Respond Crisis Translation is a coalition of multilingual people that formed in 2019 on the Mexico/U.S. border. A small group of interpreters and translators listened to immigration lawyer-activists lament that the translation deficit led to unsustainable reliance on under-qualified volunteer labor to translate thousands of complex documents. They asked this group,, as linguists and language activists, what could be done. Respond was the answer.

Almost 3 years later, Respond has provided the equivalent of $2.6 million dollars in pro bono services to asylum seekers, refugees, and others who face language as a barrier to access to life-critical support. Our team is composed of language experts, professional interpreters, project managers, technicians and marketers, and curriculum designers who are passionate about the intersection of immigrant justice and language democracy.

We refuse to be silent amidst the xenophobic policies that negate migrants’ basic human right to safety. We are using our voices and language skills to expand access to legal, medical, social and other services by protecting the right to access quality translation and interpretation.