for TWB and has acquired more valuable experience in humanitarian translation in the process. She continues to study in a constant effort to improve and expand her knowledge.

“I study because I care so much about whether or not the translation communicates the meaning clearly to readers. The TWB team appreciates my know-how and they ask me to participate in more projects. They try hard to support us in translation by providing references and glossaries as much as possible.”

Shaimaa explained that the challenge of communication was made more exciting by this competition. “How could I render the meaning to the readership clearly with such a tricky text? The experience spurred me on to participate in more projects. I’d like to continue to support displaced people, children, and abused women with my work.”

Literary translation

Nabil Salibi won the literary translation category, having received the highest score from his fellow community members.

Graduation photo from Nabil's Masters in Interpreting and Translating, 2018 — Graduation photo from Nabil’s Masters in Interpreting and Translating, 2018

This professional translator is as dedicated to his volunteer projects as he is to his paid work. By volunteering, he hopes to bridge the communication gap between humanitarian organizations and those who seek their support. For Nabil, this means dedicating four to five hours at a time to translate or proof-read texts from his home in Australia.

Since joining TWB in 2016, Nabil has translated 13,592 words. He has focused on projects related to refugees and the conditions in refugee camps, as well as news articles. Nabil also helped translate IFRC’s Global Response Tools Review. That review analyzed the tools we use to respond to disasters, and the risks and challenges related to humanitarian response.

He takes each of these projects seriously:

“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.”

Numerous other translators earned honorable mentions for their efforts. Learn more about their work, and the translation process on the Kató Community Forum.

A shared reward: the language equality initiative

Our highly skilled translators, including Nabil and Shaimaa, will have the opportunity to contribute to Gamayun, the language equality initiative. The goal is to shift control of communication, to allow everyone to share their voice and access information in a language and format they can understand. Using advanced language technology, we’re working with marginalized communities and language specialists to increase language equality and improve two-way communication. Over half of the world’s population simply doesn’t have access to knowledge and information in their own language. Our translators and supporters address this language gap which can prevent people from lifting themselves out of poverty, getting health care, recovering from a crisis, or understanding their rights. Our translators’ efforts enable people to proactively share their needs, concerns, and ideas.

To learn more, click here.

What’s next?

We recently announced two new translation contests open to our French and Swahili translator communities. If you are already a TWB translator please check the Kató Community Forum for more information. Otherwise, why not join TWB today so you can take part? Entries close on 5 August 2019.

In case you’re looking to take part in a contest, or improve your own translations, our first translation contest winners share some words of advice:

“Make sure you understand the whole article. Context is key.” – Nabil
“I love to translate on paper first.” – Nabil
“Never stop reading.” – Shaimaa

Written by Danielle Moore, Communications Officer for Translators without Borders.

Interview responses by Shaimaa Elhosan and Nabil Salibi, Translators for 
Translators without Borders.

On the ground in Mozambique: helping survivors of Cyclone Idai get the answers they need in their own languages

Days in Beira, Mozambique are long and humid. The city and its surroundings are still reeling from the destruction caused by Cyclone Idai. Five weeks on, I see people seeking a sense of normality and routine: women and men walking on their way to work, children playing soccer on the street, families having barbecues on the weekend. Their resilience is astounding and yet the uncertainty about how to move forward makes the situation harder to cope with for many.

At one of the temporary accommodation sites in Beira, TWB’s assessment team and I met some of the people whose houses and livelihoods have been washed away. They patiently answered our survey, but they themselves had too many unanswered questions. Many were confused about the aid available; some had still no idea about the fate of loved ones; others wanted to go back but wondered what conditions were like where they came from.

Without the ability to get answers, I fear people might feel utterly abandoned. Without trusted sources of accurate, timely, and consistent information, rumors and misinformation can exacerbate the crisis. This can lead people to make poor decisions, or make them vulnerable to violence, extortion, and abuse.

The challenge is that people need the right information in the right language, right now. Nobody said it was easy, but if we are serious about our humanitarian commitments to effectiveness and accountability, it needs to be done.

That is why TWB is working with other humanitarian organizations to ensure a two-way conversation with affected people, especially the many that do not speak Portuguese. In the hardest hit provinces, the main local languages spoken and understood include Ndau, Nyanja, Lomwe, and Sena. One of our focuses has been mobilizing translators with the right language skills so that we can support making information available in local languages.

This is crucial work that is inspiring and humbling at the same time. Many of the translators we are working with have been directly impacted by Cyclone Idai. Gustavo, one of our volunteer translators, reminded me about this when we first met.

Gustavo is a high school teacher of English who has been translating critical information into and from Sena. Sitting at a desk in his classroom that still reeked of damp, he explained that people here are no strangers to natural disasters. Yet, a lack of information ahead of Cyclone Idai meant that few were prepared for its devastating impact. “The next day [after the cyclone] we could not recognize where we were. It was like there had been a war or a bomb which had destroyed everything: houses were gone; roads were cut; trees were down; there was no electricity or phone and internet connections,” he said.

Gustavo opened his home to host some of his neighbors and relatives who lost all their belongings. And when he received an email from TWB asking for his availability to help, he said “yes” right away. “I took the invitation as an opportunity to assist those in need with written or oral information in their own language. This is one of the best things I can do to help my community get back on its feet.”

A crisis like a cyclone, by its nature, is a traumatic event. But talking with Gustavo I am reminded about the powerful thing that is meaningful communication. Communicating with people about the situation and answering their questions can be critical. Helping people to understand where they can get help and how they can help themselves improves their psychological resilience and their ability to recover. Doing so in local languages is key to ensuring people understand information and can act on it to rebuild their lives.

There is no quick fix that will address all of people’s questions. However, I know that working with local translators is needed to come at the issue using the right languages. Together with our team, I intend to keep doing so.

As of 30 April, our team of volunteer translators has translated over 70,000 words into relevant local languages. Thanks to their support, we are filling information gaps on issues such as hygiene, health, shelter, safety, and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse. If you would like further information about our language support services in Mozambique, you can contact us at [email protected].

This project is funded by the H2H Fund, a funding mechanism for H2H Network members supported by UK aid from the UK government.

Written by Mia Marzotto, Senior Advocacy Officer for Translators without Borders