LANGUAGE SERVICES FOR CONFLICTS AND INTERNATIONAL CRISES

Interpreters for conflict zones, support for rare languages, translation services for humanitarian missions and international emergencies

SMG Languages provides multilingual support for managing international crises, with qualified translators and interpreters, state-of-the-art technology, operational procedures refined through over 30 years of experience, and language solutions tried and tested in highly complex emergency scenarios, such as areas affected by war, natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

We facilitate the management of international crises through integrated, rapid-response language solutions, which ensure effective human communication during all stages, from prevention to preparedness, response and post-crisis reconstruction.

Our solutions are based on a modular combination of language services, specifically developed for use in challenging and high-risk operational contexts, such as situational translation into rare languages and dialects, emergency interpreting, linguistic and cultural mediation in conflicts and war zones and the establishment of crisis rooms for communication in contingency situations: unlike traditional translation services available on the market, our linguistic solutions take it to the next level in terms of speed of deployment, confidentiality and situational awareness of the language staff deployed.

Our company has bases in multiple countries, and together with well-established operational procedures, this ensures high levels of operational continuity, resilience and interoperability with the client’s systems, procedures and organisational structures.

It is important to note that SMG Languages also supports the client’s decision-making processes by providing linguistic intelligence services to analyse the situational context and supply the necessary information tools. These highly technology-driven, adaptive solutions involve, for example, the use of tools for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of foreign-language communications, decoding protected information and managing large volumes of data.

Interpreters for conflict zones

SMG Languages provides clients with carefully selected interpreters to operate in military, wartime or humanitarian emergency contexts; i.e., staff with advanced linguistic and interpersonal skills, who possess a level of physical fitness appropriate to the operational context and who do not have any conflicts of interest with the mission’s objectives.

Knowledge of local dialects and the specific slang used by the social groups involved, as well as knowledge of the local area and transport routes, are also essential skills for interpreters working in conflict zones. They must also possess specific soft skills that enable them to interact appropriately, respectfully and constructively with the military, diplomatic, legal or humanitarian personnel involved in the mission.

Finally, in our experience, the role of conflict-zone interpreter, like that of a humanitarian interpreter, now requires increasingly advanced digital and legal skills in order to navigate successfully the complexities of modern crisis situations.

Humanitarian translations

SMG Languages provides impartial and dedicated support to government agencies and NGOs dealing with humanitarian emergencies. Every year, we provide hundreds of translators, interpreters and cultural mediators with solid language skills and a deep sense of commitment.

We select our emergency response language staff primarily on the basis of their ability to operate under conditions of high psychological and physical stress for extended periods of time. Interpreters must be capable of withstanding fatigue without being overwhelmed by possibly intense emotions; they must be able to keep a totally clear head, and to apply their technical and linguistic knowledge in order to operate in a reasoned, effective and legally sound manner within the context of the job at hand.

Having provided interpreters, translators and mediators in acute humanitarian emergency scenarios in Africa and Latin America, we are aware of the operational and legal requirements of both international organisations such as the UN and NGOs, and national bodies such as Civil Protection, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministries of the Interior of various states.  For example, we have provided interpreters, translators and mediators on a long-term basis to the African reception centres in Ceuta and Melilla to help cope with migration and pandemic crises; we have assisted the prefecture of the island of Mayotte in managing the humanitarian crisis affecting the island; and, for years, we have been supporting humanitarian missions operating in the Peruvian rainforest.

