While NGOs on a large scale are heaven sent to those in dire situations in Africa where they and are still availing free basic needs to poor or disadvantaged communities like food, shelter, security, free education to mention a few, the needs are further effectively communicated with the presence of professional Transcription services for NGOs in Africa.
As per languages, transcription refers to the act of transferring a recorded message into print form; this could be a video or audio. In the case of NGOs, there are those still relying on the interpreter’s ability alone to portray what the victim says which hinders effective communication at times.
Africa has 54 countries with most of them belonging to the Developing countries basket where the biggest number of people is impoverished without the basic needs thus having lots of the people not being able to attain free education, shelter or food. Therefore, loads and tones of NGOs flock to the continent to lend an assisting hand with international supporters dishing out over $50 b each year.
It is for example documented that between the years 1997 and 2006, the number of NGOs in Kenya increased by a whopping 400%! With South Africa which is the 3rd most developed country in Africa registering 100,000 of them.
Yes some NGO’s do use transcription services but it is not so common yet if it was, their services would more efficiently be reached to their targeted communities.
This is what usually happens at times when staff of an NGO want to assess or get information from their targeted audiences; they usually have a set of interpreters and for every question the NGO staff ask, the interpreter in turn asks it to the audience in the language they understand best and vice versa when the audience answers.
This is where some of the NGO staff stop taking whatever feedback received from the interpreters who in turn would at times have left out loads of important information or would have misinformed the audience of NGO staff to what has been said.
Therefore having a different independent transcription provider is essential because this person or company will write down every piece of information as said by the audience, interpreter and main interviewer/NGO staff .This will clearly indicate if there was any miscommunication anywhere and have it corrected so as to convey the exact message in other words accuracy which is key.
By Angela Kyolaba
For more information about Professional Transcription Services for NGOs in Africa click here.