Volunteer Translation
I just finished a French to English volunteer translation job that I got through Ashoka volunteers, and I'm feeling very good about it. Although, I've done some volunteer translating in the past, I found this experience especially rewarding because I learned a lot of useful vocabulary from the financial field.
Volunteer translations are a great way to get some free translation practice, because unlike simply translating articles and texts from published works for practice, you get to see how it is for a real freelance translator. Although you're not getting paid, you do have an actual "client" that you're working for and there is an actual deadline to meet, so you get to work on your professionalism and your client relation skills, which are important aspects of the translation business. Also, it's a good way to get references to show to future (paying) clients.
Here are some sites where I've found volunteer translation jobs in the past:
Ashoka Volunteers: www.ashoka.org
They have a newsletter that they send out periodically, which is where I found this last job that I did. They pretty much always have translation jobs advertised on the newsletter, so this is a really good place to start, especially for speakers of Spanish or French.
Changemakers: www.changemakers.net
Changemakers is an organization that focuses on social entrepreneurship. It provides solutions and resources needed to help everyone become a changemaker and presents compelling stories that explore the fundamental principles of successful social innovation around the world. They are constantly holding "competitions" for proposals on social entreprenuership. There is usually a cash prize for the best proposal, and entrants come from all over the world, so a lot of the proposals have to be translated into English.
Idealsit.org – Action without borders: www.idealist.org
You can do a search through their "Volunteer opportunities" link and find all sorts of volunteer jobs, not just in translation.
Volunteer Match: www.volunteermatch.org
Do an advanced search and enter keyword "translation"
Another way to get free translation practice is to offer to translate websites. There was a Columbian organization that advertized in Ashoka last year that they needed some things translated into English, so I e-mailed them and offered my services. Unfortunately, they said that they had already found someone to translate the documents for them but that they would keep my info on file for any future translation needs. Now, just yesterday I happened upon their site when I was researching volunteer translation sources to list in this post, and I noticed that their "English version" page was still "under construction". Since I still had the e-mail address of the organization's president, I decided to send him an e-mail offering to translate their website into English. This time he was more than happy to take me up on my offer. Here's what he wrote:
"Muchas gracias, [TW]. Pronto te mandaré unos documentos para que me ayudes con el inglés. Me será muy pero muy útil."
So, now I'll get some website translation experience and another reference to give to future "paying" clients! Sweet Deal!
HAPPY TRANSLATING, EVERYONE!
TW
Explore posts in the same categories: Translation Practice
February 14, 2007 at 10:35 am
Now will search for pretty good feng shui gift for my love. Tnx for inspiration.b
February 14, 2007 at 10:51 am
You’re website looks very good, it was a pleasure to be on you’re. Keep on the good work :-)i
April 16, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Thanks for all of the advice! Those are some good leads!
May 4, 2007 at 8:19 am
Excellent web site I will be visiting oftenl
May 31, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I am looking for a translator for a project in Ecuador. Ironically speaking not for Spanish, but for English – French. It is a non profit initiative. We are not talking a million pages, but it is a decent amount of text anyway. If anybody is interested, please let me know:
Martin
info@volunteeringecuador.info
PS. Got some other projects lined up for translators in other languages….
May 31, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Lucky to find you, keep on the good workk guys! Best of luck.
August 26, 2007 at 10:36 am
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August 31, 2007 at 12:45 am
I’d like to give you a virtual hug. ((HUG)) 😛
Thanks for the advice! This is just the lead I was looking for.
September 2, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I admire Ahsoka and anyone who had anything to do with ASHOKA.
We are an association of young entrepreneurs in Tunisia, and need someone to translate our web site for us. Ca you help? We are a non profit organization with very little funding support. We would like to translate our site into english and hence atract investors and funding sources.
Our members are small tunisian entrepreneurs that could need traslations for their web sites.
October 17, 2007 at 6:09 pm
An interesting blog: http://transubstantiation.wordpress.com/
November 22, 2007 at 6:41 am
Nice post. I\’ll return.
December 14, 2007 at 10:18 am
Wonderful pages! Keep up the grat work.l
December 15, 2007 at 11:35 am
Hi our little brothers.O
February 12, 2008 at 11:05 am
Wonderful and informative web site.I used information from that site its great.o
February 23, 2008 at 8:25 am
Instructive and helpful writing!
It encouraged me also to carry on my work. I have just started getting free translation assignments.
September 12, 2008 at 3:29 am
Wow, what a helpful piece. Thank you so much for all your helpful information. I have been chansing my own tail for days just trying to get “started” somewhere, somehow… This most definitely helped. Thanks a lot. Good Luck in your future endeavors.
November 24, 2008 at 7:38 am
If you are looking for other ways to volunteer online, check out Kiva’s volunteer translation program (www.kiva.org/volunteer).
One of the New York Times Magazine’s “Top Ideas of 2006,” Kiva.org is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to an entrepreneur in the developing world.
The Kiva Translation Program offers the opportunity to use your skills to make a direct contribution, improve language skills, network with other Kiva volunteers and build your resume.
Volunteering from their own homes, Kiva volunteers translate entrepreneurs’ profiles into English, which are then posted for funding at Kiva.org.
August 24, 2009 at 7:52 am
This is really useful – thank you!
January 8, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Hello, I saw this page searching in Google, as I am looking for a translator but I cannot afford to pay one at this moment.It is an article from English into Spanish about nutrition, 2000 or less.I need help, please, could you let me know what to do?
