
By sponsoring the international non-profit organisation Translators without Borders, we can help relieve distress among those living in extreme poverty or in the midst of a crisis. In such conditions, language barriers can cost lives.
With these thoughts we want to thank you for the pleasant co-operation over the last year and wish you a merry Christmas, a wonderful and relaxing holiday time, and all the best for 2014!
Information can save lives
Translators without Borders supports humanitarian work in deprived and crisis areas by facilitating the transfer of information from one language to another.
In a crisis situation, successful communication is vital and language barriers can hamper rescue work. Often help does not reach those in need because information is only available in a language not understood by them. Understanding the needs of those affected also helps to correctly target rescue operations.
In poorer countries, translation can help save lives. Sick children are lost due to lack of doctors and information: parents do not know what to do because the information is either not available, or it is in a language they do not speak.
With the help of thousands of voluntary professional translators, Translators without Borders offers translations free of charge to humanitarian organisations, such as Médecins sans Frontières, allowing them to focus their resources on their actual core tasks and purchase for instance medical instruments rather than translation.
In addition, the organisation runs a translator training centre in Nairobi, Kenya, where it trains healthcare translators. The program focuses on Kiswahili as well as a number of the other 42 languages spoken in Kenya.
Read more about the organisation's recent response to the Philippines Typhoon here.