"The Tarjimly Talent translator served as a conduit, providing language access for the aid worker and the Eritrean immigrants that they would have otherwise struggle to receive."
Thick smoke loomed heavy in the air. Hot flames shot down previously lush expanse. Buildings burned while communities struggled to decide: what do we do as California turns to ash? With wildfires blazing through California, communities face great peril & uncertainty. A lack of institutional preparedness, compounded by language barriers, stand to especially threaten immigrants during this ecological catastrophe. Emily, an International Rescue Committee aid worker, recognized this danger. She decided to take action and extend critical safety information to Eritrean immigrants in the Bay Area. But only 5,000 people in California speak Tiginriya; so what could she do? That's when Emily turned to our app. She connected with one of Tarjimly Talent’s high-needs language speakers, Minab, who successfully translated several important messages from English to Tiginriya: unhealthy air quality levels, directions on how to respond (such as wearing masks and keeping windows closed), and the launch of IRC’s mass messaging systems for emergency preparedness. Translator Minab also helped aidworker Emily direct resources, such as government safety websites & other IRC support, to her clients. The Tarjimly Talent translator served as a conduit, providing language access for the aid worker and the Eritrean immigrants that they would have otherwise struggle to receive.
This isn't the story of one immigrant. Thousands of vulnerable individuals and families are left without care due to language barriers. When an aid worker's lack of ability to communicate hinders their ability to accommodate and assist refugees, an organization's ability to impact real change is limited. Tarjimly is here to bridge that divide, and to provide on-demand translation services for aid workers, whenever and where ever they may be.
