Want to make the world a better place and contribute in an area that is important to you? Here are few suggestions on how to do good in the language industry:
Translators Without Borders
Established in 1993 by Lexcelera Translations (formerly Eurotexte), Translators Without Borders (Traducteurs sans Frontières) is a non-profit organization which provides free translation services for humanitarian agencies. The institution assists on a pro-bono basis such organizations as Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and others. TWB has translated reports, interviews, and briefings from conflict-torn areas around the world, such as Burundi, Sudan, and Chechnya. TWB translates about one million words per year. Translators who wish to register with TWB click here.
The Rosetta Foundation
The Rosetta Foundation supports the not-for-profit activities of the localization and translation communities. It works, internationally, with those who want to provide equal access to information across languages, independent of economic or market considerations, including localization and translation companies, technology developers, not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations. Volunteer translators can register here.
The Voice of Love Project
A new initiative in the field of interpretation, The VOICE OF LOVE Project is a national, all-volunteer project about how to interpret for survivors of torture, trauma and sexual violence. Spearheaded by Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma and Cross-Cultural Communications, the project is uniquely concerned with enhancing interpreting services for those members of society who have suffered the unimaginable—the worst that any human being can endure and live. Volunteer interpreters can register here.
Needless to say, these organizations also accept donations. Start off the new year with something good and volunteer your services or send in a contribution!