I need it for tuesday morning the latest.
I would appreciate it a lot, thanks.
February 23, 2010 at 10:11 am
Very Interesting! Thanks for the info.
June 3, 2010 at 1:12 pm
My cousin worked in Tunisia for a few years. I remember him telling me about the importance of organisations such as Ashoka
June 25, 2010 at 3:05 am
I am an English to Spanish translator and I am looking for translation work to put together a portfolio of work. I can send you samples of my previous translation jobs and have also volunteered for the ONU and for TED. Thanks and regards
August 6, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I search for the translator from a Ukranian language on English.
4 releases newspaper of the International Festival Gogolfest-2010
“ Art Newspaper Gogolfest-2010 ”
August 10, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I’ll echo…thanks for the leads…I was definitely stum
August 10, 2010 at 9:31 pm
I’ll echo…thanks for the leads…I was definitely stumped on how to gain experience. This is a great help!
September 14, 2010 at 6:45 am
ATS Pro Terra Sancta is an international no profit Ngo looking for volunteers available for translations into German: Italian-German, English-German, Spanish-German, French-German. Contact us urgently if interested! infoats@custodia.org
September 30, 2010 at 6:34 am
Hi!
I am based in Hyderabad (India) and I work for one international non profit NGO named Aide et Action (www.aide-et-action.org). We are implementing activities in 23 countries for the children to get access to quality education. We are looking for volunteers available for translations from French To English, French to Spanish, English to French and English to Spanish.
Please contact me if you are interested: nancy.stlaurent@aide-et-action.org
February 2, 2011 at 4:44 pm
I like your website translation idea and I have implemented it at http://www.wikitranslation.org. It is a site dedicated to volunteer translators. Users translate short passages for each other. Gain experience and reputation!
April 18, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Why not using OnTranslator? It’s very useful and free!
May 9, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Hi to all,
if you are interested in travel-related voluntary translations, please check TIXIK.com website : http://en.tixik.com/info/jointixik/
We do translate travel content into (currently) 30 language versions. Topics available for translation are easy to translate, you can find out a lot of interesting travel information, and gain a job references at respected travel site.
Thank you all for replies.
November 26, 2011 at 9:52 pm
Thanks for the help. I created a new blog to help people with English-Spanish translations. http://www.translatingtolearn.blogspot.com. I hope to have visits and interesting texts and comments to learn more. Hope some of you look at it!
March 20, 2012 at 2:11 pm
thank you this was v useful 🙂
May 15, 2012 at 8:19 am
Thank you for this article. I will definitely try out the sites you have listed.
I am currently looking for volunteer translators for the Web browser the company I work for develops.
If you are interested, please get in touch via the site below:
http://blog.fenrir-inc.com/us/2012/03/translators-wanted-for-windows-mac-mobile-sleipnir-web-browser.html
If you are able to help, I would be happy to post your name as a contributor and if you have a suitable link, I would be happy to add it to our blog.
Thank you
May 16, 2012 at 7:44 pm
I’m from Malaysia. Nice to meet you.I’m searching for translation job and found your site. I speak English, Malay, Chinese and Japanese.
May 18, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Me encanta la traducción pero no debe ser lo más importante en nuestras vidas. Debemos buscar a Dios, a través de Jesucristo, porque el tiempo se acaba! Y acuérdense, Jesús es el ÚNICO camino para llegar a Dios:
Juan 14:6: Jesús le dijo: YO SOY EL CAMINO, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Cristo viene YA!
1 Tesalonicenses 4:16: Porque el Señor mismo con voz de mando, con voz de arcángel, y CON TROMPETA de Dios, descenderá del cielo; y los muertos en Cristo resucitarán primero.
Que Dios los bendiga a todos!
August 12, 2012 at 9:49 am
Hi to all, i’m screenwriter from Russia. I have sinopsys for filmscript, it is drama, 13 pages. It is translated into English, but some time ago i made some changes and translated this fragments myself. So now i need somebody to polish the English text again. It would be the best if this person is a native speaker. Who would help? Thank you in advance, Edward – edwardre@mail.ru
July 19, 2013 at 5:55 pm
Fantastic web site you possess going here.
August 3, 2013 at 7:37 pm
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December 30, 2013 at 7:21 pm
I am looking for some volunteers who would be interested in translating Latin into English. Its for an medieval Latin work called the Glossa Ordinaria. Little of it has ever been translated into English. I can get it published and I can also make it a free resource for online users. Anyone interested please contact me at jlitteral5@roadrunner.com
February 28, 2014 at 6:04 am
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March 15, 2014 at 1:02 pm
Hello. I am a translator student from Spain and I have worked as a volunteer at UNICEF Spain.
At the moment, I am writing on my final project in order to finish my degree and I looking for translator volunteers who can share their experiences or just to fill a questionnaire which would be anonymous.
This is my email in case you would like to contact me: miriam.uem.tei@gmail.com
April 8, 2016 at 10:53 am
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August 26, 2016 at 3:52 pm
I am looking for volunteers for translation projects for Latin, Greek, and French, into English. The projects are of Early Christian Bible commentaries that will most probably be published and translators get all of the royalties. No costs or unwanted obligations to the translator. No strings attached whatsoever. Please contact me at. Jlitteral29@gmail.com