The RWS Foundation
The RWS Foundation is a charity that aims to unlock global understanding. We provide ways for donors and volunteers to break down language barriers, helping people around the world to communicate effectively.
Do more together. We partner with people globally to help break down language barriers, making progress in areas that have a lasting impact on content and communication.
Each year we donate to beneficiaries aligned to our purpose and values. Charities will broadly cover three areas: language and content transformation; diversity, equity and inclusion; and quality education. Using our global scale and reach, the foundation will also provide a way for donors and volunteers – whether RWS, individuals or partners – to support charities and humanitarian efforts.
CLEAR Global (formerly Translators without Borders)
The RWS Foundation is a Sapphire sponsor of CLEAR Global, a global non-profit of linguists. RWS supports the organization through a number of key humanitarian efforts and initiatives that will help people around the world to gain access to vital information, and be heard, whatever language they speak.
Ongoing support will include translating, localizing and reviewing critical content, managing large-scale projects, providing training to translators and members plus analysing data to ensure the highest translation standards are maintained. RWS has also made its machine translation post-editing course freely available to CLEAR Global’s 100,000 strong community of translators, giving them the tools and skills they need to improve the standard of translation projects.
RWS scholarship programme with the University of Manchester
In 2019 we launched the RWS-Brode Scholarship Programme – named after our Chairman, Andrew Brode – in collaboration with the University of Manchester, to encourage students to complete a degree in modern languages. Since its launch, we have supported more than 50 students through the scholarship programme, and connected with many more through other events and initiatives.
This year saw the first group of scholars finish their undergraduate degree, and in July we were honoured to be able to join them for their graduation ceremony and to meet with them to learn about their experiences and future plans.
There are 40 scholarship recipients currently studying at the University, and Andrew Brode and The RWS Foundation have pledged funding to support a further 30 students who will begin their studies in the academic years starting September 2023 and September 2024.
Increasing accessibility for blind translators
The RWS Foundation is partnering with the RWS Trados team to enable over 1,000 blind translators to work independently.
The project centres on making the next version of Trados Studio accessible for visually impaired translators. This accessibility enhancement aims to bridge the gap in the translation industry, providing visually impaired individuals the opportunity to contribute their skills, become self-sufficient, and unlock their potential as translation professionals.
The initiative is being driven by a dedicated, cross-functional team and, given the scope and complexity of the project, resources are also being allocated from different areas of the software development team based on expertise and project requirements.
The team is anchored by a subject matter expert quality assurance (QA) specialist, Anna Rita de Bonis, a PhD candidate from the University of International Studies of Rome (UNINT) programme. Anna Rita has collaborated with the RWS Trados Studio development and QA teams previously, and provides a deep understanding of the needs of visually impaired users. She is providing critical insights into the user experience of this community, playing a key role in engagement efforts, and ensuring that the user experience – right from initial contact through onboarding to daily use – is seamless, intuitive, and empowering for visually impaired translators.
The project is expected to take nine months and the completed accessibility features will be incorporated into the upcoming major release of Trados Studio.
The trustees
Managing The RWS Foundation’s resources responsibly and making sure the charity’s assets are only used to support or carry out its purposes; our trustees represent a broad spectrum of our global business and act in the foundation’s best interests, making balanced and adequately informed decisions.
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