On the basis of this extensive experience, we offer:

• Language support and intercultural mediation for human rights: we assist NGOs and international cooperation organisations with specialist language services to support their efforts in defending human rights. Our support includes both a permanent service provided by in-house translators at the client’s premises (for example, at migrant reception centres) and an emergency response service involving on-call interpreters in crisis areas. In both cases, our linguists have many years’ experience, particularly in the areas of combating human trafficking, food security, access to water and tackling gender-based violence.
• Translation and interpreting services for refugees and asylum seekers: within the broad field of language support services for migrants, we specialise in providing language assistance to refugees and asylum seekers. We are aware of the gravity of the humanitarian situation faced by migrants fleeing their countries due to political, racial or religious persecution, and we seek to contribute by providing the best interpreting and linguistic-cultural mediation services, deploying staff with solid linguistic skills, a strong commitment to helping others and the necessary technical and legal knowledge regarding international protection.
• Interlinguistic support for humanitarian aid programmes: we provide translators, interpreters and mediators who are specially trained to deliver ongoing support for international humanitarian aid programmes. In addition to having gained experience in humanitarian assistance in crisis zones, these professional linguists have developed legal expertise and specific knowledge of the operational and administrative functioning of international humanitarian aid organisations, which means they can provide effective assistance from within: for example, providing written translation services to support planning, monitoring and reporting in the client’s offices; or senior interpreters for internal meetings and public relations engagements with the press and external stakeholders.

Translations for international emergencies and setting up crisis rooms for interlinguistic and intercultural communication

SMG Languages provides governments and large corporations with language and technology solutions derived from 40 years of experience in managing international emergencies.

Depending on the client’s specific requirements, our solutions may include the following individual services, right up to the full set-up of a crisis room for linguistic and intercultural support for communication in crisis and contingency situations, in the country specified by the client:

• Installation of specialised digital systems to support multilingual communication, such as systems for transcribing wiretaps or digital simultaneous interpreting equipment..
• Development of digital systems for linguistic intelligence, such as AI software and applications to perform, for example, the quantitative and qualitative analysis of large volumes of data, forensic linguistic analysis, speech recognition and machine pre-translation followed by human optimisation.
• On-site support from interpreters and mediators specialising in crisis management and bound by strict confidentiality protocols.
• Support from native-speaker translators, either at the client’s premises or at our various offices, who are subject to strict confidentiality requirements and possess specific digital skills.
• The coordination of language staff and technological resources allocated to the assignment, ensured through full project management services, carried out by the linguistic project manager dedicated to the specific client and underpinned by a working model that includes strict confidentiality protocols, distributed team operations and operational support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Translations into rare languages

SMG Languages benefits from 40 years of relationships fostered by the ‘SMG’ companies with the very best translators around the world. The result of this long history is a network of solid and deep-rooted relationships, which means we can provide our clients with competent and, above all, trustworthy linguists to support the management of international emergencies.

• Translation, interpreting, mediation and editing in African languages and dialects
• Translation, interpreting, mediation and editing in languages and dialects of the Americas
• Translation, interpreting, mediation and editing in Asian languages and dialects
• Translation, interpreting, mediation and editing in Australian languages and dialects
• Translation, interpreting, mediation and editing in European languages and dialects

Interpreters for international cooperation

International cooperation organisations require highly specialised language services, which differ from simple translation in that the interpreters and translators who assist international missions must possess a rare combination of linguistic skills, interpersonal skills, mediation skills and the ability to cope under pressure.

SMG Languages offers language solutions specifically tailored to international cooperation, which have been refined through decades of experience in translation and mediation, particularly in emergency contexts in Africa and Latin America:

• Translation and interpreting services for the internal offices and communications of international cooperation organisations, specifically designed to meet their administrative requirements for transparency, compliance and accountability, whilst ensuring the high level of flexibility and customisation necessary to effectively coordinate international operations.
• Language support and interpreting services for field visits and inspections, assisting officials from international organisations on their business trips and visits to project partners.
• Linguistic and cultural mediation services for on-site operations involving significant physical and emotional difficulty, ideal for facilitating understanding and dialogue with the local population where significant cultural barriers exist, in remote areas or during acute emergency situations.
• Simultaneous and consecutive interpreting services for institutional and diplomatic events and press conferences, including the supply of supporting audiovisual equipment, such as microphones, video projection systems, lighting and conference equipment.