Let’s Talk About Positive Things · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Behind each of the stories you read in 2013, there are hundreds of authors and translators that believe in the power of citizen voices to tell the world.
On their behalf, we thank you for joining us during this past year that has ended and we share a selection, chosen by our very own translators, of the most positive news on 2013 from the posts that we published.
Image from user Cirofono on Flickr under the CC license By 2.0
From Chile, Elizabeth Rivera [es] gives us her choice:
Uno de los post que más me llegó este 2013 fue “Cuando los niños de la tercera cultura crecen” escrito por Danica Radisic. Nunca antes había escuchado la descripción de lo que es un “niño de la tercera cultura” y cuándo lo leí, sentí como hacía sentido mi forma de ser “nómada” y mi fuerte necesidad de generar puentes de comunicación más allá de mi círculo social. Fue un post muy personal para mí. Me sentí identificada 100%, pero lo más importante, vi que muchas almas en Global Voices – entre otras organizaciones multiculturales- comparten conmigo estos rasgos que nos hacen encontrar en Internet el espacio para lograr esa conexión que tanto buscamos. Mostré este post a personas que me conocen, con la alegría de quien ha encontrado una nueva verdad. “Ya sé lo que tengo, tiene un nombre”, les decía.
Creo que esta es la gran magia de Global Voices. Podemos encontrar en los rincones más inesperados una historia compartida o un interés común que estrecha la interconexión que siempre hemos tenido como seres humanos y que recientemente estamos viviendo palpablemente gracias a la tecnología.
One of the posts that got me the most in 2013 was “When Third Culture Kids Grow Up“, written by Danica Radisic. I had never heard a description of what a “third culture kid” was before and when I read it, I felt like my “nomadic” ways and strong need to build bridge of communication beyond my social circle made sense. It was an extremely personal post for me. I identified with it 100%, but most importantly, I saw that many souls at Global Voices -among other multicultural organizations- share with me these features that make us find the online space as a place to achieve that connection that we look for so much. I showed this post to people who know me with the joy of someone who had found a new truth. “Now I know what I have, it has a name,” I told them.
I think that this is the great magic of Global Voices. In the most unexpected corners, we can find a shared history or common interest that tightens the interconnection we have have always had as human beings and that we are recently palpably living thanks to technology.
From the same place in South America, María Angélica Marín [es] reflects:
¿Qué subrayar de lo positivo de colaborar con GV? Hay muchísimas cosas y una de las potentes, al menos para mi, es poder dar voz a grupos que pocas veces la tienen. Pienso en sub-grupos de población como grupos étnicos que muchas veces permanecen, aún en el siglo XXI, aislados o con poco o ningún acceso a los avances de la civilización; en fín, en personas, instituciones, grupos que batallan por abrir posibilidades de crecimiento, de esparcimiento a quienes por razones diversas tienen limitaciones para alcanzarlos solos. Asimismo me gusta mucho el espíritu de camaradería y de entre-ayuda que prevalece en la mayoría de quienes participan y/o colaboran con GV y no hablo solamente de los benévolos, lo hago pensando en todos y cada uno de quienes hacen parte de la gran familia de GV de la que me siento orgullosa de hacer parte (espero portarme bien para que no me echen…ja, ja).
En fin, me gusta el poder con la traducción, en mi caso al español, participar en hacer circular información que de otra manera podría ser ignorada por aún mas hispanófonos si no fuera por GV.
What positive thing can I highlight from working with GV? There are many things and one of the powerful ones, at least for me, is the ability to give a voice to groups that seldom have one. I think of sub-groups in populations, like ethnic groups that often remain, even in the 21st century, isolated or with little or no access to the progress of civilization; in short, in people, institutions, groups that struggle to open opportunities for growth, recreation for those who for various reasons face limitations to achieving it on their own. I also really like the spirit of camaraderie and support that prevails in the majority of the people who participate in and/or collaborate with GV and I'm not talking only about the volunteers, I do it thinking about each and every person that form part of the great GV family, which I am proud to be part of (I hope I behave myself so they don't kick me out… ha, ha).
Anyway, I like the power of translation, in my case into Spanish, participating in circulating information that might otherwise be ignored by even more Spanish speakers if it weren't for GV.
Meanwhile, one of our most constant collaborators, Gabriela García Calderón [es], describes her favorite article:
El artículo que me gusto más durante 2013 fue en realidad una noticia breve de Kazajistán, donde una mujer nos cuenta de sus sueños. Ella no sueña con ser rica ni tener superpoderes. Sus sueños son tan simples como “ser financieramente independiente. Quiero que mi esposo y mi hijo estén orgullosos de mí”. Creo que de eso se trata Global Voices, de saber con qué sueñan las personas comunes y corrientes, para identificarnos con ellas, independientemente de si viven el otro lado del mundo.
The post I liked the most during 2013 was actually a quick read from Kazakhstan, where a woman tells us about her dreams. She doesn’t dream about being rich or having superpowers. Her dreams are as simple as “to be financially independent. I want my husband and my son to be proud of me.” I think that is what Global Voices is all about, knowing what ordinary people dream about so we can relate to them, regardless of whether they live on the opposite side of the world.
Milton Ramírez [es], from Ecuador, presents his thoughts on what lies ahead for citizen media in 2014:
Where media is headed in 2014 and what is reported is something that concerns us citizens. As Michael Coops establishes, “Media monopolies have meant far fewer local, independent and diverse broadcast outlets.” As such, the article, dedicated to those who do not fill pages, those common, but forgotten faces in Latin America is something that caught my attention this year. And we Ecuadorians continue waiting for more contributions to Humans of Ecuador.
