Amidst the chaos, I found Respond. It was, without doubt, the most luminous choice I could have made during the war.
Yes, it was exhausting — endless displacement, unreliable internet, fear that never lifted — Yet Respond became a fragile, flickering light, guiding me through shadows I could not escape.

To be a translator in Gaza means to be a witness to pain and a voice for the survivors. I work under nearly impossible conditions: no electricity, no stable internet connection, no safety, and constant displacement. Yet I carry on, because this work is my way of surviving, of resisting, and of believing that my future is still within reach.

In the summer of 2023, about 25 months ago, I was like any other student in another country, thinking about where to spend the summer. That summer, my choice was to spend it among the warmth of home, family laughter, and the beach. So, my flight ticket from Berlin to Gaza was ready. But unfortunately, the outbreak of war was faster than my return ticket, …

When I first joined RCT, I was drawn to its mission of providing language access and dignity to people in crisis, especially refugees and asylum seekers from marginalized and displaced communities. As someone who grew up seeing how language barriers …

Today I want to share about what these times are like for the community of Haitian people in diaspora–those of us who, due to difficult circumstances, are away from home. For Haitians, leaving Haiti is the hardest thing in life.

ICE raids, detention, deportation, and border violence are shocking communities, as troops raid US cities, rounding up migrants and bystanders alike, while ICE abducts migrants even at routine immigration hearings. But few people know about the language workers …

Last Thursday, Oct. 30, Respond Crisis Translation held a panel at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco to talk about language depravation and it was covered by the LOCAL NEWS MATTERS media.

At our language Justice Forum at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco on Oct. 30, we discuss the targeting on asylum seekers with language violence and language access. It was covered by Mission Local.

Last Thursday, Oct. 30, Respond Crisis Translation held a panel at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco to talk about language depravation and it was covered by the SFGATE media.

A dystopian scene unfolded in the SF immigration court this past week: a Mandarin-speaking man was unlawfully abducted by ICE, and was alerted to his fate through a machine translator. No one present in the courtroom could speak Mandarin ….

Since I was displaced from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah, I have been living through an extraordinary human experience. I still feel traumatized by the experience of displacement, the fear, and being forced to flee Gaza in order to survive.

We temporarily took shelter in a friend’s house. We sleep in a concrete room where their aunt lives.The room is small, dark, and unpainted. We spread a mat on the floor.

Ayah Najadat, Language activist, translator and former RCT Arabic team lead, has published in Aljazeera a reflection on her work as an interpreter with RCT and the contrast as many countries recognise Palestine but treats its refugees as stateless, and demands documents before it offers dignity.

Thank you for giving to the truly incredible fundraiser organized by Respond Crisis Translation (RCT), Naomi and Kim. I have already received many of the funds and I am utterly blown away – I cannot begin to thank you all. This type of support allows me to feel hope and …

by Ayah Najadat
As a language practitioner and activist at Respond Crisis Translation, I often find myself standing between bureaucratic systems and the humanity buried beneath them. Words – or the absence of the right words – can carry life or death consequences. Over time, I have learned that words are never impartial…

by Danielle Josyle.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status provided by the U.S. government to eligible nationals of designated countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, epidemics, or other extraordinary conditions that make returning home unsafe…

Please help us support our friend Gheed and other Palestinian linguists to find food, find hope, and keep doing their essential work of translation for refugees amidst the war.

My name is Gheed, Respond Crisis Translation Arabic Team Co-Director. I’m writing this from northern Gaza. I’m the sole breadwinner for my family. In the early weeks of the war, I was forced to flee my home in Gaza City under relentless bombardment. The Israeli military had issued warnings that the city would be wiped out entirely…

In Western Europe, linguistic diversity is a fact. Linguistic justice is not. Every day, people around the world interact with immigration services, hospitals, courts, and schools, without understanding the language spoken. The consequences are often severe …