Refugee Translation Project

The Refugee Translation Project is a non-profit dedicated to helping refugees transition to a life of safety and security by providing free translation services to people seeking asylum and other immigration relief, increasing access to vital resources, and offering employment opportunities to refugees.

Our Translation Stops Deportation campaign seeks to raise funds to provide free document translation to people who face deportation after they have fled ethnic, political, gender-based, and anti-LGBTQ+ violence. RTP receives dozens of cases every month from people who are in desperate need of translation services to support their cases, but cannot afford the exorbitant costs of translation during this vulnerable time in their lives. We are struggling to keep up, as demand is still outpacing funding. Without your support, our clients face a greater risk of deportation back to dangerous and deadly situations. Your contribution makes a huge difference!

Here are two recent victories:

In September, Marco (name has been changed), reunited with his family in New York after he won his asylum case and was released from detention in Pennsylvania. We provided free translations of crucial evidence for Marco, whose case was assisted by our partner organization ROCC NYC. Marco had fled Venezuela after he was brutally assaulted by security forces at a peaceful anti-government demonstration. For his safety and that of his family, he had no choice but to come to the United States. US immigration authorities later detained him and moved him to an out-of-state detention facility.

After Marco’s wife and ROCC NYC built his case, Marco was empowered with the evidence in hand to represent himself virtually in court from the detention center. The professional translations of medical reports and other documents that we provided free of charge convinced the courts to grant Marco asylum.

In June, ICE had just boarded Maria (name has been changed) onto a deportation flight bound for her home country when her flight was suddenly halted. Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth’s office had intervened because of the petitions of Maria’s friends and advocates, who had reached out to the senator when Maria went missing from immigration detention. Maria’s advocates used the documents Refugee Translation Project translated to mobilize the senator’s office and to grant Maria a credible fear interview. This interview will give Maria the opportunity to make her case that the horrific gender-based violence she endured and would face again if she returned, is reason enough to allow her to stay in the USA. Maria’s advocate told us, “I don't think this would have been possible without the massive amounts of translated evidence we had to support our Maria’s case.”

Translation plays a crucial role in supporting asylum cases. Applicants would not be able to tell their story of persecution and prove it without a sufficient amount of translated evidence. RTP’s translations compliments the amazing work done by pro bono law firms and legal aid organizations to help immigrants and asylum seekers like Maria win their cases.

Maria had fled her country with her young daughters after members of organized crime perpetrated years of gender-based violence against her and threatened her daughters. Our team of translators translated over 60 pages of testimonials by friends and neighbors, as well as dozens of pages of forensic reports, screenshots of violent text messages against her and her children, and police files documenting her abuse. Thankfully Maria was returned to have her day in court before she faced violent repercussions in her home country.

Please help us win more victories like this! 

The Refugee Translation Project began as an urgent response to a critical translation need in the wake of the crackdown on journalists, teachers, academics and civil servants in Turkey in 2016. Since then, we have expanded the scope of our work to professional provide translation support to people fleeing violence and persecution all over the world, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Republic of Congo, Russia, Senegal, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.

We believe all people deserve to live in peace and safety, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, and financial means. We are committed to welcoming refugees and helping to provide access to the resources necessary to ensure their safety and enable them to benefit from, and contribute to our civil life.