Don’t Translate It—Transform It
Split image showing a clinical English form and a confused Swahili-speaking woman, highlighting the disconnect in translated services.
Why it’s not enough to convert English forms to Swahili without shifting the meaning and method
In many of the trainings and consultations I offer, one question always comes up:
“Can we just translate our existing materials into Swahili (or Somali, or Arabic)?”
My answer?
No—because translation alone is not transformation.
Too often, well-meaning organizations take English forms, frameworks, or even entire curricula and just shift them into another language—word for word. But this assumes the original tool made sense in the first place. It assumes the cultural values, systems, and expectations behind it will still land the same. And they don’t.
Language ≠ Access
You can translate a trauma screening form, a consent document, or a resource flyer—but if the way it asks questions is rooted in Western individualism, legal fears, or clinical detachment, it can still feel foreign. Alienating. Even violent.
A Swahili version of a form still fails if it asks a newly arrived refugee to disclose sexual violence in a checkbox.
It still fails if it assumes they understand what “trauma history” means.
It still fails if the words are technically correct, but the tone is cold, the context is missing, and the cultural meaning is off.
Cultural Context Is Everything
In many African communities, storytelling, gesture, community consultation, or even silence are forms of communication. A direct yes/no question may not be appropriate. Asking about “abuse” may carry shame—or may not even be understood the way you intended.
Transforming a form means:
Rethinking what questions are asked, and how.
Considering tone, trust, and timing—not just language.
Shifting from What do we need from them? to What helps them feel safe, seen, and supported?
Trust Can’t Be Translated
As a cultural consultant and survivor advocate, I’ve seen too many systems demand quick answers in the name of compliance, but offer no patience for process. No flexibility for culture. No room for dignity.
If you really want to reach immigrant survivors, refugee families, or elders with lived experience—you have to go beyond translation. You have to transform your method. That may look like:
Offering oral storytelling instead of intake forms
Inviting community liaisons to co-create materials
Using visuals, metaphors, or examples that resonate locally
Taking time to build the trust before you ask for the story
This Work Is Sacred
Words matter. But culture matters more. And when you’re working with communities who carry displacement, violence, or systemic harm—how you communicate can either retraumatize or restore.
So next time you ask, “Can we just translate it?”
Pause.
Ask instead:
How can we transform this work so it’s worthy of the people we serve?
About the Author
Nuna is a cultural consultant, survivor advocate, and movement teacher. She helps organizations transform their practices with immigrant communities by centering dignity, culture, and survivor-informed care. She believes healing is collective—and communication is sacred.