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.
The team undertook a remarkable 156 projects over the past year. Out of these, 144 cases have been successfully completed, providing crucial support and assistance to those in need. Notably, 61 cases within this portfolio are asylum-related cases.
In our pursuit of accurate and impactful communication, the team translated a staggering 155,322 words, fostering clarity and accessibility. a substantial portion of our efforts has been dedicated to supporting asylum cases and immigration matters. Each number represents not just a statistic but a story—a story of lives positively impacted, barriers overcome, and communities strengthened. Your ongoing support has allowed us to navigate challenges and triumphs alike.
With rigor and commitment, we've translated a total of 388 pages, ensuring that vital information is accessible to all who require it. In our journey of impactful work, informational flyers and brochures have been the stars of the show! Whether it's conveying concise messages through flyers or providing in-depth insights with brochures, these document types have been our go-to for effective communication.
Communication is key, and our interpreters have contributed a total of 53 hours of remote interpretation, bridging language gaps and facilitating understanding.
Projects
All of Respond’s projects have immeasurable impact. Here is a glimpse of the most notable ones from the Arabic Team:
The team has been unwavering in its commitment to translating an array of documents. Our focus remains on accurately portraying unfolding events, especially amidst the Israeli aggression on Gaza. The collaborative efforts of our team aim to convey an authentic and true narrative to Western media outlets, fostering a deeper comprehension of the challenges faced by the Palestinian people and their ongoing liberation movement. Moreover, our outstanding team has successfully countered instances of language violence and mistranslation prevalent in major Western news agencies. This commitment to advocacy has been instrumental in challenging biases and promoting a more balanced representation of the Palestinian cause. For a closer look at the impactful work we've undertaken, please check this post.
Within the context of ongoing Israeli aggression, language is being weaponized to distort the narrative surrounding the Palestinian liberation movement, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and justifying a continuous genocide. English-language media often misinterprets or mistranslates Arabic words, contributing to the unfair portrayal of Palestinians as terrorists. This distortion fuels racist narratives that associate pro-Palestinian activism with inherent violence or antisemitism. Terms like "Shaheed," "Jihad," & "Intifada" — which hold significant meaning in Palestinian resistance and solidarity movements — have been oversimplified, succumbing to decades-old Islamophobic and racist anti-Arab tropes. If you would like to delve into the meaning of these words, please check out this post.
We also translated many legal documents, declaration and appeal statements, voice records, as well as informational flyers for asylum seekers. Our Arabic team has been doing all of that while interpreting medical, psychological, and resettlement resources for survivors of earthquakes and floods in Morocco, Libya, and Syria-Turkiye.
About the team
Our team is getting bigger rapidly and we have the capacity and the bandwidth to accommodate any requests we receive. In the past 6 months, 16 volunteers of translators and interpreters joined our team, resulting in an Arabic team of 74 translators and interpreters!