Chernobyl Kids Arrive on 21 June, Translators Needed 22 June

Don DePalma

The children arrive in Boston on 21 June for this unique program described in my previous GALAxy article. The first trips to medical clinics start the next day and continue until their departure a month later. Their visits to various doctors and clinics generate 5 to 10 pages of records for each child. The Chernobyl Children Project strives to send the kids back with translations into Russian of their records so local doctors can read the recommendations of the Boston specialists and know what treatments they received while in the States.

I am helping the Chernobyl Children Project improve the process for getting these documents translated before the kids leave for home. Unlike the usual client who wants you to work for next to nothing, this project expects you to work for nothing. Everything is pro bono. Thus far we have received donations of software and equipment from ScanSoft and are staging the installation of SDL’s TermBase Online to help with the medical terminology. Once we get that software installed, I will ask suppliers for English-Russian medical glossaries.

We need people who can each commit to translating as many sets of records as they have time. Typically, translators have translated documents for one to three kids – anywhere from five to 30 pages. If you live in the Boston area, you could also help out with interpreting for the kids as they visit clinics and doctors. Any help would be greatly appreciated by the kids, the Chernobyl Children Project, and by the residents of the Chernobyl area.

Please contact me at don@commonsenseadvisory.com or +1.978.256.7621 if you need more information or would like to volunteer.

Don DePalma is president of Common Sense Advisory, Inc.