[Linganth] Translators for mesoamerican languages urgently needed for border crisis

[Sonya Rao]

Dear Ling Anthro colleagues,

I'm writing with some perspective from my research on interpreters who work
in immigration contexts (in courts, detention centers, legal aid, etc.),
and would like to add a few clarifying details to make sure we direct our
resources in the way that is most helpful those in need right now.

Though many of us have friends and acquaintances who are multilingual and
know lesser spoken languages, this won't guarantee they are prepared to
adequately interpret in a high stakes, legally complex scenario. If you are
thinking of recommending someone, it can be good to recall if they have
experience in legal settings (even if from working in a community based
organization as an advocate), as the present shortage is specifically of
interpreters who are experienced and qualified in the area of immigration
law.

Additionally, donating money for travelling interpreters, as well as
recommending a professional interpreter who is requesting funds to travel,
is not necessarily a bad thing. Support for interpreters' travel can often
come as the closest thing we have to a guarantee that the services will be
high quality. Video and telephonic interpreting are not considered up to
professional standards of quality: they erase important interactional
modalities of communication, and they are especially problematic when
dealing with vulnerable populations such as minors and high stakes
situations. For this reason, a more experienced interpreter may request to
travel, and perhaps as a community, we can find ways to support that
travel. I will be happy organize any such efforts, and please feel free to
contact me if I can be of help in this way.

I am writing a more detailed piece on these issues soon in the form of an
op-ed, but I wanted to share this abbreviated point with you all first.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration in this time of need, so that
we can get migrants the best services to which they have a fundamental
right.

Sonya Rao

On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 4:34 PM, Melissa Curtin <mlocurtin at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Thanks for this Kit— also, another group also asking for translators is
> “Lawyers for Good Government” (what a concept, eh?) — essentially the same
> call.
>
> (1)
> #L4GG at lawyers4goodgov
> https://t.co/ZzaYFePkyW
>
> PLS RT. NEED HELP. Looking for people who speak Meso-American indigenous
> languages (e.g., zapotec, nahua, ma'am, quich'e, maya, mixe, mixteco) to
> translate remotely (via telephone) for immigrant families speaking with
> their lawyers. Email support at l4gg.org.
>
> ——
> L4GG webpage:
> https://www.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/
>
>
> (2)
> *RAICES*
>
> ***U R G E N T E *****
>
> “RAICES needs volunteer translators: "who speak Meso-American indigenous
> languages (eg, zapotec, nahua, ma'am, quich'e, maya, mixe, mixteco--not
> Spanish). Don't need to be in Texas, or even in the US. They can translate
> remotely." volunteer at raicestexas.org
>
> RAICES is Refugee And Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
> ------
> Their webpage:
> https://actionnetwork.org/groups/raices-refugee-and-immigrant-center-for-
> education-and-legal-services
>
> Recent funds acquired; dire need:
> http://time.com/money/5317688/texas-raices-fundraiser-money/
>
> *****
>
> Best,
>
> Melissa
>
> Melissa L. Curtin, Ph.D.
> Adjunct Asst Professor, Researcher, & Coordinator of
>     Special Projects in Language, Culture & Communication
> Department of Linguistics
> 3523 South Hall
> University of California, Santa Barbara
> Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3100
>
>
> On Jun 22, 2018, at 4:23 PM, Woolard, Kathryn <kwoolard at ucsd.edu> wrote:
>
> Many Ling Anthro folks may  know this from SLA twitter & other sources,
> but I haven’t seen it on this listserv, so I’m sending it on. Thanks to
> Beth Mertz for this alert.
>
>
>
>  they're looking for people who can translate languages like zapotec,
> nahua, ma'am, quich'e, maya, mixe, mixteco to help with the crisis at the
> border -- the group I've been following most is RAICES, and they welcome
> people who can translate remotely (no need to travel to the border):
>
> volunteer at raicestexas.org
>
>
>
>
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>
>
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>


-- 

Sonya Rao, M.A.
Doctoral Candidate
UCLA Department of Anthropology
sonyarao.net
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