Did you know that the job of translator also allows to develop a volunteer work? There are many places and very different ways in which we can need a supportive translator and in Okodia we wanted to contribute our bit with OKNGO, the social initiative and solidarity of our translation agency.
The work of a volunteer translator enriches your personal and professional experience, but in these cases we believe that, rather than having something to add to the curriculum, you have to be motivated mainly by the desire to help and by commitment to the world around you .
Solidarity translator, the work of OKNGO
Cooperation in the field of translation and interpretation can be done both in the field and from your own home. From OKNGO we help organizations (NGOs), companies, associations or non-profit foundations that need professional translations but do not have the economic resources to hire them.
Other way for collaboration
Practically all the NGOs you know need help with translation at some point: the San Vicente Ferrer Foundation, Amnesty International, Ayuda en Acción, Oxfam Intermón, or Medicus Mundi, among others, often need to translate projects, reports, and even your own websites Sometimes, collaboration is something as beautiful and rewarding as the translation of letters sent by sponsored children, as in the case of Plan International. You can also help on the field. You can view the websites of many national and international NGOs that need translators and interpreters. This is the case of ICVoluntarios, which recruits EU interpreters that can provide linguistic support to immigrants. They help them when they reach a country where they don’t speak the local language, and support them in their everyday tasks, mainly those related to education.
The Rosetta Foundation or Translators without Borders are two other international organizations where you can find your site as a volunteer.
If you are seriously considering being a volunteer interpreter or translator, keep in mind that it is a job that requires availability, time and commitment. Think about what kind of causes you feel most involved with. They do not have to be powerful, can address people, the environment, or animals (remember the case of a protector in Tenerife who asked for help to translate their website to English and German, to raise awareness of the large English population and German of the island). And all motivation is good when it comes to helping those who need it. Mind you, the latter excludes multinational companies that ask for volunteer translators with the claim that this will improve their curriculum. If you are going to do volunteer work as a translator, make sure that it is going to be something that is really worthwhile.
