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As an international network we have committed ourselves to putting translation and interpretation at the center of everything we do, trying to allow enough time and space for clear communication. Through our years of experience we believe that “interpretation is a political act” not merely a tool for communication. 

We want to connect with women who are doing the day-to-day work in their communities, not only those with college education or NGO jobs. From our experience, we know that translation must go beyond simply translating words and concepts, important and difficult as that is. We also need to understand the different social and political contexts we are all working in.  The WGS 5-language Peace Activist dictionary comes out as a product of our work together as a network and is designed to aid the accuracy and appropriateness of our communication. 

Several WGS core members are Asian women who are teaching and studying in the US. An important contribution we make to transnational feminist organizing is as translators and interpreters.  Through the knowledge we have been accumulating and creating since 1997 in the International Women’s Network Against Militarism we have discovered that “interpretation is a political act” not merely a tool for communication.  Not only are our lives and struggles interconnected, but even our languages are interconnected by our histories of imperialism, colonialism, and militarism.  Language is central so that all of our voices can be heard and valued. What we interpret are not just words; we are interpreting women’s lives and activism in their specific political and cultural contexts.