What is neural machine translation and how can nonprofits leverage it to broaden their reach?
Check out the benefits and how to get started
One of the big challenges that nonprofits face is reach. How do you get your cause in front of enough people to really make a difference? That includes reaching enough donors to support your ongoing efforts as well as reaching the people who will most benefit from your services.
Widening your reach is especially hard when you’re working with a limited budget. If you depend on a small in-house staff and the dedication of volunteers to help get the word out, then you need to stretch your outreach efforts as far as they can go.
One surprising way to broaden your audience without breaking your budget is by using neural machine translation to conduct outreach in more than one language.
Neural Machine Translation is powered by Machine Learning and is improving rapidly.
The benefits of reaching a wider audience for your nonprofit
No matter what cause your non-profit serves, you’re going to need public support to help you reach your goals. The larger you can grow your community of supporters, the more good you are going to be able to do.
When thinking about how to grow your community, don’t forget about minority groups within your region who may speak other languages. You might also consider the possibility of using the Internet to reach a global audience. This may sound difficult at first, but it can be extremely beneficial to your non-profit. And, thanks to modern technology, it is more attainable than you think.
Raising awareness of your issue
In order to take action toward making the world a better place, people need to be aware of what the issues are and how they can help. The more people you can tell about your cause, the closer you will be toward making real change.
Don’t limit who you talk to. Even if your non-profit serves a highly localized vicinity, raising awareness outside of your region may bring in resources that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. And you may inspire others to take similar action in their communities, thereby having a bigger impact overall.
Reaching more donors
Another benefit of building a larger community of supporters is that it will enhance your ability to raise money for your non-profit. Fundraising is a numbers game, the more people who know about your work, the more money you are likely to be able to bring in. It can help to get creative and look for donors outside your traditional sources because you never know where you’ll connect with someone who can make a real difference for your non-profit.
What is neural machine translation
One of the quickest ways to expand how many people you speak to about your cause is by translating your outreach materials into other languages.
Neural machine translation, or NMT for short, is a software that uses artificial intelligence to instantly translate written or spoken language. It’s very easy to use and highly cost-effective.
How nonprofits can utilize NMT
As a nonprofit looking to expand your reach, you can use neural machine translation in a variety of ways.
Websites
When it comes to raising awareness, putting up a website and driving traffic to it through social media is an excellent place to start. After all, websites have the ability to reach people 24/7, all over the world.
Neural machine translation can be used to automatically translate your website into other languages. This allows visitors to read and understand your mission in the language of their choosing.
Educational materials
From telling the public about the issues you address to letting clients know what services they can access, neural machine translation can help you provide valuable education to stakeholders. Blogs, flyers, magazines, booklets, and more can quickly and easily be translated into multiple languages to help you get the word out.
Webinars
If you hold webinars to help spread the word about your nonprofit, NMT can broaden participation by providing real time subtitles in different languages. This can be ideal when you’re providing vital information to minority groups in your community who might otherwise be discouraged from participating.
Social media
There are large communities of non-English speakers on social media who might be very interested in supporting your cause. NMT can not only translate your social media posts for further reach, it can also translate other people’s posts to help you find like-minded individuals all over the world.
Fundraisers
Potential donors–big or small–are more apt to pay attention to your fundraiser if you speak to them in their native language. You can use neural machine translation to create specialized mailers or digital landing pages that appeal to specific communities of donors.
How to get started
Neural machine translation is widely available and easy to use. Some, such as Google Translate, are available free of charge. However, it would be a good idea to find a professional language service provider (LSP) that has experience working with nonprofits.
A good LSP can provide you with valuable guidance to help you get the most out of your NMT. For example, they may be able to recommend the best language pairs based on your desired outcomes. They can also advise you on how to keep costs down while maintaining a high degree of quality control.
If you’re interested in using neural machine translation to spread the word about your nonprofit, begin by searching for an affordable and reliable language service provider who will be your partner as you work to change the world.
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