Respond Crisis Translation

What Respond Crisis Translation does

Respond Crisis Translation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in October 2019 and headquartered in San Francisco that provides free, trauma-informed translation and interpretation services to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. It serves humanitarian aid groups, immigration legal aid providers, and crisis response operations across 200+ languages through a global network of more than 3,000 language workers spanning 86+ countries. Since inception the organization has translated over 61,000 pages and 30 million+ words, working with 700+ partner organizations including RAICES, Al Otro Lado, Southern Poverty Law Center, Sanctuary for Families, HIAS, International Rescue Committee, Human Rights First, and Amnesty International.

The organization's core service is human-powered linguistic support — it does not operate a SaaS platform or AI translation engine. Its differentiated methodology centers on trauma-informed practice, linguists with lived migration or displacement experience, and capacity in indigenous and marginalized languages where commercial language service providers typically fail. Core offerings include 24/7 emergency interpretation for asylum proceedings and immigration detention, document translation for legal aid, on-call crisis response for humanitarian operations, and the Respond School of Language Work training program developed with Nell Academy. The organization actively studies AI translation failures through academic collaborations (including with the University of Frankfurt) rather than deploying AI in service delivery.

Revenue is generated through a mix of partner organization fees (historically approximately 60%), foundation grants from Ashoka, Choose Love, Roddenberry, JMK Fund, Twilio, Westly Foundation, Together Rising, Schmidt Family Foundation, and FWD.us, individual donations, and pro bono services to individuals. The organization lists approximately 124 staff across its ecosystem but reports only 7 part-time and 2 full-time on payroll, with the remainder of the language worker base functioning as contractors or volunteers. Reported payments to translators totaled $161,412 in 2021, with free services delivered valued at over $532,759 as of April 2021.

Name

Respond Crisis Translation

Legal name

Respond Crisis Translation

Website

https://respondcrisistranslation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Respond Crisis Translation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free, trauma-informed translation and interpretation in 200+ languages to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers via a global network of 3,000+ language workers across 86+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Partner organization fees: Fee-for-service work with 700+ values-aligned partner organizations including nonprofits, legal aid groups, and immigration organizations. Historically around 60% of incoming revenue came from this source, though budgets have been slashed due to Trump administration funding cuts.
2. Individual donations: Individual giving and contributed revenue from donors, which has become increasingly important as partner budgets have been cut. The organization relies on donations to cover operational costs and rates paid to crisis-impacted linguists.
3. Foundation and institutional grants: Funding from foundations including Ashoka, Choose Love, Roddenberry Foundation, JMK Fund, Twilio, Westly Foundation, Together Rising, and others to sustain operations and pay linguists.
4. Pro bono services: Significant portion of services provided completely free to individuals and grassroots collectives. The organization provides pro bono language access services to individuals experiencing crisis as well as un-funded collectives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Respond Crisis Translation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers around-the-clock, professional, trauma-informed translation and interpretation services to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. A global network of 3,000+ language workers operating in 200+ languages delivers human-powered document translation, oral interpretation, and emergency language access for immigration, legal, and humanitarian contexts. Services are provided free to individuals and on a fee-for-service basis to 700+ values-aligned partner organizations.

