About
About Translator Brigades
Translator Brigades is a network of international activists and translators pursuing global change. Founded in the wave of solidarity with the 15-M and Occupy Movements in September 17th, the project has now expanded globally and we are now translating key content into more than twenty languages.
Translator Brigades is an idea, the idea that as the different problems we face in every country are caused by a global crisis of this system, the solutions should come from the dialogue and union of citizens worldwide.
Mission statement
We come from different contexts but have a common concern for global inequality and human suffering. We hold the principles of solidarity, collective authorship, and direct democracy. We believe our creative use of social networking and commitment to translating will serve to spread valuable ideas and empower struggles for justice by creating and reinforcing bonds among social movements across the globe.
What we have achieved so far
Global networking: We have overcome the challenge to create an innovative global network of translators who are spread literally all around the world. Our main success is the fact of being exploiting creatively the internet for an idealistic purpose though based in a highly practical activity, working in a cohesive and synergical way with people we would otherwise have, almost for certain, never met.
Adbusters: Dozens o articles translated from Adbusters into several languages, helping to create an international readership for this valuable publication. All the translations of Adbusters in every language are available in these links:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zDEzDVs1DomZ3LA5-14CJgrqm-sA6hGQNaWwHIWA2ek/edit?hl=en_US
Occupy Movement: The blog www.occupywallst.org/es of the Occupy Movement has been appearing for the most part translated into Spanish.
Global Calls to Actions: we have helped boost the calls for global days of action on 29Oct and 10Dec by getting them translated in almost real time in more than 20 languages: www.29october.net, www.10december.net.
Press Releases: We have helped spread a press release from Democracia Real Ya informing of a brutal and arbitrary imprisonment of three Spanish activists during the Nice G-20 demonstrations by getting it translated into a dozen languages.
Decision making
Who decides what the group translates? Each person in the group decides what he or she wish to translate. While there is a certain degree of delegation of tasks and people are encouraged to assume a role as facilitators of the group, there are no leaders, hierarchy or centralized guidance at all.
In order to stay focused, we work around projects, which are carried either individually or by specific workgroups when required. We try to do one thing at a time, this is, we avoid engaging into new projects until what we have already finish what we started.
Projects
Accordingly with the principles stated above, before starting new projects we would invite you to take a look first at the lines of action already in progress.
a) Adbusters
Anti-consumerist magazine founded in 1989, its motto is ”We are a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society”. We are grateful to Adbusters for its precious contribution to the Occupy Movement and also to these Translator Brigades. As there is a considerable variety of articles, each one can choose the ones which best fit one´s interests and motivations. There is also available a list of Adbusters' suggested articles.
In order not to get started with the translation of an article someone else is already working on, we strongly recommend to get in contact with us first so we can efficiently coordinate our efforts.
In order not to get started with the translation of an article someone else is already working on, we strongly recommend to get in contact with us first so we can efficiently coordinate our efforts.
b) Occupy Wall Street
We have translated for the most so far the blog of the Occupy Movement into Spanish www.occupywallst.org/, although as the blog develops we are having difficulties to catch up with all of it. We work on a weekly rotation basis either in pairs or individually.
c) Take the Square: www.howtocamp.takethesquare.org
These are a series of guides for occupation elaborated by the assemblies of the Global 15th October movement which synthesizes the best of its experiences so far; they are full of highly practical tips and reflections created specifically to facilitate the spread and empowerment of this global movement. At the present moment some of these texts are slowly starting to be translated into Spanish, German, Portuguese and Greek.
Quick Guide on Group Dynamics
http://howtocamp.takethesquare.net/2011/10/10/quick-guide-on-group-dynamics-in-people%E2%80%99s-assemblies/
How to Start a Revolution
http://howtocamp.takethesquare.net/2011/10/14/how-to-start-a-revolution/
Anonymus Guide for Citizens in Revolution
http://howtocamp.takethesquare.net/2011/10/11/anonymous-guide-for-citizens-in-revolution/
Planning Your Action
http://howtocamp.takethesquare.net/2011/10/10/planing-your-action/
Street Medic Guides
http://howtocamp.takethesquare.net/2011/10/10/street-medic-guides/
d) Global Calls to Action
As part of the 15Octobert movement there will be a series of calls to days of global action which, depending on the level of participation in the group, we shall help to make available into as many languages as possible. e.g.
www.15october.net : United for Global Change
www.29october.net : Robin Hood Global March
www.10december.net : Human Rights Global March
e) Spread the Change
This is a tool for including every one on the call to stand all united for global change. For the first time in history we have witnessed a march of protest which took place in more than 80 countries in the world, in a total one thousand cities. How can we deepen the cohesion of the peoples? As new calls for global days of action come in, we will be translating these strategic texts in many languages, creating multi-lingual events on facebook and twitter, and contact our friends and acquaitances in our countries. Spreading Change is a list of associations, ngos, blogs, websites, journals, etc commited to the defense of human rights and social and ecological justice all over the world. This will be a first step to create and reinforce bonds among social movements and commited citizens around the world. You may enter this doc and list in all social agents you may think of, and also, you may stay tuned to the calls to share the message with whoever you wish.
As a footnote, we would like to share the idea of the Global Square, an iniciative to create a global free social network
http://roarmag.org/2011/11/the-global-square-an-online-platform-for-our-movement/
How to participate
You may contact us any time at translatorbrigades@gmail.com making a brief introduction of yourself if you wish and telling us how you wish to participate. Then you can ask for access to the our group on facebook Translators HQ (http://www.facebook.com/groups/307165995963402/)
Also you may want to follow our publications in our group on the site on facebook Translator Brigades (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Translator-Brigades/289854661025026) and twitter (@TranslatorBrigs) and help spread the idea and project of Translator Brigades with anyone you wish.
Thank you! And welcome!
