{"id":4873,"date":"2024-03-07T18:31:46","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T18:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/?p=4873"},"modified":"2024-08-22T14:26:57","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T14:26:57","slug":"womens-rights-language-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/womens-rights-language-access\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s rights and language access"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Support women change-makers with TWB<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe in celebrating women every day – because inclusion and rights are essential to creating a better, more equal, and sustainable world. This year, on International Women\u2019s Day, we\u2019re excited to spotlight and say thanks to the powerful women who make up two-thirds of our TWB Community! Together, this incredible global community of language volunteers translates millions of words to accelerate progress and inclusion. Committed to giving their time and sharing their skills, they\u2019re helping marginalized people including other women and girls to get vital information and be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In northeast Nigeria, where thousands of people are displaced by conflict, our research shows<\/a> that access barriers exclude sections of the population from vital communications and even aid. Women, marginalized language speakers, and people living with disabilities face particular difficulties getting the information they need and being heard. Read on to learn how we work with local humanitarians to ensure they\u2019re informed about affected people\u2019s language use and can offer accessible channels to reach even the most marginalized groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know from decades of experience that we can bridge the gaps between affected communities and responders by more routinely communicating and listening in a wider range of languages and formats. That\u2019s where the TWB Community comes in. Our Nigerian-language-speaking community members translate critical information and resources. This blog looks at how we are helping to increase access and trust in the country\u2019s camps for internally displaced people<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us as we share some remarkable stories of women in our TWB Community who advocate for women’s rights and language access. From amplifying voices to breaking down barriers, their experiences inspire us all to create inclusive and empowering spaces. It\u2019s time to act: and it starts with listening. When we meet women’s and girls\u2019 language and communication needs and create resources that work for everyone, we can make real, inclusive change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How language unites women to tell their stories\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this heartfelt narrative, Peace Nkasiobi Agbo, an Igbo speaker and TWB Community member from Nigeria shares her journey of resilience and determination. In many parts of the globe, women and girls navigate constraints on their futures, their education, their rights as women, and their own sexual and reproductive health. Our community members translate critical information and resources, helping people get answers, know their rights, and be heard. From challenging stereotypes to advocating for linguistic diversity, Peace\u2019s story resonates deeply with our mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peace, Nkasiobi Agbo, TWB Community member<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About Peace, Nkasiobi Agbo, Igbo speaker in Nigeria.\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeace, Nkasiobi Agbo is my name. I am from Eastern Nigeria, Enugu State specifically, a place known for its brown earth and hilly landscape. We speak the Igbo language, a variety slightly different from central Igbo. People are often surprised when I speak my language because they wonder how I can speak so fluently even though I was not born in my state of origin and never grew up there. I grew up in the Southern part of Nigeria and they are multilingual. I attribute my ability to speak, read, and write in my mother tongue to my gregarious nature, strong curiosity, and versatility. I am a fast learner, who pays attention to detail and is open to new experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investing in education for all – women, girls, and marginalized language speakers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGirls typically receive little or no educational investment from their family as there is a cultural belief that they\u2019re bound to leave home one day to their husband\u2019s house where they will be useful. So why invest? However, my parents were of a different school of thought and would cut down on luxuries to ensure we had quality education. So fortunately, despite living in an environment that expects female children to be subservient, I went to good schools and competed with my male counterparts as a child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs a girl, you are not limited and you have a voice. Use it and stand\/speak up.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>Peace Nkasiobi Agbo, TWB Community member<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Peace<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up, it was clear to me that women were not supposed to aspire too high because it could potentially intimidate men. Too much education and too much societal affluence for a woman was \u2018not good.\u2019 Anyway, in 2014, I was accepted into a university to study English and Literary Studies. 90% of my coursemates were female – there were stereotypes about studying languages. Despite studying languages, most people thought it impolite to correct someone\u2019s grammar. So, while speaking with anyone, I was conscious of not using a high-sounding vocabulary in case I appeared too proud or intimidating. Nevertheless, speaking my mother tongue alone hindered effective communication as my environment was multilingual. So, the English language inevitably became my main language of communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope for women and girls\u2019 rights\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always wished I could access all information in my mother language but that is like asking everyone in the world to learn to speak my mother tongue. To date, language barriers have strengthened exclusion. People like me have lost opportunities – because I am from the Igbo-speaking tribe. A tribe that is stereotyped to be proud, domineering, and very zealous – sometimes in the wrong way. This false stereotype puts people on the defensive once you mention your tribe.\u00a0 However, my language connects me to my ancestral roots and tells a strong of great men and women who fought for my country\u2019s independence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a one-year-old daughter who understands the Igbo language more than any other language and it\u2019s often mesmerizing how people worry that she may never learn to speak English, even though her mother is an English language major. It is important to me that I build her confidence and teach her my mother language which is a major part of her identity. Also learning English is another way for her to develop her ability to master other languages. As a girl, you are not limited and you have a voice. Use it and stand\/speak up.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Untold stories – women can break language barriers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have had the privilege to teach English Language to a class of over 200 girls. I shared their struggles and ability to express themselves in the English language. A lot of these girls had untold stories and experiences waiting to be penned. The pain of being a girl and the fear of being married off once they are done with secondary school lingered in the minds of some of these girls. It is part of my desire that young girls can express themselves in their language, and tell their stories without fear or worry about how they tell it and in what language. We can break language barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peace, Nkasiobi Agbo, TWB Community member<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Improving access and trust in northeast Nigeria<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our sociolinguistic research<\/a> offers specific, localized insights into communication barriers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the intersectional, compounding role of language in marginalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marginalized groups including women in conflict-affected northeast Nigeria face specific challenges accessing information and being heard: <\/p>\n\n\n\n