The Facebook application 'Tarjimly' helps migrants with translation and communication and will soon be available in Pashto, Farsi and Urdu as well as English and Arabic.
The Facebook Messenger application Tarjimly puts voluntary translators in touch with refugees and migrants who need to communicate in a language they do not know. This can help out in interactions with doctors, volunteers, lawyers, public officials or other private individuals.
The application was launched in January. For now, it is restricted to organizations working with refugees for translations in English and Arabic. However, the app will soon be opened up to other users and offer other languages including Pashto, Farsi and Urdu.
Communication a "big problem" for migrants
The project is the brainchild of three American Muslim graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with experience of volunteering in refugee camps in Europe. While there, they realized that communication "was a huge problem," according to Tarjimly cofounder Atif Javed. "We wondered if we could leverage the millions of Arabic and English speakers, and the millions of Farsi and English speakers, around the world and give them an opportunity to actually mobilize and help out".
Direct and anonymous contact
To help out with translation it is sufficient to register through the project website. There are currently 2,296 voluntary translators available from all over the world. A demonstration video shows how the application works: a migrant or refugee writes to the Tarjimly bot, sending a request for translation.The bot automatically puts this person in touch with a voluntary translator and the two begin to chat, exchanging images, videos and audio files. At the end of the conversation, it is possible to evaluate the translation received by sending positive or negative feedback.
"We've helplessly watched the refugee crisis unfold and felt like we've done so little", said Javed in a post on Facebook. "Tarjimly can be a tool to fight this #MuslimBan and refugee crisis, giving average people a way to help those most vulnerable. A chance at real impact - anonymized and at your availability".