NGO Translations: A Powerful Tool to Raise Social Awareness
“Language never stands in the way of charity; only intent does.”
In today’s world, hearing about social issues has become common. Although tragic, through social media platforms, we often come across different problems, like natural disasters, political unrest, civil war, gender discrimination, poverty, and hunger. Fortunately, some valiant and noble souls across the world take it upon themselves to spread awareness and act against these unjust and tragic happenings. These independent entities are called non-governmental organizations (NGOs). To connect with global audiences and advocate for important causes, NGOs need to communicate accurately. Unfortunately, this isn’t an easy task in our multilingual world, and so comes the vital role of NGO translations.
What Are NGO Translations?
These are special language services that assist NGOs—who work on societal issues, like education, healthcare, and climate change—in converting various materials into several languages. NGOs need to speak diverse languages to engage with different communities and inspire them to take action. NGO translations deal with various documents like brochures, websites, climate reports, fundraising proposals, government policies, and much more. These documents, when translated accurately, can resonate with target audiences and prompt them to take suitable actions.
How Do Translation Services Help NGOs?
Tackling Language Challenges Beyond Geographical Boundaries
With more than 7,000 global languages, fostering effective communication, especially for NGOs—who need to convey their messages accurately—is difficult. Due to linguistic diversity, some region-specific issues might not resonate with people from other regions.
For instance, several international NGOs, like HelpAge International and Save the Children International Alliance, actively work in India to provide a better life for the children and elderly of the country. To garner support from other local organizations, these NGOs often translate outreach materials into major Indian languages, like Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Marathi, etc.
By offering such multilingual translations, NGOs efficiently continue to do charitable work in different regions. Accurate translation services also ensure that messages regarding pressing issues reach the farthest corners of the world.
Converting materials, like websites, social media posts, brochures, and flyers, helps NGOs attract global attention to important issues. This increase in attention can, in turn, bring in donations, volunteers, and support from different nations.
Building a Lasting Understanding
When NGOs communicate with different communities, it is vital to be accurate both linguistically and culturally. Certified language professionals, who have in-depth knowledge of the local culture and language, can help NGOs deliver messages that reflect their core values and needs, hence fostering trust and credibility.
Consider an NGO advocating women’s rights. They must adjust their message both culturally and linguistically when trying to spread awareness in conservative countries. By using a translation service, this NGO can effortlessly create and distribute materials that do not offend the local societal norms.
Reaching Supporters Across the Globe
Donations are necessary for NGOs to be steady in their fight against social causes. To attract donations from a wider network, NGOs should convert their fundraising materials using document translations into multiple languages. Multilingual fundraising campaigns are an efficient way for NGOs to engage with linguistically diverse donors and garner support worldwide.
For instance, NGOs that require crowdfunding can create multilingual websites using localization services to adapt the payment portals according to the currency of the targeted region. Additionally, a multilingual crowdfunding website can effectively communicate and reflect the NGO’s gratitude for their support.
Ensuring Legal Compliance
Accurate translations are essential for communication and should also adhere to several local laws and regulations. NGOs often deal with legal and financial documents, like certificates, contracts, and reports, which need to be translated by a certified translation company. Translating these documents avoids any miscommunication or legal complications, making it easier for NGOs to maintain transparency in their operations and legal validity across different nations.
For example, the renowned NGO Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, wanted to set up medical facilities in South Sudan during the 2013 civil war. To do this, Doctors Without Borders needed to engage with different organizations, like the South Sundanese government, local authorities, and the United Nations.
The NGO was required to translate the following documents from English into Arabic:
So, Doctors Without Borders took assistance from different translation companies to ensure that all the documents were precisely translated and adhered to all the laws set up by the South Sudanese government.
Did You Know?
A country’s economy can affect the translation industry! Check out this blog for more: How is the Translation Industry Affected by the Economy?
Immaculate Translation Services to Help Your NGO
With Somya Translators, a leading and devoted language service provider, your NGO can effortlessly cross linguistic boundaries and communicate with different people. Our 16 years of extensive experience helped us tackle several linguistic barriers and provide top-tier translation and localization services.
Some of the documents we translate include:
And much more.
So why wait? Let’s join hands for a noble cause and spread awareness about different societal causes across the world. Reach out to us today and experience the magic of effortless translations done professionally!