Pro Bono Language Services
Our Pro Bono Language Services program provides free interpretation and document translation support for clients whose translation costs are not covered by another organization. Translation services often add up to an infeasible amount for our clients who have been forced to flee their countries, many without their belongings or the support of their families. RTP provides free translation services to families and individuals, allowing for more equitable access to the immigration process and social services.
New arrivals need professional, high-quality document translation to prove their asylum claim, apply for benefits and services, and enroll themselves and their children in school. We translate personal statements, medical records, identity papers, court documents, police reports, proof of online harassment, threatening letters, bank statements, newspaper articles, and other evidence necessary to win asylum and resettlement cases. RTP also offers in-person and remote interpretation services by phone or video conference domestically and internationally. Interpretation plays a crucial role in empowering refugees to speak with their own voice and to make informed decisions, especially for those who cannot read or write.
We provide translation and interpretation services in over 30 languages!
Individuals in need of our services can contact us directly to receive our services at no charge and get access to a built-in network for trusted referrals should the refugee need further legal or social services. Our free language services complement the work of our partner organizations that do not have the budget or capacity to offer their clients translation support. Our innovative funding model optimizes available resources to ensure no asylum applicant RTP works with ever has to pay for any part of translation.
Employment & Workforce Development
Systemic racism and lack of social networks often prevent refugees from finding employment opportunities and pathways to careers. RTP hires multilingual refugees as interpreters and translators at a competitive rate, and helps them build their careers through training, resume building, and work references. We see refugees as uniquely qualified for language careers due to their niche language skills, cultural competence, and lived experience, which contribute significantly to the overall effectiveness of our organization.
The cornerstone of our Employment & Workforce Development Program is the Interpreter Training for African Asylum Seekers program, which is currently underway with funding from the Mayor’s Fund. This program, which we developed in partnership with Afrikana, empowers asylum seekers by providing them with employment opportunities as stipend-based interpreters. The program serves two purposes at once: employment and access to translation services. More specifically, participants receive paid on-the-job training while providing interpretation and social services in underserved languages to new arrivals to help them navigate and troubleshoot the application processes for services, benefits, and immigration pathways.
Partnerships & Resources
RTP bridges the language gap between organizations and their clients and amplifies the effectiveness of their work. We collaborate with our partners to produce informational guides to help thousands of people access legal services, medical support, housing, food, and other vital resources in dozens of languages. Our partners include CAMBA, Catholic Migration Services, Church World Service, Coalition for the Homeless, IRAP, and Legal Aid, as well as law firms such as Latham & Watkins LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. RTP lends free support to smaller, grassroots groups, and we work with many of our larger partners on a fee-for-service basis to provide translation and interpretation support for their clients, filling in the language gaps with no cost to the client.
Other Initiatives
New Arrivals Strategy Team
RTP engages with city officials and electeds to petition agencies to immediately allocate more resources to serve Black migrants. As a member of City Council’s New Arrivals Strategy Team, RTP advises officials on how to best support refugees.
Following an idea that came out of this advisory council, our Interpreter Training For African Asylum Seekers program will continue to take place in donated shared spaces across the City, which we share with other mutual aid and grassroots groups. These spaces serve as walk-in resource centers for wraparound social services, including application and troubleshooting support, legal advice, and a venue for ESOL classes and community-led cultural activities, provided with access in all languages.
Refugee Translation Project 