Translators without Borders

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Donate Now
  • Home
  • About us
    • Careers
    • Testimonials
  • Our work
    • Crisis Response
      • European refugee response
      • Global COVID-19 response
      • Mozambique
      • Northeast Nigeria
      • Rohingya response
      • The Democratic Republic of Congo
    • Gamayun Language Initiative
    • Language Data Initiative
    • Kató Translation Platform
    • TWB Chatbots
    • TWB Glossaries
    • Resources
  • Support us
    • Donate to Translators without Borders
    • Become a Sponsor
    • Become a Fundraiser
    • Our Sponsors
  • Volunteer
    • Meet the TWB Community
    • Join the TWB Community
    • TWB language volunteer role
    • Community Recognition Program
  • Partner with us
    • TWB Partner Program
    • Apply to be a Partner
  • News & Blog
    • Blog
    • Press

Supporting the Rohingya response in Bangladesh

Over 600,000 Rohingya people have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh, many of them entire families – families broken by violence. This is a complex political and humanitarian crisis, and one of the most difficult language contexts Translators without Borders has ever experienced. There is almost no translation capacity in Rohingya so communication between responding aid organizations and vulnerable people in the refugee camps is extremely difficult. Furthermore, illiteracy levels among the affected population are high. A team from TWB has been deployed to Cox's Bazar Bangladesh to develop language capacity and resources in the language and format that people can understand. Follow our team's journey as they document what it takes to respond in our most challenging response yet.

Read the latest updates from Cox's Bazar

See all of our latest What Matters? Humanitarian Feedback Bulletins here.


TWB Bangladesh Glossary

TWB Glossary for Bangladesh

This glossary is designed to assist field workers and interpreters working on the Rohingya humanitarian response in Bangladesh.
Read more.

 

Report: Hospital cleaner as interpreter: language and cultural awareness in Rohingya access to health care

Our research show that a lack of awareness and language skills limits access to healthcare in the Rohingya camps. Learn more.

 

Report: Talking effectively and respectfully about gender-based violence in Rohingya communities

Our report shows that Rohingya in Bangladesh rely on humanitarians to learn about gender-based violence (GBV) and get help when it occurs. Rohingya people want humanitarians to raise awareness and promote community action. Learn more.

 

Report: Bridging community and humanitarian approaches to sexual and reproductive health in Rohingya communities

Our research shows that a lack of training and awareness limit access to reliable information about sexual and reproductive health for Rohingya in Bangladesh. Learn more.

 

Report: Fat and healthy – Rohingya parents’ knowledge of child nutrition

We conducted research to understand how information gaps compound Rohingya parents' difficulty getting nutritious foods for their children. Learn more.

 

Discussing health in the Rohingya language

These Rohingya language guidelines provide sociocultural background and linguistic context for program managers, field workers, and interpreters who work in health programs with the Rohingya people. Learn more.

 

Rohingya language disability guide

Discussing disability in the Rohingya language

These Rohingya language guidelines provide sociocultural background and linguistic context for program managers, field workers, and interpreters who work with the Rohingya people with disabilities. Learn more.

 

Rohingya language education guide

Discussing education in the Rohingya language

These Rohingya language guidelines provide sociocultural background and linguistic context for program managers, field workers, and interpreters who work in education programs with the Rohingya people. Learn more.

 

Rohingya language gender guide

Discussing gender in the Rohingya language

These Rohingya language guidelines provide sociocultural background and linguistic context for program managers, field workers, and interpreters who work with the Rohingya people. Learn more.

 

Rohingya language WASH guide

Discussing WASH in the Rohingya language

These Rohingya language guidelines provide sociocultural background and linguistic context for WASH program managers, field workers, and interpreters who work with the Rohingya people. Learn more. Also available in Bangla.

 

Rohingya language nutrition guide

Discussing nutrition in the Rohingya language

These Rohingya language guidelines provide sociocultural background and linguistic context for humanitarian program managers, field workers, and interpreters who work in nutrition programs with the Rohingya people. Learn more.

 

Majhis’ role in sharing information in the camps

Majhis' role in sharing information in the camps

This report outlines findings from the interviews with Rohingya refugees, and provides recommendations to the humanitarian community on supporting majhis to share information with the community. Learn more.