Product overview

Respond Crisis Translation offers a single unified service focused on human-powered, trauma-informed translation and interpretation rather than a technology platform or software product. Their core offering is 24/7 emergency language access support provided by a global network of 3,000+ language workers operating in 200+ languages. The organization does not offer a SaaS product, API, or software platform, but rather provides direct translation and interpretation services to individuals and partner organizations serving migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Language Access Services Around-the-clock rapid-response professional translation and interpretation for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in 200+ languages, covering immigration detention, asylum hearings, medical appointments, legal proceedings, and emergency frontline situations. Delivered free to individuals and via paid partnerships with 700+ organizations.
• Respond School of Language Work An accredited training program that builds professional translation and interpreting capacity among crisis-impacted linguists, including a Gaza Pilot cohort delivered in partnership with Nell Academy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 Haitian migrants paroled into the US with RCT support
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Refugees InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Organization providing intelligence on third-country deportations; documented over 17,500 people transferred to third countries.
• RAICEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership providing make-or-break assistance for asylum hearings; RAICES is one of the largest immigration legal services organizations in Texas, providing free legal services to immigrants and refugees.
• Al Otro LadocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBi-national legal services organization working with asylum seekers and migrants in Tijuana, San Diego, and Los Angeles. RCT has helped parole 1,000+ Haitian migrants and provided ongoing translation support for legal cases.
• Southern Poverty Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPLC's Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) provides pro bono legal services to people detained at ICE detention centers. RCT provides translation in indigenous languages for these cases.
• Sanctuary for FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to safety, healing and self-determination of victims of domestic violence and gender violence. RCT provides court-quality translations for legal proceedings.
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugee-serving organization since 1881; RCT provides translation services for financial literacy and other refugee support materials.
• Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine-based organization providing immigration legal services; RCT provides Haitian Creole interpretation and translation for TPS applications and other immigration matters.
• ImmSchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting undocumented and mixed-status families in education; RCT translates resources for navigating the educational system.
• Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides free legal and social services to detained men, women, and children in immigration proceedings in Arizona; RCT provides interpreter training.
• Transgender Law CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination; RCT provides Spanish translation services for legal documents.
• Amnesty InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational human rights organization; participated in conference on translation and displacement at University of Cambridge.
• Climate CardinalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-led climate organization; RCT translated 5,000-term climate glossary into 40 languages.
• Sea Shepherd GreeceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine wildlife protection organization; RCT provides Greek translation for advocacy and awareness materials.
• Contra Costa County Public HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty health department; RCT coordinated 15-language translation for community health assessment survey covering health, housing, safety, and well-being.
• Luz de Atabey Midwifery Project (LAMP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit supporting women, mothers, immigrants, and underserved communities with reproductive healthcare; RCT translated 20 reproductive health documents across 7 languages.
• Global Sumud FlotillamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric 2026 sea mission to break siege on Gaza with 500+ participants; RCT provided 44,000+ words of translation and 250+ hours of interpretation.
• Dartmouth CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Professor Pablo Dominguez's class; students completed 125-page asylum case translation.
• University of FrankfurtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI-ethics research collaboration studying how AI translation tools impact asylum seekers and resettlement situations.
• Nell AcademymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJordan-based education academy; partner in Respond School of Language Work Gaza Pilot program providing accredited translation training.
• Georgetown University Law CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw school providing pro bono legal representation; RCT provided Georgian translation leading to successful asylum grant.
• RMIAN (Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono legal services for detained immigrants; RCT provided interpretation including rare languages like Mongolian.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor humanitarian organization; RCT supports Afghan refugee resettlement with interpretation and translation services.
• Human Rights FirstmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman rights organization; RCT provides language support for Afghan refugee asylum cases.
• University of CambridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic conference on translation and displacement; RCT presented on grassroots activism and economic justice for language practitioners.
• AATI (Argentine Association of Translators and Interpreters)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional translator association since 1982; partnership to strengthen linguistic quality and training capacity.

Scale indicators28 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Refugee Translation Collective: Volunteer-led network of interpreters and translators supporting people seeking asylum in the UK and beyond; shares RCT's mission of pro bono asylum language access and trauma-informed practice.
• Translators without Borders (CLEAR Global): Nonprofit providing language services to humanitarian and development organizations; closest direct peer to RCT with overlapping crisis-translation mission, nonprofit funding model, and NGO partner ecosystem.
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): Major refugee resettlement and legal services organization that is both an RCT partner and a comparable nonprofit serving the same refugee/asylum beneficiary population with overlapping humanitarian mission.
• Tarjimly: Tech-enabled nonprofit connecting refugees and humanitarian workers with volunteer interpreters in real time; comparable crisis-interpretation mission and refugee beneficiary base, with a more product-led delivery model.
• RAICES: Largest immigration legal services nonprofit in Texas, a core RCT partner providing free legal representation to immigrants; comparable nonprofit mission serving asylum seekers with overlapping beneficiary and partner overlap.

Broad incumbents

• LanguageLine Solutions: Largest commercial interpretation and translation provider globally; comparable service offering (24/7 multilingual interpretation, document translation) but commercial scale and lacks RCT's nonprofit, trauma-informed, and rare-language specialization.
• Lionbridge: Global enterprise translation and localization services company; comparable core offering of professional translation/interpretation across many languages, but commercial scale and lacks humanitarian/crisis focus.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major humanitarian NGO serving refugees and displaced people globally, including through in-house interpretation; shares RCT's refugee beneficiary base and large institutional-grant funding model.
• CyraCom: Major commercial healthcare interpretation provider serving US hospitals and clinics; comparable language-access service category with overlap in healthcare customer segment, but a for-profit phone/video interpretation vendor.
• Sorenson Communications: Large-scale provider of interpretation services (notably for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities) and broader language access; comparable video/phone interpretation delivery model but commercial and specialized in accessibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/respond_crisis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/respond-crisis-translation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Respond Crisis Translation