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Chapter 12. Language-related disaster relief in Haiti

Volunteer translator networks and language technologies in disaster aid
  • Regina Rogl
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Non-professional Interpreting and Translation
This chapter is in the book Non-professional Interpreting and Translation

Abstract

After Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in January 2010, the disaster relief community saw the unprecedented response of thousands of spontaneous helpers – among them many multilinguals. Translators and interpreters were urgently needed to help establish communication within the disaster relief community, to assist in coordinating crisis intervention and above all, to provide urgent language services for those affected. Because of the chaotic situation in the aftermath of the earthquake, volunteers were able to mobilize only by massive use of social media and Internet technologies. This paper investigates the efforts of volunteer translators/interpreters to meet the needs of multilingual communication of the international disaster relief community. It explores how language volunteers mobilised and organised in spontaneous networks, what type of (translation) projects they launched and engaged in, which language technologies they used or helped to develop and which challenges they met during their work.

Abstract

After Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in January 2010, the disaster relief community saw the unprecedented response of thousands of spontaneous helpers – among them many multilinguals. Translators and interpreters were urgently needed to help establish communication within the disaster relief community, to assist in coordinating crisis intervention and above all, to provide urgent language services for those affected. Because of the chaotic situation in the aftermath of the earthquake, volunteers were able to mobilize only by massive use of social media and Internet technologies. This paper investigates the efforts of volunteer translators/interpreters to meet the needs of multilingual communication of the international disaster relief community. It explores how language volunteers mobilised and organised in spontaneous networks, what type of (translation) projects they launched and engaged in, which language technologies they used or helped to develop and which challenges they met during their work.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Introducing NPIT studies 1
  4. Part 1. State of the art of research on NPIT and general issues
  5. Chapter 2. Unprofessional translation 29
  6. Chapter 3. We are all translators 45
  7. Chapter 4. Dialoguing across differences 65
  8. Part 2. NPIT in healthcare, community and public services
  9. Chapter 5. Intercultural mediation and “(non)professional” interpreting in Italian healthcare institutions 83
  10. Chapter 6. More than mere translators 107
  11. Chapter 7. Issues of terminology in public service interpreting 131
  12. Chapter 8. From confinement to community service 157
  13. Chapter 9. The role and self-regulation of non-professional interpreters in religious settings 177
  14. Chapter 10. Simultaneous interpreting and religious experience 195
  15. Chapter 11. Beyond the professional scope? 213
  16. Chapter 12. Language-related disaster relief in Haiti 231
  17. Part 3. NPIT performed by children
  18. Chapter 13. Bilingual youngsters’ perceptions of their role as family interpreters 259
  19. Chapter 14. Child language brokers’ representations of parent–child relationships 281
  20. Chapter 15. Child language brokering in private and public settings 295
  21. Chapter 16. Through the children’s voice 315
  22. Chapter 17. Seeing brokering in bright colours 337
  23. Chapter 18. Language brokering 359
  24. Chapter 19. Not just child’s play 381
  25. Index 411
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.129.12rog

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Introducing NPIT studies 1
  4. Part 1. State of the art of research on NPIT and general issues
  5. Chapter 2. Unprofessional translation 29
  6. Chapter 3. We are all translators 45
  7. Chapter 4. Dialoguing across differences 65
  8. Part 2. NPIT in healthcare, community and public services
  9. Chapter 5. Intercultural mediation and “(non)professional” interpreting in Italian healthcare institutions 83
  10. Chapter 6. More than mere translators 107
  11. Chapter 7. Issues of terminology in public service interpreting 131
  12. Chapter 8. From confinement to community service 157
  13. Chapter 9. The role and self-regulation of non-professional interpreters in religious settings 177
  14. Chapter 10. Simultaneous interpreting and religious experience 195
  15. Chapter 11. Beyond the professional scope? 213
  16. Chapter 12. Language-related disaster relief in Haiti 231
  17. Part 3. NPIT performed by children
  18. Chapter 13. Bilingual youngsters’ perceptions of their role as family interpreters 259
  19. Chapter 14. Child language brokers’ representations of parent–child relationships 281
  20. Chapter 15. Child language brokering in private and public settings 295
  21. Chapter 16. Through the children’s voice 315
  22. Chapter 17. Seeing brokering in bright colours 337
  23. Chapter 18. Language brokering 359
  24. Chapter 19. Not just child’s play 381
  25. Index 411
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