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, mental health, medical services, political events involving high delegations, domestic violence, and climate change.
Our team has been actively involved in delivering interpretation and translation services throughout 2023. The key statistics for our services during this period include:
Interpretation hours: 1442
Audio transcription: 52 hrs
Translated pages: 613.5
Translated words: 904,408 (almost one million!)
The Afghan Languages Team, with translators and interpreters living across 12 countries, has expanded significantly, evolving into one of the largest teams within Response Crisis Translation. In 2023, the team expanded from 20 to 46 dedicated practitioners.
Achievements of the Afghan Team
The entire team at Respond Crisis Translation firmly believes that machine translation poses consistent risks of vulnerability for asylum seekers across languages. This challenge is especially pronounced for speakers of low-resource languages such as Afghan languages and their associated local dialects, as highlighted in an article by Rest of World and Guardian News about AI translation.
Our dedication to addressing these challenges has been fueled by the encouragement of our partners, inspiring us to persist in our support and provide access to those facing language barriers.
A testimonial from JFCS expresses gratitude for the critical translation of Dari documents, emphasizing the importance of our work in the context of today's geopolitical conflicts:
"Thank you so much for your assistance in translating the Dari documents for my asylum client. These documents will be critical to his application, so we owe you and your team an enormous debt of gratitude for your support. Your work is crucial given the geopolitical conflicts in the world today. I wish you all the best!" - JFCS
Another uplifting message for my team members.
“Thank you again! You all have made it possible for us to take this family's case pro bono. Without interpretation, we could not help either-- thank you! “
We have also received fantastic news about the successful completion of Afghan asylum applications through our pro-bono Afghan asylum clinics and with the assistance of Afghan interpreters. The outcome is remarkable: a 100% approval rate! A total of 93 cases, involving 188 Afghans, have been approved and granted asylum.
We all are committed to meeting deadlines, maintaining effective communication, offering timely assistance, and remaining accessible at all times, irrespective of our geographical locations. To streamline this, we have set up a WhatsApp group for the Afghan team, promoting the sharing and exchange of knowledge and experiences among us.
From Uma Mirkhail, head of Afghan Languages Team:
“I extend my sincere gratitude to each one of the team members for dedicating your time and effort. Your invaluable contributions have played a crucial role in making all of this achievable. Your expertise, dedication, and compassion have greatly impacted our achievements this far. I am eagerly anticipating the continuation of this wonderful journey with all of you.”
