{"id":2013,"date":"2018-08-19T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-08-19T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/?p=2013"},"modified":"2024-08-22T14:29:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T14:29:47","slug":"support-humanitarians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/","title":{"rendered":"Using language to support humanitarians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries.<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages. Yet, humanitarians operating in these crises often do not have the necessary language support, making their jobs even more difficult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

World Humanitarian Day<\/strong> on 19 August is an opportune moment to reflect on this challenge. On this day, we honor all aid workers risking their lives to help people facing disasters and conflicts. At Translators without Borders (TWB), we believe that language should not stand in the way of the ability of these dedicated and brave people to deliver life-saving support.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yet, too often, aid agencies do not give their staff the appropriate resources and tools to engage with communities and local responders in a language they understand. Translation is a consistent challenge, but mostly overlooked in humanitarian budgets amid other more tangible items. As a result, humanitarian workers are often forced to rely on unsupported national colleagues, untrained interpreters, English-centric jargon, and procedures that may exclude those who speak local languages.<\/span><\/p>\n

The consequences of overlooking the need for language support are dire for the people in need of humanitarian aid \u2013 and pretty tough for humanitarian workers themselves.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many of these aid workers are forced to rely on national staff or local community members to act as translators or interpreters. These staff members are largely expected to deal with the many challenges that differences in languages present on their own, although translation skills are rarely what they are recruited for. Program documentation such as guidelines, manuals, and other materials including specialized terminology is translated without training or support. Some may be working between two languages when neither is their first language.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Situations where interviews with community members pass through three or four languages are not uncommon. An international aid worker may speak in English, a national staff member interprets into the national language, and then a local school teacher interprets into the language of that village, and back again. This approach multiplies the potential loss of information in translation and lacks proper quality assurance. It also forces under-supported humanitarian staff or community members to perform a stressful task with little or no confidence that people\u2019s information and communication needs are being met.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mustapha
On World Humanitarian Day, we honor all humanitarian aid workers, including our staff, and commit to ensuring language does not stand in the way of their ability to support and empower those who need it most. Here, Mustapha (left), TWB Hausa Team Leader, conducts language comprehension research in Maiduguri, Nigeria.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fact that complex humanitarian terms and concepts in English are not directly translatable into other languages compounds the problem for humanitarians. TWB\u2019s research in different contexts has found that even aid workers do not always understand the English concepts they are asked to interpret. For example, \u201cviolence against women\u201d was translated into Rohingya as \u201cviolent women\u201d and \u201cfood security\u201d in northeast Nigeria as \u201cfood protected by guards\u201d. Comprehension rates among humanitarian data collectors are as low as 35 percent in some places. The result may be, at best, confusion or misunderstanding, and, at worst, inaccurate data upon which response plans are built. It is also undoubtedly stressful for those trying to do their best in challenging circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

A lack of language support can also undermine coordination with and involvement of local responders. When meetings are held in a national or international language, for example, local language speakers are excluded from decision-making. This is not only a matter of dignity and mutual respect, but it is also a crucial precondition for tapping into local knowledge and capacities, allowing those on the frontline of a response to avoid delays in making potentially life-affecting decisions. <\/span><\/p>\n

In short, humanitarian aid workers are better equipped to ensure people affected by crisis receive timely and relevant aid when they have proper language support. <\/span><\/h3>\n

This support begins with collecting the data needed to plan for language needs, and resourcing those needs appropriately. Training and capacity development programs can help build translation and interpreting capacity in languages for which there are no professional translators. A library of resource materials and tools in the relevant languages can be built up for all aid providers to make use of. <\/span><\/p>\n

