Benefits of volunteering in TWB

I’ve been asked what are the benefits that volunteers get when translating for TWB, would you give me a detailed explanation of all of them, for I’m planing to make a descriptive video to post it in social media?

6 Likes

Good evening, @Lamine :first_quarter_moon_with_face:

That’s a great initiative! :smiley:

As to professional benefits, you may want to have a look :face_with_monocle: at this thread: Community Recognition Program. Please let us know if you have specific questions.

In case you want to focus on other kind of more personal benefits too, TWB provides us with an opportunity to have a positive impact in the world, by playing an important social role in the world. :world_map: By joining TWB, we can help bridge language gaps, and translate information that will, in some cases, actually save lives. This is specially true if a translator speaks languages like Pashto, Hausa, Dari, Amharic, Bengali, Sylheti, Tigrinya, etc.

I will tag here our kind @sifatnoor, who was recently been featured by The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as an Humanitarian Hero. :man_superhero: He may want to say a few words on this too. :microphone: :grin:

But even if a volunteer only speaks two or more of the ‘mainstream languages’, they can still translate information that will make someone’s life better, or help them somehow. :white_check_mark:

Coronavirus made it clear how important it is to have accurate information on our own language. On a crisis, you need to know what to do - but everyone was at a loss when it began. It caught us all off guard.

I remember when the lockdown started here in Portugal. People were afraid of each other; they weren’t just being careful. They did not know what to do, so fear overpowered them. At the time, I was looking for a job. Suddenly, I was expected to stay home, unemployed, so I wanted to help somehow. When you think of a pandemics, you think of doctors and nurses saving lives, or you think of a brilliant team of researchers finding a cure. I have none of those skills, but I realized I could help by translating Covid-19 related projects into Portuguese.

Right now, the number of new cases are rising again in Portugal, but people aren’t so afraid as they were in the beginning. And the reason is because now they have information that allows them to understand better what’s going on, and they also know what they need to do to protect themselves and others. And it means a lot to me that TWB has given me the chance to contribute a little to make that fear vanish, and to replace it with, if not always reassurance, at least some degree of understanding.

So, what I can tell you is this - having the chance to be a TWB volunteer translator during such an unexpected and surreal crisis helped me create a meaningful routine and to stay positive at a very uncertain time. It also made much more confident and resilient in general.

So, in a nutshell, there’s a lot of benefits. :grin:

By the way, Lamine, when you have your video ready, :clapper: please share with us. Also, I’d be happy to provide European Portuguese :point_right: :portugal: subtitles. :slight_smile:

Again, thank you for this amazing initiative. :heart_decoration:

Have a great evening, Lamine! :star2:

15 Likes

@andfraz Good evening!
So informative and helpful indeed as you always are!
In fact, I’ve made my mind to go through this initiative as a result of so many questions coming to me, mainly from the Arab/English team of TWB facebook group. I thought about the appropriate language for making the most benefit from the description, and it turns out that Arabic is better at least as a start, but later it’s alright to use English in the description.
By the way, I’m still trying to improve my English speaking skills through “Hello Talk” app, if you can join us it would be great!
Your interest really means a lot to me.
Cheers!

3 Likes

Hello Andreia,

You HAD TO tag me right (JK)? Anyway, I am sorry for this late reply. You are a super multi-tasker, I can’t concentrate on several things at the same time, besides I have just completed some cømplëx tasks and have been having a rough time (which will pass soon). Seeing your LOOONG reply, I don’t find anything else to say. But fortunately, I wrote something a while ago, which I think may be of some help.

@Lamine, it’s a wonderful intiative. IF you need to know anything; all the ins and outs of TWB and their covert operations, just ask @andfraz, she happens to mange to find EVERYTHING.

Joke aside (but seriously, she’s a ninja…just a very kind one who loves to help others), you may find this reply to an old thread helpful.

I wish you all the best on your project. Please do let me (us) know if you need help of any sort.

Regards,
Sifat

5 Likes

I do appreciate your help @sifatnoor!
Cheers!

1 Like