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Language shapes how we perceive the world. Therefore, as linguists, the words we use when translating or interpreting have great impact, especially when vulnerable or marginalized people are the focus of our work. How do we ensure that our language work is accurate while respecting and reflecting the agency of the person at the center of our assignment?
In October 2025, Tarjimly and the Lingua project held a joint webinar on culturally sensitive translation, inclusive and trauma-informed language, and more, in order to identify guidance on making such choices in our translation work. This tipsheet is the result of that discussion.
Contents
- 1 Strike a balance between empathy and accuracy
- 2 Choose context and adaptation over literal translations
- 3 Interrogate the connotations of the words you use, even common ones
- 4 Use AI tools wisely — cultural sensitivity always requires human input
- 5 Stay up-to-date on evolving language norms. Better yet, be involved in shaping those norms!
Strike a balance between empathy and accuracy
Emotional intelligence plays an essential role in communication. As a translator, you should be faithful to the source material, but at the same time you should be aware of the impact of the language you choose when translating it. After all, you work in service of your target audience – your job is to support each and every one of those individuals to not only receive the content in question, but understand it. If the words you choose distract or harm them – because your translation is confusing or culturally inappropriate or retraumatizing – then your translation will fail to get the source material’s message across, no matter how accurate it is. Practice active reading and listening, and keep the person or people you are translating for in your mind – really see them.
“We seek to build bridges across the gulfs that divide people, so as to understand each other more fully.” Read the Global Voices manifesto, which underpins all of the work that we do, translation included.
Choose context and adaptation over literal translations
Phrases that work in one language might not work in another. That’s because language isn’t a dry set of mathematical rules – it’s an expression of culture shaped by a people’s specific geography, history and much more. If you choose to translate literally, you not only risk muddling the very meaning of the content you are trying to convey, but you also impose the conventions and norms of another language on your target audience, who might not take so kindly to such cultural insensitivity. Instead, identify the essence of the message in the source material and find ways to communicate it to the target audience using language and imagery that culturally resonates for them.
Interrogate the connotations of the words you use, even common ones
Is someone a “victim” or a “survivor”? Should someone’s identity be defined by a label like “victim” or “survivor” or are they a person, a human being who has completed an action, such as having “survived” an event? Despite best intentions, certain descriptions can paint a picture of a person who is helpless, without dignity and one-dimensional. But everyone has agency and dignity that is deserving of respect, and everyone has an identity that is multi-layered. When you translate, make sure that the language you choose treats people with care and avoids compounding pain or exclusion.
Use AI tools wisely — cultural sensitivity always requires human input
Translators have always made use of a toolkit of resources to support their work. The latest wave of AI tools can certainly be helpful at certain moments in the translation process, but they are no substitute for a human translator. You understand context – AI can’t. With all your creativity and lived experience, AI can’t be a better speaker of your language than you are. And AI can’t navigate all the nuances of cultural sensitivity. Only a human translator — you – can do that.
Global Voices is proud to publish writing and translation created by people, for people, and we expect our contributors to uphold that standard. Read the official policy on the use of AI tools in our work.
Stay up-to-date on evolving language norms. Better yet, be involved in shaping those norms!
The world is always changing. Technologies are invented, discoveries are made, understandings are reached, and trends emerge. All of this inevitably means that language too is always changing, so you must stay abreast of new terminology to describe the changing world around you, as determined by popular consensus or by language authorities. Sometimes, concepts are so new that there isn’t yet a widely accepted translation for them. Research if your language has working groups or forums where you can participate in the discussion around how best to translate these new concepts. As a translator, your input in such discussions is valuable.