As we mark World Humanitarian Day on August 19, it is time to shift our attention to how we can use language services to support humanitarian workers trying to help in the most dire\u00a0of circumstances. Addressing language barriers between humanitarians and crisis-affected communities can deliver the humanitarian world\u2019s commitment to quality and accountability across responses, helping support and empower those who need it most. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more about TWB’s response in northeast Nigeria.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Join us as a partner to benefit from our translator community,<\/a> or sponsor us and enable TWB to provide humanitarian workers with the language support they need.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Written by Mia Marzotto, Senior Advocacy Officer for Translators without Borders.\n\nPhotographs by Eric DeLuca, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager for Translators without Borders.\n<\/span><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages. Yet, humanitarians operating in these crises often do not have the necessary language support, making their jobs even more difficult.\u00a0 World Humanitarian Day on 19 August is an opportune moment to reflect on this … Continue reading “Using language to support humanitarians”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[209,211,214],"tags":[307,309,308,293,47,14,305,310,46],"class_list":["post-2013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-we-work","category-twb-team-stories","category-the-importance-of-language","tag-advocacy","tag-crisis","tag-humanitarian-aid-workers","tag-humanitarians","tag-language-matters","tag-nigeria","tag-northeast-nigeria","tag-support","tag-translators"],"yoast_head":"\nUsing language to support humanitarians - Translators without Borders Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using language to support humanitarians - Translators without Borders Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Translators without Borders Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/translatorswithoutborders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-19T09:00:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-22T14:29:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Translators Without Borders\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TranslatorsWB\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TranslatorsWB\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Translators Without Borders\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Translators Without Borders\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eadfd55fcdedf3bd8feded8ac5046d39\"},\"headline\":\"Using language to support humanitarians\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-19T09:00:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-22T14:29:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":814,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-1024x768.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"advocacy\",\"crisis\",\"humanitarian aid workers\",\"Humanitarians\",\"language matters\",\"nigeria\",\"Northeast Nigeria\",\"support\",\"translators\"],\"articleSection\":[\"How we work\",\"Our Team Stories\",\"The Importance of Language\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Using language to support humanitarians - Translators without Borders Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-1024x768.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-19T09:00:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-22T14:29:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1921&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1921&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1921},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/support-humanitarians\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Using language to support humanitarians\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Translators without Borders Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Translators without Borders\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i2.wp.com\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/cropped-twblogo_3-1.png?fit=248%2C65&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i2.wp.com\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/cropped-twblogo_3-1.png?fit=248%2C65&ssl=1\",\"width\":248,\"height\":65,\"caption\":\"Translators without Borders\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/translatorswithoutborders\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/TranslatorsWB\",\"http:\\\/\\\/translatorswb\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company-beta\\\/1500298\\\/?pathWildcard=1500298\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eadfd55fcdedf3bd8feded8ac5046d39\",\"name\":\"Translators Without Borders\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/797d99aadcc65779070b9bcdddee2a1ed6ef28301ee0b8e63c8dcc304cfdb418?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/797d99aadcc65779070b9bcdddee2a1ed6ef28301ee0b8e63c8dcc304cfdb418?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/797d99aadcc65779070b9bcdddee2a1ed6ef28301ee0b8e63c8dcc304cfdb418?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Translators Without Borders\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/translatorswithoutborders.org\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/translators-without-borders\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Using language to support humanitarians - Translators without Borders Blog","description":"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Using language to support humanitarians - Translators without Borders Blog","og_description":"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages.","og_url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/","og_site_name":"Translators without Borders Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/translatorswithoutborders","article_published_time":"2018-08-19T09:00:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-22T14:29:47+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-1024x768.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Translators Without Borders","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TranslatorsWB","twitter_site":"@TranslatorsWB","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Translators Without Borders","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/"},"author":{"name":"Translators Without Borders","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eadfd55fcdedf3bd8feded8ac5046d39"},"headline":"Using language to support humanitarians","datePublished":"2018-08-19T09:00:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-22T14:29:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/"},"wordCount":814,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-1024x768.jpg","keywords":["advocacy","crisis","humanitarian aid workers","Humanitarians","language matters","nigeria","Northeast Nigeria","support","translators"],"articleSection":["How we work","Our Team Stories","The Importance of Language"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/","url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/","name":"Using language to support humanitarians - Translators without Borders Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-1024x768.jpg","datePublished":"2018-08-19T09:00:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-22T14:29:47+00:00","description":"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1921&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-6-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1921&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1921},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/support-humanitarians\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Using language to support humanitarians"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/","name":"Translators without Borders Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#organization","name":"Translators without Borders","url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/cropped-twblogo_3-1.png?fit=248%2C65&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/cropped-twblogo_3-1.png?fit=248%2C65&ssl=1","width":248,"height":65,"caption":"Translators without Borders"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/translatorswithoutborders","https:\/\/x.com\/TranslatorsWB","http:\/\/translatorswb","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/1500298\/?pathWildcard=1500298"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eadfd55fcdedf3bd8feded8ac5046d39","name":"Translators Without Borders","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/797d99aadcc65779070b9bcdddee2a1ed6ef28301ee0b8e63c8dcc304cfdb418?