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Article published In:
Translation Spaces
Vol. 6:2 (2017) ► pp.209–229
Global Dynamics

The translation challenges of INGOs

Professional and non-professional translation at Amnesty International

ORCID logo | University of Reading, U.K.

In the current climate where the legitimacy of Western-based international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) is increasingly put under pressure, some NGOs have started to change their approach to translation, often as a consequence of structural changes within the organisation. This article focuses on the translation challenges of one such organisation, namely Amnesty International, and how it has aimed to deal with these. Drawing on ethnographic data, it describes the mission of Amnesty’s Language Resource Centre, which aims to support translation at Amnesty into a variety of languages. The article reveals some of the tensions between the use of professional translators, particularly for languages such as French, Spanish and Arabic, and the continued reliance of smaller Amnesty offices on volunteer translators. It demonstrates that despite the trend towards professionalisation, volunteer translation continues to represent a significant portion of Amnesty’s translation work.

Keywords: institutional translation, volunteer translation, NGOs, academic-NGO collaboration, linguistic ethnography, translation policy
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.INGOs, professionalisation, and translation
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Translating for Amnesty International
    • 4.1Amnesty International’s Language Resource Centre (AILRC)
    • 4.2Who is translating what?
    • 4.3Working with volunteer translators: translation of Urgent Actions at AIVL
      • 4.3.1Translation is free?
      • 4.3.2Translation is easy?
      • 4.3.3From translation as ‘easy’ and ‘free’ to a more nuanced understanding
  • 5.Final remarks
  • Notes
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 4 December 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.6.2.02tes
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