The mission of Translations for progress is to facilitate communication within the global grass roots community and to create opportunities for language students and professionals to get involved in social issues.

Translations for Progress is an online forum for volunteer translation and a public service intended for the international non-commercial public-good volunteer community. It was created to meet the needs of two different groups:

1. “Organizations” and other social entities in need of translation work, but without the budget to pay for it, and
2. Students or professionals in foreign languages interested in building experience as translators and/or editors or proofreaders, working directly with organizations in their region of interest, and contributing to a good cause.

Many NGOs both in the developing and the developed countries have an acute need of translations to be able to work with the international press, to seek fundings with foreign foundations and, more broadly, to spread their knowledge and information about their work throughout the international community. Often, the simple fact of having an English site can increase considerably the scope of the influence of an organization, thus enabling it to address the problems which it seeks to solve much more effectively. These organizations, very often chronically short of funds, can benefit from fair translations even if not of the highest professional quality.

Initially Translations for Progress is targeting language students seeking to become members of the US “development community,” which addresses issues as diverse as the environment, human rights, and economic development, but eventually, the website has the capability to include students of many languages in many nations.

The benefits of volunteering are universal:

1. Translation is an excellent study technique,
2. Participants build familiarity and assume an active role in their region of interest, possibilities that no textbook language course can offer,
3. By gaining direct exposure to the people and problems in their region, students become better equipped to work professionally, and
4. Contributing to a good cause is an end in itself.

By linking the needs of NGOs and language students and professionals, Translations for Progress hopes to support the development of better communication within the international grass-roots community, improve the ability of organizations to meet their goals, and help students become more actively involved in development issues early on.

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