Members of the Lingua community at the Global Voices citizen media summit in Cebu, Philippines. 2015. Photo by Jer Clarke. CC BY-NC 2.0

The dozens of language sites at Global Voices are made possible by the generosity of the Lingua project’s hundreds of volunteers, who donate their spare time to translate stories and thereby build bridges between different countries, cultures, languages and peoples.

Why get involved?

Volunteering as a translator with the Lingua project can be rewarding in several ways. Many volunteers report that they feel satisfaction that their translations make a positive contribution to the world.

Additionally, the Lingua project offers aspiring translators or other budding professionals a chance to receive mentorship, build up a portfolio of work and develop their skills not only in translation, but also in multicultural collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and tools like WordPress.

“Volunteering translation for [Global Voices] feels like willingly opening new windows to the world and its million realities.” —Anna Kokkinidou, who has translated for Global Voices in Greek

Some volunteers are passionate about a particular cause or topic and use their choice of story to translate as a way to raise awareness. Others enjoy the translation process itself – how spending so much time with a particular Global Voices story broadens their own horizons. You learn something new with each translation!

Finally, by becoming a volunteer translator for the Lingua project, you join a network of people from all over the world who work in many different countries and sectors, and who share a curiosity about the world and a desire to do good. For many contributors, the connections that they’ve made through the Global Voices community have opened doors to personal and professional opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

“I like the idea of being able to inform others about what's happening in the remotest, often forgotten locales, thus helping weave ties between people living in the four corners of the world.” —Samantha Deman, who has translated for Global Voices in French

Requirements for participation

No formal translation qualifications or minimum experience are required to apply. The same goes for technical skills: Lingua translators work in WordPress, and as such we find that having some familiarity with WordPress is helpful. However, it's OK if you don't — as long as you are willing to learn, we provide training and support.

You must have strong language abilities in at least two languages. Most Global Voices stories are originally published in English and as such, most volunteers translate from English into a non-English language. However, in certain cases some volunteers translate between two non-English languages, or they translate from a non-English language into English, depending on the availability of content.

You can contribute as much or as little as you like. We simply ask that you be communicative with your language’s Translation Manager, be respectful of any deadlines that you have accepted, and be open to learning and feedback. You must also conduct yourself in accordance with the Global Voices Community Ethics and Harassment Policy.

Apply to become a volunteer translator

If you are interested in translating into the following languages, please click the links below to visit their language sites and use the application form there to apply:

• Arabic (عربي)
• Aymara (Aymara)
• Bangla (বাংলা)
• Chinese (traditional) (繁體中文)
• Dutch (Nederlands)
• Esperanto (Esperanto)
• Filipino (Filipino)
• French (Français)
• German (Deutsch)
• Greek (Ελληνικά)
• Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia)
• Italian (Italiano)
• Japanese (日本語)
• Malagasy (Malagasy)
• Nepali (नेपाली)
• Portuguese (Português)
• Romanian (Română)
• Russian (Русский)
• Spanish (Español)
• Ukrainian (українська)

For all other languages, please use the form below.