The Refugee Translation Project 2020 Campaign

The Refugee Translation Project provides free, professional translation services for refugees seeking asylum in the New York metro area and beyond.  We offer English translations of asylum statements, medical documents and other supporting documents originally written in Turkish, Arabic, and French. As the project picks up momentum, we will add more languages to our services.

Our clients have fled war and persecution in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, and other areas of unrest. Many of them are in need of medical attention, including small children. Those who make it to the New York area and wish to stay here must apply for asylum, which involves convincing the court that they are being persecuted in their home country and cannot be sent back for fear of further persecution, which includes the risk of imprisonment, torture or even death.

One of the most important factors for asylum seekers is that they can fully convey their stories to their lawyers and to the courts. These stories, written as statements, and the material evidence to back them up, are crucial to the refugees' success. Both the statements and the evidence, which could be anything from threatening letters, tax penalty notices, court documents, to bank statements and newspaper articles, need to be translated. Unfortunately, many of these people have lost almost everything they own and cannot afford to pay for the speedy translation of these important documents. To ease the burden, the Refugee Translation Project offers these professional translation services for free so that refugees can focus their limited resources on making a home here. 

In addition to providing translation support for people seeking asylum in the US, we also help refugees living in camps and other precarious situations abroad find resettlement.  Many of these people, including children, have serious medical needs.

So far we have helped over 185 families and individuals. To date, at least 10 people we helped have successfully gained asylum in the US! The asylum process is a long, arduous process that can take up to a year or longer. We hope to receive more success stories as the project goes on. 

Our fundraising goal is to maintain a fund with which to cover the translation costs of asylum statements and supporting documents. So far we have helped over 185 families and individuals with less than $20,000 of funding. At least 10 people have already received asylum in the US! 

The costs of translations depends on the word count and the source language. Turkish and French cost $.10 a word and Arabic $.11 a word. Asylum statements typically range from 1500 – 4000 words, costing $150 to $440 to translate. Naturally some are longer and some are shorter. Supporting documents, including medical reports, legal documents, and identification papers, typically range from $10 to $30 per document, depending on difficulty and word count. 

The cost per client varies depending on their translation needs. 

No money from this campaign will go towards administrative and fundraising costs. 

Refugees who have arrived in the New York area seeking asylum are oftentimes in extreme financial straits. As newly arrived immigrants, their community networks and access to resources are limited. The costs of translating the statements and documents necessary to apply for asylum can be a huge financial burden. The Refugee Translation Project relieves this particular burden so that these people can concentrate their resources on planting roots in their new home.