Refugee Translation Project End of Year Campaign 2022

The Refugee Translation Project is a Brooklyn-based non-profit dedicated to helping refugees transition to a life of safety and security by providing free translation services to people seeking asylum and other immigration relief, increasing access to vital resources, and offering employment opportunities to refugees.

We work with individual clients, as well as with local community groups, immigration service providers, law firms, and advocacy organizations to  ensure people have access to high quality translation services in 15+ languages. We translate informational resources to help people access services and programs, and to inform them of their rights.

The Refugee Translation Project began as an urgent response to a critical translation need in the wake of the crackdown on journalists, teachers, academics and civil servants in Turkey in 2016. Since then, we have expanded the scope of our work to professional provide translation support to people fleeing violence and persecution in over 30 countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.

The funds raised during our end of year campaign will pay for translations of crucial documents to support people seeking asylum and other immigration relief, and will support our efforts to sustain and expand the scope of our impact. 

We will continue providing translation services and add more languages in order to accommodate needs as they arise. 

We will apply to foundations for large grants to secure sustainable funding. 

We will continue collaborate with community groups, immigration service providers, and advocacy organizations to expand our network and extend the reach of our impact.

Translation plays a crucial role in an immigration application because it is the only mechanism by which a displaced person can convey their experiences accurately to a court or immigration officer. Without access to translation, a person’s application cannot be processed, or their case may be rejected – oftentimes with life or death consequences.

The funds we raise go towards paying our translators, many of whom are refugees themselves, and towards our efforts to build collaboratively with community groups, immigration service providers, and advocacy organizations as we support immigrants and refugees in our communities locally, nationally, and globally. We are actively growing our capacity to meet this critical need and we invite you to join us in our work.