Participatory translation and anti-racism in NGO development work: A method of co-producing translations with community members

Motivation

This article argues that the NGO sector should prioritize translation as an anti-racist practice because failing to tackle colonial language hierarchies replicates historic power structures. Aligned with the locally led approach to development, the article responds to calls for more research into the role of translation in shaping development outcomes, and answers direct appeals from NGO practitioners for translation glossaries in different languages to improve communication between development actors.

Purpose

We introduce a new participatory method for co-producing translations of terms that community members deem important for their visions of “development” and social change. We contend that participatory translation fosters an anti-racist approach to knowledge production by centring communities in the construction of meaning, which may encompass language and concepts outside the international development lexicon.

Approach and methods

The study was based on the principles of community-based participatory research, and an Advisory Board of community members was instrumental in its design. The draft of the glossary was produced in two three-day participatory workshops in Lilongwe and Zomba, Malawi. These were attended by 36 people representing potential user groups of the glossary.

Findings

The workshop participants created 385 translations of development terms, including 70 translations that are not listed in the Oxford Chichewa–English Dictionary. They also engaged in critically reflective discussions that challenged dominant discourses of development. We argue that participatory translation is a tool to transcend the language barrier in a way that simultaneously subverts conventional power hierarchies and offers access to different ways of understanding the world.

Policy implications

NGOs in different linguistic and geographical contexts could adopt participatory translation activities in the early stages of forming relationships with communities and local partners to build trust and common understanding. In line with an anti-racist approach, this would help to combat systemic linguistic exclusion, which exacerbates other forms of disadvantage.