This year and the one before, the world bore witness to some truly horrific acts of war, which challenged us all in ways we could never have imagined.
As humanitarian linguists and communicators, one might expect us to focus on content directly related to aid. However, the reality of our profession demands that we work objectively across a wide range of fields — putting aside our raw emotions. Some content we translate is harrowing and carries a heavy emotional toll, yet it is essential in the global fight for justice and accountability. We have to learn to navigate these waters with professionalism, maintain emotional balance, and keep conveying crucial information on child protection, medical and healthcare needs, the plight of refugees and IDPs, human rights issues, and much more. Every word we translate carries the weight of these crucial issues, serving as a bridge between aid providers and those who gravely need it.
In this complex web of war, our role is to ensure clear, empathetic and accurate communication, no matter how difficult the content.