SDL announces sponsorship of Translators without Borders

Continued support in the fight against language barriers

Maidenhead, UK
11/1/2012 11:38:39 AM

SDL (LSE: SDL), the leader in Global Information Management, and the SDL Foundation, are pleased to announce that we have pledged our ongoing support to help humanitarian translations reach more people around the world by continuing sponsorship of Translators without Borders.

Since the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010, Translators without Borders has been stepping up efforts to provide humanitarian translations to aid groups, not just to those working in Haiti, but to NGOs, or non-governmental organizations, working across the globe in disaster relief, healthcare and education. Since summer 2011, the organization’s volunteer professional translators have delivered more than six million words for humanitarian needs.

The financial support provided by sponsors is critical to sustaining and growing the organization, particularly in under-resourced languages. "In the course of our work, we've become aware of a huge global need, which is for people in poor countries to be able to access global knowledge in their own language," explains Lori Thicke, co-founder of Translators without Borders.

“According to UNICEF more people die from lack of knowledge than from diseases. People in poor countries are simply unable to access global knowledge in a language they understand. Mobile technology may be bringing this knowledge closer to the bottom three billion, but we still need to bridge the ‘language last mile’. Translators without Borders is delivering this much needed help by developing a scalable training program so that more people will be able to access the knowledge they need in a language they understand.

"Commenting on the SDL Foundation’s decision to continue sponsorship, Mark Lancaster said: “We started working with Translators without Borders during the rescue and rebuilding work after the devastation in Haiti. In crisis situations like that, it is critical that aid groups are able to communicate in the local language. SDL believes everyone should be able to engage with the information they require in the way they want which is why we are proud to continue our support for an organization that facilitates access to information for those that need it most.

”Lori Thicke adds: “We are incredibly grateful to SDL for this assistance, which is critical to enable us, in turn, to support more humanitarian work around the globe.”

The financial support provided by sponsors is critical to sustaining and growing Translators without Borders. SDL and the SDL Foundation are proud to be supporting Translators without Borders in this work.

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