From Argentina, Carolina Saucedo [es] describes the article that had the greatest impact on her, which she translated in 2013:
El artículo que me tocó traducir y más me impactó en el 2013 fue uno sobre un derrumbe en una fábrica textil en Dacca, Bangladesh, y cómo desde el periodismo ciudadano y Global Voices se logró atraer la atención mundial sobre las condiciones de trabajo de los/as trabajadores/as en este país. El 2013 fue también un año marcado por las noticias provenientes de países como China, Rusia, Egipto y Siria, donde los medios ciudadanos y las redes sociales contribuyeron y contribuyen día a día a permitir la libertad de expresión que los medios de comunicación tradiciones les niegan a sus ciudadanos/as, como así también a difundir la lucha de aquéllos, quienes protestan contra la opresión. Personalmente, siento que con mi participación en Global Voices puedo contribuir humildemente en esa lucha de muchos/as ¡Gracias por permitirme ser parte!
The article that I translated and one that had the greatest impact on me in 2013 was one about textile factory collapsing in Dacca, Bangladesh, and how, through citizen journalism and Global Voices, the workers’ conditions in this country attracted the world's attention. 2013 was also a year marked by news coming from countries like China, Russia, Egypt, and Syria, where citizen media and social networks contributed to and daily continue to allow for the freedom of expression that the traditional media denied its citizens, as well as spreading the struggle of those who protested against the oppression. Personally, I feel like with my participation in Global Voices I can humbly contribute to that fight of many. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of that!
Romina Navarro [es] tells us that the article he most enjoyed was one related to one of the topics she likes the most: Caring for the environment:
I am a lover of living beings in all forms, and have a special fascination with the rainforest and the species that characterize it. To see that there are still many people who fight to protect this vital space, which is also ours, from other living beings, fills me with pride and makes me see that we are still capable of sharing the planet with other creatures in harmony. I really enjoyed translating this post in particular, as well as also reading additional information about the topic. I sincerely hope that in 2014 we all have much more news like this to share and less of the other kind.
This year I translated a post about the crisis due to lack of drinkable water in Bangalore (India), a city that has grown uncontrollably in recent years and that, due to the drought and poor urban planning, has dwindled and contaminated their water preserves. But while there are still some that can afford the luxury of wasting this precious liquid by filling pools in the center of Bangalore, volunteers from the Art of Living Foundation have led marches on foot with the goal of informing citizens about how to save water and have planted trees to prevent soil erosion in the basin of the Kumudvathi river, demonstrating that ecological activism can awaken consciousness and irrigate, with love for the Earth, the seed of hope.
Gala Gil Amat [es] responds to the following questions: What does it mean to be a translator, and specifically, one for Global Voices?
Ser traductora para Global Voices es una experiencia única porque no solo me permite hacer aquello con lo que más disfruto (traducir), sino que también me ofrece la oportunidad de adentrarme en aspectos del mundo que no conocía gracias a la gran variedad de noticias que traducimos.
Uno de los artículos que traduje fue el primero que se publicó sobre la muerte de Mandela y recuerdo que sentí una gran emoción al hacerlo, ya que para mí significó un tributo a su persona.
Además, debo agradecer a Global Voices que me diera la posibilidad de asistir al evento de Traduemprende en Barcelona, donde puede entrar en contacto con muchos traductores profesionales con los que compartí experiencias y anécdotas.
Being a translator for Global Voices is a unique experience because it does not only allow me to do what I enjoy most (translate), but also gives me the opportunity to delve into aspects of the world that I did know about thanks to the great variety of news that we translate.
One of the articles I translated was the first that was published about Mandela's death and I remember feeling very emotional upon doing it, since for me it signified a tribute to him.
Additionally, I must thank Global Voices for giving me the opportunity to attend the Traduemprende event in Barcelona, where I could contact many professional translators with whom I shared experiences and stories.
From Venezuela, Adriana Gutiérrez [es] brings us closer to the Rising Voices project:
En 2013 me permití seguir un poco más de cerca la labor que ha estado haciendo Rising Voices en la formación, empoderamiento y amplificación de las voces en las comunidades marginadas, permitiéndoles hacerse un lugar propio en la coversación global. Pueblos indígenas, grupos de campesinos, poblados remotos de poca accesibilidad, RV se ha encargado de reducir la brecha digital, permitiéndoles sacar provecho a las nuevas herramientas bien sea para expresarse y crear soluciones a sus problemas cotidianos como para difundir y documentar su cultura para su preservación.
In 2013, I allowed myself to follow the work that Rising Voices has been doing a bit closer in training, empowering, and amplifying the voices in marginalized communities, allowing them to make a place for themselves in the global conversation. Indigenous villages, groups of villagers, remote villages with poor accessibility, RV has taken on the responsibility of reducing the digital divide, allowing them to capitalize on the new tools either to express themselves and create solutions to their everyday problems and to spread and document their culture for its preservation.
Finally, Cati Restrepo [es] shares one of the articles of the aforementioned project:
Uno de los posts que más me encantó en 2013 fue Comunidades indígenas de Oaxaca envían videocartas” porque demuestra que el problema nunca es la herramienta (Internet, por ejemplo) si no su uso. En este caso, la historia le demuestra a quienes juzgan internet, que este puede ser usado para disminuir fronteras y generar espacios de conversación desde las diferencias que nos caracterizan como seres humanos.
One of the posts I loved in 2014 was “Sending Video Letters from Oaxacan Indigenous Communities” because it shows that the problem is never the tool (the Internet, for example), but how it is used. In this case, the stories show people who judge that Internet can be used to decrease boundaries and generate spaces for conversation from the differences that characterize us as human beings.
Global Voices and the Spanish Lingua team wishes you a happy 2014!