New Research Study to Explore Connection between Translation and Information Dis parities in Africa Common Sense Advisory

s report for Translators without Borders will include detailed information about the state of translation for African languages. Boston and Paris November 30, 2011 -- Information is power. The lack of informatio n can leave people powerless. There are more than 2,000 languages spoken in Afri ca, but the majority of information is not available to people unless they speak one of the world s few mega-languages, such as English, French, or Arabic. Now, a n ew study by independent market research Common Sense Advisory for Translators wi thout Borders will explore the link between the availability of translated conte nt and social issues that stem from lack of access to information, such as healt h disparities and political inclusion. "Our firm continually publishes research about the importance of translation in business settings," explains Tahar Bouhafs, CEO of Common Sense Advisory. "But t ranslation also serves a much broader purpose, enabling people to obtain access to basic information that can help them enjoy greater social and political parti cipation and ultimately live healthier and more fulfilling lives," comments Bouh afs, a native of Northern Africa. "We see a need in Africa to find out more about the impact translation has on in dividuals ability to take control of their own health and participate in political processes," says Lori Thicke, co-founder of Translators without Borders. "Explor ing this connection in greater depth will enable us to have a better understandi ng of the true scope of the services our volunteer translators provide, and, in turn, give people who speak languages such as Amharic, Igbo, and Somali access t o more information." The study is made possible through an in-kind donation from Common Sense Advisor y to Translators without Borders. The resulting report will include detailed inf ormation about the state of translation for African languages, including informa tion about employment opportunities for translators, training and education, cha llenges to providing translation, and translators views on how their work affects t he lives of their community members. The report will be published online by Comm on Sense Advisory, and will be distributed free of charge. For more information about the survey, visit https://www.research.net/s/csa_afri ca. About Common Sense Advisory Common Sense Advisory is an independent market research company helping companie s profitably grow their international businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers. Its focus is on assisting its clients to operationalize, benc hmark, optimize, and innovate industry best practices in translation, localizati on, interpreting, globalization, and internationalization. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or www.twitter.com/CSA_Research. About Translators without Borders The mission of Translators without Borders (and its sister organization in in Fr ance, Traducteurs sans Frontires) is to translate knowledge for humanity. Translat ors without Borders has met that mission through quality humanitarian translatio ns provided by a community of trained translators to vetted NGOs who focus on he alth, nutrition and education. On average, Translators without Borders volunteer s translate millions of words per year, focusing on three types of humanitarian translations: crisis translations needed urgently to inform people in crisis, tr anslations that support an NGO s operations, and educational translations that direc tly support people in need. For more information, visit: http://www.translatorsw ithoutborders.com or http://www.twitter.com/TranslatorsWB.

Media Contact: Melissa Gillespie Common Sense Advisory Boston, MA +1 760-522-4362 Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com