Respond Blog
Respond’s Executive Director on fighting language deprivation as a weapon of war
Language is used to exclude and abuse, to erect walls of paper and concrete around borders, to spread lies that justify violence and genocide. Respond Crisis Translation was founded on this notion …
Ukraine, Afghanistan, Haiti, U.S.-MX border: Eliminating language barriers on the frontlines by creating jobs for crisis-impacted interpreters
Here is the transcript of a panel event hosted by Respond Crisis Translation and leads across our Ukrainian & Russian, Southwest Asian and North African, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Indigenous & Marginalized Languages teams.
Respond-translated “war diary” illuminates survival, resilience in Gaza
In “War Diary,” published by AGNI Magazine at Boston University, Nahil Mohana shares moments from her life in Gaza from October 7-29th, 2023. Respond Crisis Translation linguist Mohamed Fenzari translated much of this dispatch …
Statement: Respond condemns Biden’s executive order closing border, banning migrants
We at Respond Crisis Translation forcefully condemn President Joe Biden’s executive order significantly restricting the ability of migrants who cross the southern U.S. border to seek asylum.
Dr. Timnit Gebru: The consequences of mistranslation for Eritrean and Palestinian asylum seekers
As the genocide in Gaza escalates, we at Respond Crisis Translation gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the ongoing Nakba and honor Palestinian translators and interpreters. Dr. Timnit Gebru, an expert on AI ethics and algorithmic bias and …
The Respond Hausa interpreter whose work helped asylum seekers win their cases: Meet Musa Abubabkar
Respond Crisis Translation’s client, Mr. B, was recently featured in an article in The Advocate after he was granted asylum in the United States following a traumatizing experience that forced him to leave his home country.
Respond translator uses her language skills to support fellow Nicaraguans, exiled political prisoners, in accessing asylum
Irene is a dedicated member of Respond Crisis Translation and recently sat down for an interview about her work. Due to the precarious and dangerous situation in Nicaragua, Irene uses a pseudonym for her safety …
Respond Crisis Translation’s Ayah Najadat: Amid surging caseload, Palestinian translators have been stepping up
On May 11, ahead of Nakba Day, Respond Crisis Translation hosted a gathering in Palo Alto, California, to highlight the work of the Palestinian and Arab interpreters and translators who are working tirelessly to support humanitarian parolees from Gaza and …
BREAKING: U.S. reps urge DHS to address major language access issues in the inhumane CBP One app
Earlier this month, on March 21, Representatives U.S. Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), and 27 other House representatives called on the Department of Homeland Security to address serious concerns …
CBP One’s obscene language errors create more barriers for asylum seekers
By Leila Lorenzo, Laura Wagner, Ariel Koren, Juan Camilo Mendez
Since its launch in October 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has required asylum seekers at the southern border to use the agency’s CBP One mobile app to schedule their appointments to enter the country.
Watch Respond Co-founder Meg Sears on decolonizing translation at “Manchester in Translation”
Respond Crisis Translation’s Co-founder and Director of Operations Meg Sears recently appeared on a panel hosted by Comma Press at Manchester in Translation on decolonizing translation, alongside UCL Professor of Translation Studies Kathryn Bachelor, writer, editor, researcher and translator Dr Kavita Bhanot.
Rudaw features Repond’s project on anti-Kurdish language violence after 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake
Rudaw, a major publication in Iraqi Kurdistan, featured Respond Crisis Translation’s Kurdish storytelling project, “One year since the quake: Linguicide and resilience of the Kurdish language.”
Even though the media extensively covered the Turkey-Syria earthquake that killed more than 59,000 people exactly one year ago ...
Respond’s Arabic Team: supporting asylum seekers from Syria, Morocco, Libya, and Palestine
Respond Crisis Translation’s Arabic Team worked tirelessly in 2023, supporting hundreds of individuals seeking asylum and refuge, partnering with organizations on dozens of projects, as well as raising awareness around key language justice issues, throughout 2023 …
Respond’s Portuguese Team translated 56,000 words for Brazilian asylum seekers in 2023
In 2023, Respond Crisis Translation’s Portuguese Team worked on 62 cases, translated over 56,000 words, and interpreted for 61 hours. This work mostly concerned the translation of legal immigration documents.
The team also participated in a fascinating project with our partner Ashoka!
Several Haitian Asylum Seekers were Granted Asylum following interventions from Respond’s Haitian Creole Team in 2023
Respond Crisis Translation’s Haitian Creole (Krèyol) Team completed hundreds of projects in 2023 – of these, 60 were asylum and/or immigration cases. We also helped mental health professionals provide psychosocial support, worked on several projects related to …
Respond’s French Team helps clients win asylum cases in 2023
2023 has been a particularly difficult year, witnessing many upheavals and crises around the world, and the French Team, as always, has contributed to making the world a better place.
It was also a year of growth for the French Team, ending with a total of 106 linguists based in 30 countries around the world ..
Respond’s Marginalized Languages Team helped over 100,000 people access asylum information in 2023
The Less Frequent & Marginalized Languages (LFM) Team made huge strides in 2023 to uphold Respond Crisis Translation’s values in our fight against language injustices around the world, particularly for speakers of marginalized and Indigenous languages! The LFM Team is a truly global collective of language activists, with members across 86 countries representing over 100 languages!
Respond’s Spanish Team translated over 1 million words (and orally interpreted 200 hours) for refugees in 2023
Every project has a story, and most of the lives that we try to improve by providing language support are a true example of survival, resilience, and courage. Respond Crisis Translation’s Spanish Team worked on a huge variety of projects in 2023 …
Respond’s Afghan Language Team’s pro-bono asylum clinics achieve 100% success rate in 2023
The Afghan Languages Team accomplished remarkable feats in 2023.
We take pride in successfully concluding 951 projects, offering our assistance to nearly ten thousand individuals. Around the clock, we collaborated to provide language support across diverse areas such as immigration and asylum, legal matters, asylum clinics, education …
Two years after invasion, Respond’s Ukrainian translators help hundreds of Ukrainian asylum seekers, organizations
February 24, 2024, marked two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Respond Crisis Translation’s Ukrainian and Russian (UA RU) Languages Team has been working around the clock since the invasion to support Ukrainian people fighting for their lives and freedom.