LONDON — Whether it’s creating a chatbot to improve the accessibility of an international summit, or translating COVID-19 training for health workers, Muhannad Albayk Jaam’s work is almost as varied as the languages on the planet.
As Levantine Arabic language lead at Translators Without Borders, Albayk Jaam oversees most of the work done in that language for the organization. The nonprofit translates the work of development agencies to the languages spoken by the people they work with, covering some of the most important aspects of their lives. Accurate translation — whether it is health advice, legal information or safety tips — is paramount.
Albayk Jaam, a native of Syria’s Idlib Province, came from a family where English was spoken, and carried out and studied in English. His translation work began just as favors to friends, but the mass movement of Syrian refugees in 2015 inspired him to begin volunteering with TWB, and he was hired by the group on a part-time basis three years later.