An Interview with TWB Translators: Witnesses to a struggle

I have become someone who can joyfully ‘plant a tree under whose shade he doesn’t plan to sit’.

Céderick, translator for Translators without Borders (TWB).

Translators improve lives by translating potentially life-saving information into ‘marginalized’ languages spoken by vulnerable individuals. Their dedication means they sometimes work through unique challenges – juggling translation work with school, internet outages, and pressing deadlines. And while most translators work independently, one Burundi-based group of classmates and friends works together to deliver lifesaving translations. The team faces more challenges than most. Their east African homeland is currently experiencing a great deal of unrest, a situation which makes their work more difficult, but also more rewarding and even more inspiring. :star2: Read our blog post to learn more about their stories!

Within the soul of my heart, I feel like I must support and help in any way I can. Because nobody was created to be harmed.

Dolard, translator for Translators without Borders

The team works largely from English to Rundi, a Bantu language spoken by some nine million people in Burundi and surrounding countries. There is a shortage of translators working in this language pair, so Rundi speakers generally have limited information available to them in their own language. The team is changing that situation; they are especially proud of their efforts to translate the World Health Organization’s information on protecting against Ebola. Living in a country which experiences extreme poverty, the team members lack personal laptops and rent computers in order to complete projects, setting an inspiring example of dedication and selflessness.

Give what you have

@Pasteur, translator for Translators without Borders.

The team consists of Pasteur Nininahazwe, Melchisédeck Boshirwa (Melcky), Cédrick Irakoze, Adelard Ngabirano (Dolard), Callixte Nizigama, Freddy Nkurunziza, and Misago Pontien. They are undergraduate classmates with a wide range of interests and talents, but a common dedication to language.
:exclamation: Meet them and read their inspiring stories in our blog post. :bookmark_tabs:

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Another great TWB story, @ambra
And a beautiful, lively and vivid metaphor by “Witnesses to a struggle” from Burundi, @Pasteur

That’s also very deep:

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Thanks Cristina! And also a huge shoutout to @Danielle: she is the person writing beautiful stories out of the great answers to the interviews that we send to translators! I just love her writing style :star2:

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