It started when Associate Professor Leong Ching, dean of students at the National University of Singapore (NUS), learnt of a doctor’s request for Bengali and Tamil translation.
The university checked with its student body and now has a team of 40 to 50 volunteers to help address translation needs, typically for migrant workers amid the CCOVID-19 pandemic.
The students are fluent in Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, Tamil, Telugu, Thai and Bahasa Indonesia.
The students are now in a Telegram group chat where requests are sent to.
Said Prof Ho: “When a query gets in, anyone who has an answer will help. It could be to quickly translate a phrase, or send over a voice clip.”
One request came in for a Burmese oral translation, to provide instructions on how to guard against virus transmission. This was subsequently broadcast at one of the foreign workers’ dormitories.
Ms Mayuri Verma, 29, who has just completed her master’s of laws at NUS and comes from India, has been translating documents and recording voiceovers in Bengali for a hospital since last month.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to help out in whatever small way possible. This is the least I can do to donate some time and help.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 18 May 2020