Khrystyna Demchenko

Team member spotlight

Khrystyna Demchenko

English<>Ukrainian/Russian Translator

Right now I am a self-employed translator and interpreter in England and a translator and interpreter and volunteer project manager for Respond. Before that I practised law for 8 years, half of the year of which was dedicated to the United Nations Development Program project “The Legal Environment Assessment for Tuberculosis in Ukraine”. I am also a poetess who has 2-second places in the all-national competitions organized by Talanovytyi Svit under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. I am also currently working on my two children's books.

What do you do professionally/ what is your professional title (when you’re not volunteering with Respond)?

 I am a self-employed translator and interpreter in England and a translator and interpreter and volunteer project manager for Respond.

What language(s) do you translate?

I translate from English and German to Ukrainian and Russian and vice versa.

What’s something about the language(s) you translate that people wouldn’t necessarily know?

Ukrainian language has a unique letter to other Slavic languages, which is Ї [it sounds like ii]. Without it, you cannot write the names of Ukraine [Україна] and Kyiv [Київ] in Ukrainian, and it also became a symbol of bravery and resistance for the Ukrainian people who live in Crimea and who just for making graffiti with it can be persecuted by the Russian police and military.

What motivates you to be a part of Respond? What do you like the most about being on the Respond team?

I  like our self-organised and collaborative teams of wonderful volunteer translators and interpreters, and the Project Management team. There is an unspoken rule among us that if you can help your team members in any respect, like denoting handwriting or translating difficult terminology more accurately, as well as step in if your PM colleague has exams or other matters, you will definitely do it.

How do you care for your mental health? What part of this work is the most challenging for your mental health?

I try to be in the present moment as much as possible, I also do Tai-Chi and read a lot of psychological and other non-fiction literature to distract myself from any thoughts which I do not consider as productive. I also take part in a Reading club where we usually discuss a piece of poetry for two hours or so. In Respond we also have an opportunity to speak with a psychologist after, for example, morally hard-to-handle asylum cases.

Can you describe the impact this work has had on your life?

It was beyond imagination for me to become a simultaneous interpreter, but here I am thanks to Respond and the Community interpreting course with Barbara Ricci.

What are you most proud of in your work at Respond?

Last year I translated more than 50 medical documents for Ukrainian refugees living in different countries and was able to become a volunteer PM in just two or three months of being with Respond.

Language justice and democracy is one of our core beliefs at Respond. How would you define language justice in your own words?

Working with Respond helped me realize that a right to translation should become one of the basic human rights as it is a direct prerequisite to exercising and enjoying most of all rights by refugees and asylum seekers, especially for those who only recently arrived in a new country. Without oral translation, they cannot understand what the doctor is asking them and explain what worries them. A similar situation is in the immigration setting. Likewise, specific medical or legal terminology in the text cannot be easily translated by the refugees or asylum seekers themselves. Without it, they cannot access needed medical, legal or other services.

Can you share a fun or little-known fact about yourself?

Until last year I have never drank coffee because it made me sleepy, but now I am totally okay with it.

Favorite word in any language? Why?!

My favourite word in Ukrainian is горнятко [horniatko] which some people use as a synonym for the word mug (there is much discussion about it in Ukraine) and it sounds a lot like the verb пригорнути [pryhornuty] which means to hug gently and with warmth. The funny thing is that горнятко of tea or coffee can actually recreate this warm and cosy feeling and atmosphere and make you smile.