Communication Is Aid — But Only if Delivered in the Right Language: An Interview with Translators without Borders on Its Work in Danger Zones

Abstract

This contribution aims to shed further light on the role of languages and translation in danger zones through an interview with Ellie Kemp, the Head of Crisis Response at Translators without Borders (TWB), a non-profit organization that provides language assistance in disaster settings. In the humanitarian sector, TWB is well-known for its work in amongst others the West Africa Ebola crisis, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, and the recent cyclone responses in Mozambique. Next to providing translations, the organization trains local translators and interpreters, researches the language needs of crisis-affected people, and raises awareness of language barriers in crisis contexts. TWB is thus active in a number of danger zones that have not been explored fully in other contributions to this special issue, such as health emergencies. This contribution firstly introduces TWB and its activities in more detail, and then shares TWB s responses to a number of questions related to the role of languages and translation in danger zones.