 

Imams' role in information sharing in the camps

Imams’ role as sharers of information in the camps

To better understand the role that imams play in sharing information in the camps, TWB interviewed camp residents about their experiences and perspectives regarding receiving information from imams. Learn more.

 

Complaint and feedback mechanisms are missing the voices of women and people with restricted mobility

Complaint and feedback mechanisms are missing the voices of women and people with restricted mobility

In the Cox’s Bazar camps, complaint and feedback mechanisms (CFMs) play a key role in ensuring responding organizations are accountable to camp residents. TWB interviewed camp residents about their experiences and perspectives relating to providing feedback and making complaints. Learn more.

 

How Rohingya people think and talk about mental health

How Rohingya people think and talk about mental health

To help improve the dialogue between health services and the Rohingya community, TWB interviewed camp residents about their experiences and perspectives relating to mental health, including the language they use to talk about it. Learn more.

 

Rohingya information preferences and perspectives

Rohingya information preferences and perspectives

To better understand Rohingya people’s experiences of receiving and accessing information in the camps, and their preferred information sources and channels, TWB interviewed a small group of Rohingya people. This report outlines the findings of these interviews. Learn more.

 

Rohingya women's experiences and perspectives of birth and caring for newborns

Rohingya women's experiences and perspectives of birth and caring for newborns

Over half of births in Rohingya camps take place at home, with only the support of traditional birth attendants. While their presence might reduce the risk of stillbirth, birth attendants often lack the skills or equipment required for truly safe delivery. This report provides insights into new Rohingya mothers’ experiences and perspectives of giving birth and their beliefs and practices relating to the care of themselves and their babies during birth and in the first month of the child’s life. Learn more.

 

Rohingya women's experiences and perspectives of pregnancy

Rohingya women's experiences and perspectives of pregnancy

In crisis contexts, pregnant women face increased risks to their and their babies’ health. In the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, hundreds of women give birth each week. In accordance with Rohingya cultural norms, many of these births occur in women’s homes rather than in hospitals. We conducted research to better understand pregnant Rohingya women in the camps, and provide recommendations for healthcare providers. Learn more.

 

Navigating global guidance: The accessibility and use of child protection and education in emergencies guidance - research brief

The Global Education Cluster and Child Protection Area of Responsibility asked Translators without Borders to consult practitioners in Mozambique, DRC, and Bangladesh, on the accessibility and use of their technical guidance. We identified two types of barrier to document accessibility: barriers to physical access and barriers to understanding. We found that intended users face both types of barrier with Global Education Cluster and Child Protection Area of Responsibility resources. Learn more.

 

Community health workers: The main source of health information for Rohingya women

September 2021
Access to health care and health information is a fundamental human right. However, getting information to the women living in Rohingya camps is a daily challenge for humanitarians in Cox’s Bazar. Due to restricted mobility, particularly stemming from cultural and safety concerns, many women rarely leave their homes to seek or share information. This study explores a group of Rohingya women’s perspectives and experiences of receiving health information at home and their experiences of visiting health facilities in the camps. Learn more.

 

How Rohinga people think and talk about food and nutrition

August 2021
Rohingya people’s beliefs surrounding the nutritional value of foods often differ from Western nutritional scientific perspectives. Rohingya people generally talk about nutrition in terms of how foods impact particular organs or bodily functions. This report outlines key findings from interviews conducted with the Cox's Bazar camp residents about their food habits and perspectives on the nutritional values of common food items. Learn more.

 

Language characteristics and perspectives of long-term Rohingya refugees

Language characteristics and perspectives of long-term Rohingya refugees

May 2021
The Kutupalong and Nayapara registered refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar are home to over 30,000 registered Rohingya refugees, many of which came in the early 1990s. . After decades in Bangladesh, the language characteristics of these Rohingya refugees have changed. Understanding these changes is important for determining how service providers can best meet their needs, as well as understand possible future needs of recently arrived refugees. Learn more.

 

Imams share information in the Rohingya refugee camps

Imams share information in the Rohingya refugee camps

May 2021
In the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, imams play a central role in the community. They share information on various topics outside of religious teachings, such as COVID-19 and repatriation, and are regularly approached by community members seeking information and advice. To explore imams' role as sharers of information, TWB interviewed a small group of imams working in the camps. Learn more.

