Humanitarian Efforts

Many companies in the localization and language industry run their own charitable or Community and Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. GALA is always pleased to hear about and promote visibility of these efforts.

 

On a global scale, there are several non-profit organizations that are doing tremendous work using the unique skills of the industry to improve the lives of people around the world. Dozens of small and large companies in our industry sponsor these organizations, and many individual translators and interpreters provide their services for free in support of their work. A few of these non-profit organizations are listed below.

 

The Rosetta Foundation

In its own words, the Rosetta Foundation wants to:

  • relieve poverty, support healthcare, develop education and promote justice through access to information and knowledge on a global scale
  • provide access to information and knowledge through the removal of language barriers
  • remove language barriers by providing an infrastructure for translation and localisation, both internationally and locally
  • use this infrastructure to create employment and prosperity leading to greater equality
  • ensure that this effort is sustainable, global, and based on principles of social enterprise

The foundation achieves these aims by providing vital language technology needed for translating important information on behalf of non-profit and non-governmental organizations working with communities in need. It also hosts a global community of roughly 1,500 volunteers that it calls on when required.

 

You can volunteer, request help and read more on The Rosetta Foundation website. 

 

GALA and The Rosetta Foundation both support the AGIS Africa initiative. This initiative, supported by GALA and The Rosetta Foundation, envisages a five-year program hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and co-hosted by the Localisation Research Centre (LRC) at the University of Limerick (Ireland). The goal of this program is to:

  • Develop localization capacities in languages and for content that are currently not adequately covered, specifically in the African context,
  • Create awareness of the benefits of localization, specifically in the African context, for business and society, and
  • Raise funds for the implementation of this program.

  

Translators Without Borders and Traducteurs sans Frontières

Translators Without Borders' mission aims: to support humanitarian work around the world by providing free translation. As such they focus their work on linking volunteer translators with vetted NGOs that focus on health, nutrition and education.

 

Aid groups working in crisis situations face a mission-critical challenge in disseminating knowledge in the language of those who need it. Translators Without Borders facilitates the transfer of knowledge from one language to another by creating and managing a community of NGOs who need translations and professional, vetted translators who volunteer their time to help.

 

You can volunteer, donate, ask for help and find out more at the Translators Without Borders website.

 

The Red T

The Red T strives to protect translators and interpreters working in conflict zones and other adversarial settings. Translators and interpreters working in these conditions often put their lives at risk just by doing their job.

 

For example, interpreters in Iraq must wear facemasks so that they are not labelled as traitors and killed when they return to their communities. In Afghanistan, translators who work with foreign troops are singled out for kidnapping and slaughter. In the United States, linguists have been held legally responsible for the content they translate and the sentiments those words carry. The simple act of practicing their profession makes translators and interpreters vulnerable to loss of life, limb, and freedom.

 

The Red T is a non-profit organization that works with volunteers to raise awareness of the plight of translators and interpreters at risk and to promote their safety. They advocate on behalf of linguists working in dangerous conditions in all corners of the globe.

 

There are various ways you can support the Red T; from using their logo on your website to spreading the word about the work of translators and interpreters. Go the website to learn more about supporting the Red T.

 

Do you know of other humanitarian efforts in the language industry? Please let us know!