Making a difference through The RWS Foundation

Back in February we announced the launch of The RWS Foundation, a charitable trust that aims to make a positive contribution to unlocking global understanding. The renewed purpose of the Foundation was simple. As David Shrimpton, Independent Chair of The RWS Foundation, explains, “We want to partner with people, organizations and charities globally to help break down language barriers, and progress in areas that have a lasting, positive impact on society.”

 

Almost six months later it’s wonderful to see all the exciting projects taking place across RWS.

CLEAR Global (formerly Translators without Borders) was selected as the Foundation’s first beneficiary of 2023. In case you’re not familiar with the organization, CLEAR Global is a non-profit global community of linguists who help people in need to get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak.

 

We’re now working closely with the organization, sharing resources and providing support with our own network of in-house translators. Ongoing support includes translating, localizing and reviewing critical content, managing large-scale projects, providing training to translators and members and analyzing data to ensure the highest translation standards are maintained.

 

Our Machine Translation Post-Editing course is also now freely available to CLEAR Global’s 100,000 strong community of translators, giving them the tools and skills they need to improve the standard of translation projects.

A big part of the Foundation’s focus is to encourage colleagues across the company to take part in fundraising activities. And the teams didn’t disappoint! So far over three hundred volunteer days have been taken by colleagues to raise funds, support local charities – or any cause close to their heart.

 

Sadly, there are too many examples to mention here. But they range from individuals raising thousands by competing in 10km runs to offices hosting cook-off competitions to help combat food poverty. To highlight a few – our colleagues from Cluj prepared meals for Ukrainian refugees and distributed meals to a children's daycare centre and homeless individuals across the city.

 

 

Colleagues in Poland hosted an unforgettable Hard Rock and Blues charity concert, raising thousands for a cancer-fighting organization. And members of the Sheffield office even took a daring 10-meter plunge to raise funds for The Children's Hospital Charity, raising over £1300. In Vietnam the team has been raising funds and gifts for patients at a Mental Health Centre, travelling regularly to meet and support residents in need.

 

This year the Foundation will continue to support the RWS Brode Scholarship Programme with the University of Manchester. Established in 2019, the programme has sponsored 50 students who want to take on a degree in modern languages at the University. The programme also offers mentoring from our in-house teams, who offer support to students and careers advice. We also promote opportunities for summer placements, internship programmes, and full-time graduate positions.

 

RWS Campus will also continue to work closely with our network of 700+ universities, helping to shape the learning curriculum, foster future industry talent, provide free Trados licenses to support teaching and offer industry experience to students through our global internship program.

 

Only six months in and we’re already seeing the impact that The RWS Foundation is having on our communities around the world. As we look to the next six months we want to say a heartfelt thank you to all our colleagues, who embody our vision and purpose of unlocking global understanding.