 

Getting information to Rohingya women in the camps of Cox's Bazar

Getting information to Rohingya women in the camps of Cox's Bazar

May 2021
Despite making up more than half of the population of the camps, Rohingya women have much less access to information than Rohingya men. Compared with Rohingya men, Rohingya women have less telephone and internet access, fewer sources of information, and fewer opportunities to seek out information. This report outlines key findings from interviews with Rohingya men and women about their information needs and experiences. Learn more.

 

Rohingya experiences of healthcare in the camps

Rohingya experiences of healthcare in the camps

May 2021
Every day, thousands of Rohingya refugees visit health facilities in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar. In healthcare settings, communication is key - effective two-way communication between health staff and patients is integral to ensuring that patients receive the care they need. To explore Rohingya refugees' experiences of attending health facilities in the camps, TWB interviewed twelve camp residents. Learn more.

 

Rohingya refugees' experiences during the pandemic: Rohingya refugees’ stories and perspectives on COVID-19

May 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of people and communities, including those already dealing with crises — like the Rohingya refugee community in Bangladesh. Our research report highlights the community's COVID-19 information needs and gaps, and illustrates the strength and resilience of the community during this difficult time. Learn more.

 

The language of leadership majhi report, Rohingya refugee camps, Bangladesh

The Language of Leadership: The words that define how majhis are seen and understood in the Rohingya refugee response

October 2020
In the refugee camps in Ukhiya or Teknaf, you will hear the term majhi a lot; their appointed role is the sharing of official information, with some assuming a leadership role, too. Research by Translators without Borders shows, however, that the effectiveness of majhis as Rohingya leaders and communicators is still constrained by a lack of language resources. Learn more.

 

Rohingya language guidance note on COVID-19 for Bangladesh

September 2020
Knowing what terminology Rohingya refugees use to discuss COVID-19 is critical if responders are to understand and respond to the refugees’ questions and concerns. To assist humanitarians in minimizing confusion, Translators without Borders has developed Rohingya translations of terms used in the COVID-19 response.
Learn more.

 

Language for learning: How language use affects Rohingya children's educational experience in Cox's Bazar

August 2020
This report examines how language use affects Rohingya children’s educational experience in the camps around Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
Read more.

 

Bangladesh and Myanmar: language needs across borders

March 2019 - A three-part TWB report, Misunderstanding + misinformation = mistrust, examine communication needs across borders.
The Rohingya are marginalized in Myanmar society, as reflected in their lack of legal status and recognition as citizens. Across the border in Bangladesh, they are also unable to participate fully in society due to their lack of legal status and recognition as refugees. In both contexts, language barriers reinforce that exclusion.
Learn more.

 

TWB Bangladesh Glossary

The language lesson: What we've learned about communicating with Rohingya refugees

4 December 2018 - A TWB survey reveals how Rohingya refugees prefer to communicate.

Refugees have a right to information and two-way communication in their own language, in a format they understand, and through channels they prefer and trust. Translators without Borders (TWB) surveyed a representative sample of refugees to better understand their language and information needs. Here is what we found.

Learn more.

 

Students practicing to write Rohingya Zuban

New language guidance to promote women’s rights in Rohingya refugee camps

3 October 2018 - Updated glossary supports response with gender-focused language advice

Translators without Borders (TWB), in collaboration with Oxfam International and CARE International, is launching new gender-focused language guidance for the Rohingya refugee crisis. This language support, which is provided in the TWB Glossary for Bangladesh app, gives refugees, aid workers, and interpreters a well-researched tool to communicate more effectively with Rohingya women...... Read more.


 

Hefazot transforms to nirapotta; janela becomes kirkiri

24 August 2018 - One year into the Rohingya refugee response, a language evolves with its people.

Language is fluid. It is subject to environment, culture, and the whims of communities. It’s been one year since more than 700,000 Rohingya fled over the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh. And it is here in these cramped refugee camps that a language is shifting and evolving right in front of us..... Read more.


