Words of Relief
Kenya
Words of Relief (WoR) is an innovative project by Translators Without Borders that bridges existing language gaps to facilitate communication between humanitarian aid providers and crisis-affected populations. It improves access to life-saving information and increases the effectiveness of humanitarian responses by providing immediate linguistic support during crises.
Scaling
1 - 6 months
Last update: October 05, 2023
Challenge
Linguistic barriers are a longstanding problem in humanitarian operations. A 2011 report from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative cited lack of translation support as a “perennial hidden issue…delaying critical communications and disenfranchising affected populations.” In addition, vital information needs to be both accessible and comprehensible to reassure affected communities, increase trust in aid workers, and effectively promote behavior change.
Description
Words of Relief relies on a crowd-sourced, online (and mobile) application, called the Words of Relief Digital Exchange (WoRDE). Launched in 2014, the platform connects teams of rapid response translators with aid workers and data aggregators to do translations during sudden onset crises. WoRDE improves communication during crises by acting as a repository for pre-translated crisis content in local languages.
Outcomes
WoR has effectively supported several crises, including the Ebola emergency in West Africa and the Nepal earthquake. It provides immediate high-quality translations for aid organizations, increases access to life-saving information, and boosts the overall effectiveness of humanitarian response efforts.