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/797d99aadcc65779070b9bcdddee2a1ed6ef28301ee0b8e63c8dcc304cfdb418?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/797d99aadcc65779070b9bcdddee2a1ed6ef28301ee0b8e63c8dcc304cfdb418?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Translators Without Borders"},"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/author\/translators-without-borders\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8ykT2-wt","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1999,"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/bringing-words-to-life-in-northeast-nigeria\/","url_meta":{"origin":2013,"position":0},"title":"Bringing words to life in northeast Nigeria","author":"Translators Without Borders","date":"August 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently returned from northeast Nigeria, where Translators without Borders (TWB) is providing language support in one of the most severe humanitarian crises and linguistically diverse areas in the world. Unsurprisingly, I had many conversations about language issues with humanitarian responders. The good news is that many were already aware\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How we work"","block_context":{"text":"How we work","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/how-we-work\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"yoga ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-2-1024x733.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-2-1024x733.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-2-1024x733.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_20180720_110135-2-1024x733.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1739,"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/putting-language-on-the-map\/","url_meta":{"origin":2013,"position":1},"title":"Putting language on the map in Nigeria","author":"Translators Without Borders","date":"December 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Without data on the languages of affected people, humanitarian organizations are ill-equipped to communicate with them effectively. In May of this year, Translators without Borders (TWB) started trying\u00a0to better understand what data is available regarding the language preferences of populations affected by humanitarian crises. The short answer is that there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How we work"","block_context":{"text":"How we work","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/how-we-work\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Eric150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1936,"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/language-collective-blind-spot\/","url_meta":{"origin":2013,"position":2},"title":"Language: Our Collective Blind Spot in the Participation Revolution","author":"Translators Without Borders","date":"April 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Two years ago, I embarked on an amazing journey. I started working for Translators without Borders (TWB). While being a first-time Executive Director poses challenges, immersing myself in the world of language and language technology has by far been the more interesting and perplexing challenge. \u00a0 Language issues in humanitarian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How we work"","block_context":{"text":"How we work","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/how-we-work\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Students, Writing, Language","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Eric-DeLuca-Translators-without-Borders-1024x683.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Eric-DeLuca-Translators-without-Borders-1024x683.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Eric-DeLuca-Translators-without-Borders-1024x683.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Eric-DeLuca-Translators-without-Borders-1024x683.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3484,"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/language-accountability-future-grand-bargain\/","url_meta":{"origin":2013,"position":3},"title":"Listen and learn: The link between language and accountability for the future of the Grand Bargain","author":"Translators Without Borders","date":"June 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Five years ago, the Grand Bargain\u2019s Participation Revolution vowed to reform the humanitarian sector to better listen to people affected by crises. Today, lots is still ongoing to make humanitarian organizations more accountable to the people they aim to serve and respond to their feedback. The outgoing Emergency Relief Coordinator\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo shows signage with text in English in camps for internally displaced people in Maiduguri, Borno state, northeast Nigeria.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bakasi_22Nov2019-31-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bakasi_22Nov2019-31-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bakasi_22Nov2019-31-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bakasi_22Nov2019-31-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bakasi_22Nov2019-31-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Bakasi_22Nov2019-31-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2600,"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/marginalized-mother-languages-two-ways-to-improve-the-lives-of-the-people-who-speak-them\/","url_meta":{"origin":2013,"position":4},"title":"Marginalized mother languages – two ways to improve the lives of the people who speak them","author":"Translators Without Borders","date":"February 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"21 February. This is the date chosen by UNESCO for International Mother Language Day, which has been observed worldwide since 2000. This year deserves special attention as 2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Both initiatives promote linguistic diversity and equal access to multilingual information and knowledge. Languages can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Language Technology"","block_context":{"text":"Language Technology","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/language-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1722-2-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1722-2-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1722-2-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG_1722-2-1024x768.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":85,"url":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/translators-without-borders-receives-funding-for\/","url_meta":{"origin":2013,"position":5},"title":"Translators without Borders Receives Funding for Crisis Relief Network","author":"Translators Without Borders","date":"October 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Translators without Borders (TWB) is pleased to announce funding for a pilot of its Words of Relief system to improve communications between aid workers and local populations during humanitarian emergencies. The funding by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) recognizes the critical role language and translation play in improving crisis response\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our Sponsors"","block_context":{"text":"Our Sponsors","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/our-sponsors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Blog-Featured-Images-13.png?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Translators Without Borders","author_link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/author\/translators-without-borders\/"},"rttpg_comment":3,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/how-we-work\/\" rel=\"category tag\">How we work<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/twb-team-stories\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Our Team Stories<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/category\/the-importance-of-language\/\" rel=\"category tag\">The Importance of Language<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Humanitarian emergencies know no language boundaries. In the 13 countries currently experiencing the most severe crises, people speak over 1,200 languages. Yet, humanitarians operating in these crises often do not have the necessary language support, making their jobs even more difficult.\u00a0 World Humanitarian Day on 19 August is an opportune moment to reflect on this…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2013"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3130,"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013\/revisions\/3130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}