Babels is an international network of volunteer
interpretersLanguage interpretation is the practice of facilitating oral and sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between two or more users of different languages...
and translators that was born out of the
European Social ForumThe European Social Forum is an annual conference held by members of the alter-globalization movement...
(ESF) process and whose main objective is to cover the interpreting needs of the various Social Forums. It is a horizontal, non-hierarchical network, with no permanent structures of any kind.
Babels originated in the process of preparation for the 2002 ESF, a left-wing conference of the
anti-globalizationCriticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
movement held in
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
.
Babels is an international network of volunteer
interpretersLanguage interpretation is the practice of facilitating oral and sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between two or more users of different languages...
and translators that was born out of the
European Social ForumThe European Social Forum is an annual conference held by members of the alter-globalization movement...
(ESF) process and whose main objective is to cover the interpreting needs of the various Social Forums. It is a horizontal, non-hierarchical network, with no permanent structures of any kind.
Babels originated in the process of preparation for the 2002 ESF, a left-wing conference of the
anti-globalizationCriticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
movement held in
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
. A small network of 'communication activists' associated with ATTAC France proposed that the conference use only volunteers to interpret the various different languages of the speakers for the audience. There was some debate about the quality of volunteer translators but the cost of professionals helped sway the argument. A last-minute call went out for volunteers to which 600 people responded and which finally resulted in around 350 volunteer interpreters and translators for the Forum. The group had no official space to work from and little funds so had to squat a medieval tower.
After the first ESF the organisers of the translation formed Babels groups in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
and groups also sprang up in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, and
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
.These groups went on to participate in counter
G8The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for governments of the six richest countries in the world: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1976, Canada joined the group...
conferences in
EvianEvian is a French brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.Today, Evian is owned by Danone Group, a French multinational company. Evian first entered the U.S. market in 1978 where it was served in high-end restaurants, lounges, and...
and
AnnemasseAnnemasse is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the border with Switzerland.-Geography:Annemasse is part of the metropolitan area of Geneva....
.
For the second ESF in Paris organisers gave Babels £200,000 funding, offices facilities and a longer preparation period. Over 1000 Babelistas (Babels translation volunteers) took part in the translation.
The Babels organisation went on to provide translation for the ESF's global partner the
World Social ForumThe World Social Forum is an annual meeting, based in Brazil, that defines itself as "an opened space – plural, diverse, non-governmental and non-partisan – that stimulates the decentralized debate, reflection, proposals building, experiences exchange and alliances among movements and...
(WSF) in Mumbai and the first Social Forum of the Americas in Ecuador and the third ESF in London.
Babels describes itself as "
not a provider of linguistic services" but rather "
a political actor"
http://www.babels.org/a4.html and will not work on any project unless it has been involved in contributing to the definition of the project with its ideas and demands.
External links