 

Report from the field

22 August 2018 - Our Board Chair visits Bangladesh, sees progress and challenges first hand

I recently visited Bangladesh with Ellie Kemp, our Head of Crisis Response, to see first hand the work of Translators without Borders (TWB) around the Rohingya crisis. Our trip included a visit to the “megacamp” at Kutupalong, the biggest refugee camp in the world, and meetings with our partner humanitarian response teams based in Cox’s Bazar.... Read more.


 

Translators without Borders launches language tool for Rohingya humanitarian response

20 June 2018 - New glossary app improves communication between interpreters, aid workers, and Rohingya community in humanitarian response

The TWB Glossary for Bangladesh provides text and audio translations for five languages — Rohingya, English, Bengali, Chittagonian, and Burmese. It contains 180 key terms relevant to the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector... Read more.


 

Bangladesh Help Desk signage

Language Technology: TWB Blog by Executive Director Aimee Ansari

04 June 2018 - Language Technology Could Help 157 Million People Get Access To Information.

I was exhausted.  It had been a great week in Bangladesh, but the overload of language, smells, refugee camp, seeing old friends, meeting new friends, government, donors, and all the while pretending like I wasn’t jetlagged, was taking its toll.  I just wanted to go to sleep. My last meeting was in Dhaka with someone in the Prime Minister’s office.  I had little hope of staying awake through the meeting. And yet, I was captivated...Read more.


 

Kutupalong makeshift camp Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Program Update

03 April 2018 - Bridging language gaps empowers people to communicate in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, once famed for its beautiful 120km long beach, is now home to one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Between 900,000 and one million Rohingya women, men and children, depending on the estimates, now live in the area. Since August 2017, more than 670,000 Rohingya have fled across the border from Myanmar and settled in camps in and around Cox’s Bazar...Read more.

 


 

Community Health Worker

Rohingya Zuban

22 November 2017 - a TWB rapid assessment of language barriers in the Rohingya refugee response.

When surveyed in October 2017, a shocking number of Rohingya refugees said that they were unable to communicate with humanitarian responders. The issue of difficult communications in a crisis scenario is intensified by the fact that high numbers of the refugee community are illiterate. This rapid assessment shows how communication is a major barrier in the response to the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis. Click for storymap.

 

Cyclone preparedness

Bot Towan! #InterpretersMatter

31 October 2017 - With TWB's first ever Rohingya 'interpreter' trained, the team is ready to start communicating with the Rohingya communities. Today was a bit grueling. We went to interview people who have newly arrived at Balukhali makeshift camp about cyclone preparation. We did that, and in the process confirmed what I already knew: specific skills are needed to act as a translator or interpreter in a crisis...Read more.


 

Women waiting at center

On the ground in Bangladesh. So – how do we communicate?

22 October 2017 - Having arrived in Cox's Bazar Rebecca Petras reports on the complicated situation on the ground, and how the ability to communicate with refugees in their language is a serious issue.

The language complexity in the current Rohingya refugee crisis is deep. I had only a faint understanding of it when I landed a few days ago; I have a slightly better sense now...Read more.


 

Rohingya response

Taking action in the Rohingya crisis: TWB’s biggest language challenge yet

17 October 2017 - Rebecca Petras travels to Bangladesh to launch the TWB response to the Rohingya refugee crisis.

It is somewhere between 9pm and midnight, depending on where exactly my flight is right now. My rubber boots, rain gear, and TWB T-shirts are stowed in the hold; I am enjoying my second film. In a few short hours, we will arrive in Bangladesh, and the work will begin...Read more.

Your support helps ensure that Rohingya refugees have access to the information they need, in a language and format they understand. 

Donate to support TWB


 


Do you speak/write Rohingya, Chittagong, Burmese or Bangla languages? Register now to help translate vital information from English.

Register as a translator


 

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

News

TWB welcomes the RWS Foundation as Sapphire sponsor for 2023

February 28, 2023

Celebrating 100,000 TWB community members

August 8, 2022

TWB welcomes Semantix and TransPerfect in joint Sapphire sponsorship

April 5, 2022

Subscribe to the TWB newsletter

Contact Us

[email protected]

How to contact us

Report misconduct

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to our newsletter

Donate

More

Annual report

Financials

Careers

Sitemap

Copyright © 2023 Translators without Borders

image001  Privacy Policy