Winners ensure people worldwide have access to knowledge in their own language
DANBURY, Conn., USA – 17 April 2019
Translators without Borders (TWB) has announced the winners of the seventh annual Access to Knowledge awards. These dedicated individuals and organizations donate their time, passion, and skills to make sure people around the world have access to knowledge in a language and format they understand.
TWB is a multifaceted organization. It relies on these professionals, partner organizations, industry experts, and sponsors to develop innovative language solutions for people who need it most.
“The Access to Knowledge award-winners have played key roles in increasing people’s ability to get information in a language and format they understand. They are true superstars and I am grateful for their support and commitment,” says TWB Executive Director Aimee Ansari.
This year’s winners represent the breadth of TWB’s fit-for-purpose language solutions. They coordinate the translation of the principles against sexual exploitation and abuse into 100 languages, translate over 150,000 life-changing words, and lead language data collection in Bangladesh. Whatever role they have, these winners recognize the importance of language, and work hard to honor that importance.
In addition to six winners, a number of honorable mentions were also given.
The 2018 Translators without Borders Access to Knowledge Awards winners are:
The Excellence Award 2019
The Excellence Award acknowledges an individual or organization who has gone above and beyond to help TWB achieve its mission.
Winner: Julie Pickering
Julie Pickering leads the translation of the principles relating to sexual exploitation and abuse into 100 languages. Her management of and passion for the project makes sure the rules around sexual exploitation and abuse are clear and in languages people can understand.
Honorable mention: SmartRoom Barcelona
SmartRoom Barcelona helped coordinate multiple TWB team meetings in 2018. These meetings gave the TWB team the time, space, and resources to work collectively towards the organization’s goals.
Right to Knowledge Award 2019
The Right to Knowledge Award is awarded to an individual or organization who has made a difference through his or her ongoing commitment to translating humanitarian information.
Winner: Bamo A. Aziz
Bamo A. Aziz is a Kurdish and Arabic translator who has donated over 150,000 words, helping more people access information they can understand. Bamo is reliable, committed, and is always working on multiple projects with flexibility and passion.
Honorable mention: Vivian MT
Vivian MT translated educational material, humanitarian guides, and preparedness messages to help TWB and partner organizations respond to the Rohingya refugee crisis. Vivian is very committed and has worked on over 93 projects.
Empowerment Award 2019
The Empowerment Award is awarded to an individual or organization whose work has allowed us to significantly increase language capacity within a critical region of the world.
Winner: Ben Townsend and Oliver Lough, REACH initiative
Ben, Oliver, and the team at REACH were the driving force behind collecting data in the Rohingya language. Their work allowed TWB to increase language capacity and resources in the region.
Honorable mention: Rundi Translation Team (including Melchisédeck Boshirwa (Melcky), Cédrick Irakoze, Adelard Ngabirano (Dolard), Pasteur Nininahazwe, Callixte Nizigama, Freddy Nkurunziza, and Misago Pontien.)
The individuals who make up the Rundi translation team motivated each other and grew TWB’s capacity in the language. Their efforts increased TWB’s ability to work with Partner organizations in Burundi and surrounding East African countries.
Humanitarian Communicator Award 2019
The Humanitarian Communicator Award is awarded to a non-profit who understands the critical link between language, translation and access to critical knowledge.
Winner: Missing Children Europe
With the Miniila app, the team at Missing Children Europe demonstrated its commitment to having communication in the right language. The app, built for children in migration across Europe, is designed to provide essential information in multiple languages to promote people’s access to knowledge and increase their agency.
Donor Award 2019
The Donor Award acknowledges the individual, company, or foundation that has made a significant financial or in-kind contribution to help TWB achieve its mission.
Winner: Appen
The team at Appen provided in-kind transcription and translation services for approximately 40 hours of Kurmanji to English language interviews. The project dealt with raw and challenging content, and every person who worked on the project demonstrated remarkable nerve and commitment.
Communicator of the Year 2019
The Communicator of the Year award is awarded to the person or group who has creatively and publicly advocated for the need to communicate with people in the right language and format.
Winner: Women in Localization
Women in Localization used their tenth anniversary gala event to support and raise awareness for TWB. The global organization advocated for the need to provide information in the right language throughout the promotion of the event, raising TWB’s profile worldwide.
Honorable mention: Tim Brookes, Endangered Alphabets
Tim Brookes added the Hanifi Rohingya script to the Endangered Alphabets Project atlas of emerging and declining languages. He found a creative way to communicate the importance of language and to raise awareness of TWB. By recognizing Hanifi as one of a handful of scripts used to write in the Rohingya language, the atlas highlights the need for communication tailored to individuals’ needs and preferences.
TWB’s Access to Knowledge awards are presented annually to supporters and volunteers who help create a world where knowledge knows no languages barriers. To get involved, sign up as a volunteer translator, sponsor TWB through your company, request language services for your non-profit, or make a donation as an individual. Every donation and every translated word helps us create a world where everyone can communicate in a language they understand.
About Translators without Borders
Translators without Borders (TWB) envisions a world where knowledge knows no language barriers. The US-based non-profit provides people access to vital knowledge in their language by connecting non-profit organizations with a community of language professionals, building local language solutions and raising awareness of the power of language. Originally founded in 1993 in France (as Traducteurs sans Frontières), TWB translates millions of words of life-saving and life-changing information a year.
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