Hostage International is a unique charity delivering essential emotional and practical support and guidance to those affected by the kidnap or illegal detention of a loved one, and to hostages and detainees after their release.
The charity was founded in 2004 – initially as Hostage UK – by former hostage Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE, and Carlo Laurenzi OBE, in response to a gap they saw in support for families and former hostages.
Their dedicated team offers free, independent, confidential, and open-ended support throughout this traumatic time, filling a much-needed role in helping people cope with the day-to-day difficulties caused by kidnaps and illegal detentions.
How it started
This international charity has trained volunteer caseworkers in multiple countries, including Australia, Canada, and across Europe, delivering support in English and a growing number of languages including French, Spanish, German, and Arabic.
They deliver emotional and practical support to people internationally, and in a growing number of languages, and first approached us looking for charity translation services to translate some of their resources into French.
After seeking quotes from three different agencies, they selected Atlas Translations based on our approach and the fact we offered a charity discount (we subsequently offered our services pro bono to support their work).
What we did
Hostage International needed fast turnaround times which we were able to accommodate thanks to the efficiency of our project manager. Atlas translated the guides and resources so that the charity’s French-speaking beneficiaries and caseworkers could access them.
As a small charity with tight budgets, Hostage International sometimes uses AI for non-vital translations, but when working with people who have gone through extreme trauma, the storytelling can be an extremely cathartic process for them. It’s important that nuances around people’s feelings and what they have experienced aren’t lost in translation. That’s the bit that AI is most likely to miss, and where Atlas is more than happy to help Hostage International out.
We remain ready and willing to provide further pro bono advice and translations as and when needed. As an extension of our support, we’ve also opened up our St Albans office to Georgina so she always has a place to work when she’s nearby.
What they say
“Just like Atlas, we’re a small organisation that works internationally so there is a real synergy between us. It’s not always easy to get corporates to support us and it can be hard to find a good fit but we’re glad to have found a professional and kind translation agency willing to help. The service we’ve received has been exceptional and our project manager is always clear, informative and sympathetic to our needs.
The generosity of Atlas means that the funds we would have spent on translation can be diverted to our beneficiaries, and we could not be more grateful. I’ll continue to recommend Atlas Translations to anyone who’ll listen! Thank you to Clare and the whole Atlas team for supporting us.”
– Georgina Cooper, Communications & Engagement Manager, Hostage International
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