IMIA Haiti Relief Efforts
As many of you know, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti yesterday after 5 p.m. The news coming from Haiti is that this is a very serious earthquake and has wreaked havoc and devastation on the region. We know that millions of people in the region will be affected. Many IMIA members and their patients have family in Haiti. Our thoughts are with them, the Haitian community and the people of Haiti. If you or your patients need information on relatives in Haiti, the US government has set up a hotline at 1-888-407-4747.
Background on Haiti and Haitian Health Culture
http://www.cookross.com/docs/haiti.pdf
How can interpreters help?
OFFERS OF AID
Lingotek is offering free unlimited usage of their online, collaborative translation software environment for Haiti work. Twitter @RobVandenberg **CONTACT DETAILS NEEDED
Language Line Services is offering free Haitian interpretation, document translation, tools and training over this month to its customers directly involved in the Haiti relief effort. Dale Hansman dhansman@languageline.com Details at http://www.languageline.com/page/news/178/
One Hour Translation will translate up to 250 words (around 1 page) for free to all organizations aiding in Haiti and all victims of the disaster; projects above 250 words will only be charged at cost price. +1-(646) 845-9597; Haiti-aid@onehourtranslation.com
Pacific Interpreters offering free Haitian/English interpreting services to aid organizations involved in the Haiti relief efforts. Contact Sheila Turcotte, Director of Operations, with the contact information for the organization in need. +1 (800) 311-1232; Sheila.Turcotte@pacificinterpreters.com
NEED
For more information on the USNS Comfort, please visit the website http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/usnscomfort
Blood Donation Urgently Needed
Give a Pint, Get a Pound. To make an appointment call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.givelife.org. Please note that due to the recent events in Haiti there is great demand for blood supply.
Japan Red Cross
Is looking for one Haitian Creole > English interpreter to accompany Japan Director, and who is already in Haiti or has lodging in Haiti and wants to assist on a voluntary basis under their supervision. Please email info@imiaweb.org if interested.
The American Red Cross wants to recruit a Haitian Creole and French interpreter and translator to work at its National Headquarters Office in Washington for periods of between one to three weeks. The volunteer will support the International Services Department (ISD) in response to the earthquake in Haiti by sharing information with Haitian Creole speakers in the United States, translating documents from various ISD offices and/or American Red Cross chapters around the country, may be called upon to record messages in Haitian Creole or respond to inquiries from Haitian Creole speakers by telephone or in writing.
Gio Lester is liaison with Miami Red Cross re to USSR Comfort recruitment.
The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) is seeking qualified interpreters who are willing to travel to Haiti. IMIA continues to take the lead for on-site interpreting in Haiti. Izabel Arocha info@imiaweb.org. More info at http://www.imiaweb.org/basic/HaitiRelief.asp
The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators and the American Red Cross are seeking Haitian Creole and French interpreters and translators to assist in this time of great need. Interpreters are needed for two types of assignments – either at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington DC (immediate need) or on the hospital ship USNS Comfort off the coast of Haiti (anticipated future need). Volunteers will remain on the ship throughout the duration of the assignment and will not deploy to the mainland of Haiti. Both assignments are on a volunteer basis and the American Red Cross will cover all travel expenses. Please send all responses to christina@najit.org or phone 202-293-0342 for further information.
Translators Without Borders has an urgent and immediate need for French translators for Haiti relief efforts. If you are willing please contact Yuliana Hernandez-Anfray at TSF@lexcelera.com for details.
NEWS
TransPerfect Raises over $50,000 for Haitian Relief Efforts
NEW YORK--TransPerfect, the world’s largest privately held provider of translation services and related technology, today announced that it has raised over $50,000 for Haitian Relief efforts. The money was raised primarily through the institution of an employee/employer donation-matching campaign. Donations are being divided equally between the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site/eon/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100305005112&newsLang=en
ORGANIZING ON FACEBOOK
Interpreters and Translators for Haiti is a collaborative initiative creating a central resource for translators, interpreters, and language companies that are willing to donate their time, services, and expertise in Haiti relief efforts. On Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Interpreters-and-Translators-for-Haiti/251290554759?ref=mf
Together we can find 100,000 translators and interpreters launched by Nicholas Ferreira http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=245649094887&ref=mf
Translations
Translators Without Borders (http://www.tsf-twb.org), which does work for Doctors Without Borders/Medecins sans frontiers and Medecins du Monde, currently has urgent needs for professional quality French to English and English to French volunteer translators. Please contact Yuliana Hernandez-Anfray, coordinator of Translators Without Borders, at TSF@lexcelera.com. Please also consider going to www.atanet.org for further updates on translation needs.
ALTA Language Services Free Emergency Phrases
A free language resource that ALTA Language Services created. Based in part on the British Red Cross Emergency Multilingual Phrasebook, our audio guide can be listened to online or downloaded for later use on any MP3 compatible device. We offer 52 Haitian Creole emergency medical phrases, which we hope will be valuable to those working in the field.
http://www.altalang.com/beyond-words/2010/02/16/haitian-creole-in-translation-medical-phrase-pronunciation-guide/
Facebook Network
Nicholas Ferreira has mobilized a large group of concerned translators and interpreters from around the world called Interpreters and Translators for Haiti, and formed a group on Facebook to offer their services to those involved in providing aid in the Haitian crisis. Many have offered their services over the phone or on the ground in Haiti. The main language pairs represented are Creole, French, Spanish and English. The group is a useful resource for anyone involved in the crisis on the ground in Haiti or for translators or interpreters to find a way to get involved. Visit them at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=245649094887
They are not just in need of Haitian interpreters, but also primarily in need of Mandarin and Cantonese, Portuguese and French, among others, as these are primary the languages of the relief service providers.
The organizations below are being reached but please be patient. Right now the focus will be to develop relationships with 3 organizations.
1) FreshMinistries, selected by US HHS to coordinate Haiti efforts including language assistance.
2) Center for International Relief Information
3) Miami Red Cross - coordinating USSR Comfort recruitment of interpreters
As more information becomes available we will post.
- International Medical Corps: http://www.imcworldwide.org/Page.aspx?pid=183
- Direct Relief International: http://www.directrelief.org/EmergencyResponse.aspx
- World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/emergency-updates?OpenDocument&lpos=top_drp_OurWork_DisasterResp
- International Relief Teams: http://www.irteams.org/index.htm
- Yéle Haiti: http://www.yele.org/
- American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/
- Operation USA: http://www.opusa.org/
- CARE: http://www.care.org/
- Catholic Relief Services: http://crs.org/
- World Food Programme: http://www.wfp.org/
- World Concern: http://www.worldconcern.org/disasters/haiti-flooding.htm
- Save the Children: http://www.savethechildren.org/?WT.mc_id=1109_hp_logo
- UNICEF USA: http://www.unicefusa.org/
- Mercy Corps: http://www.mercycorps.org/
- Operation Blessing International: http://www.ob.org/_programs/disaster/disaster_index.asp
- Shelterbox: https://alliance14.challiance.org/
- Americares: http://www.americares.org/whatwedo/emergency/
- Operation USA: http://www.opusa.org/
- Doctors Without Borders: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/
- Trinity Wall Street mheyd@trinitywallstreet.org
- Japan Red Cross http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/
Additional Documents
>CALL FOR HAITIAN CREOLE INTERPRETERS TO SERVE IN USNS COMFORT
