Donation Request

Donation Request

 

Humanity has now taken great steps toward the abolition of nuclear weapons thanks to the power of civil movements around the world. It is a well-known fact that the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – an international civil movement organization that won the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2017 – contributed significantly to the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in January of this year.

 

We, the Network of Translators for the Globalization of the Testimonies of Atomic Bomb Survivors (NET-GTAS), were established in January 2014, before the ICAN received the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, we have primarily focused on translating into multiple languages the subtitles of A-bomb survivor testimony videos produced, collected, and held by the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. In addition, we have been conducting activities to make people in Japan and around the world aware of the serious tragedy created by atomic bombs.

 

As described in the blog page below, with the help of many people who are proficient in certain languages, we have translated a total of more than 190 testimonies  into 15 different languages. It is believed that there are an enormous number of people around the world who have learned about the tragedy of the atomic bombs, either by visiting the memorial hall or experiencing our works through the internet. (We apologize for the slight disorganization of our blog page below, but the specific content of the works is described in detail there, so please watch some of them.)

 

In addition to the works of subtitle translation by skilled language teams, we are also working on educational practices that combine subtitle translation with classes at universities in Japan and around the world. Moreover, Kathleen Sullivan, one of the core members of ICAN and an internationally active educator, was invited to hold lectures in Kyoto and Tokyo. We are continuing to conduct these types of activities in various ways.

 

The circle of people who work together in response to our activities is expanding not only in Japan, but also in the United States and other parts of the world, especially in Europe. At the University of Bonn in Germany, translation lessons by collaborators have become widely recognized by the University. In addition, there are cases in which students at the University of Vienna in Austria, who became keenly aware of the need to abolish nuclear weapons through subtitle translation classes, began calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons in the city.

 

The specific form of such activities is explained in the blog below. We would like you to take a look: https://netgtas.com/

 

In addition, we are starting new initiatives. One is a project to dig up the activities and works of people who have made efforts toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and introduce them to the world in multiple languages. The first results of this project will be introduced on the following website, so please have a look: https://survivors-stories.com/

 

In addition, the autobiography of Etsuko Nagano (Kanazawa), who has passed down the sad experience of losing her younger sister and younger brother by the A-bomb in Nagasaki to many people as a narrative, is now available as a picture book created by her son with Spanish and English translations that have been reviewed by professional foreign language researchers and native speakers. The book is now published.

 

Another project is the interview with Sunao Tsuboi, an atomic bomb survivor who has played a major role in the anti-nuclear movement. In collaboration with junior high and high school students of Eishin Gakuen Human Rights Club in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, his interview was translated into English and released overseas. We believe that this project will have special significance as a practice of the nuclear abolition movement in the field of education.

 

But now, our activities are facing a crisis. We have been supported by the understanding of Kyoto University of Foreign Studies for a long time, but things have become difficult due to the recent social situation. At present, the reality is that we have managed to maintain our activities with one or two external funds. As a general rule, such external funds are limited to one year, and we struggle to have a definite outlook for the activities of the next year, not to mention the long-term outlook of our activities.

 

Now, with the cooperation of young people, we are beginning to see evidence of the spread of our activities around the world. Suspending these activities means betraying the expectations of those who have suffered from the devastation of the atomic bombs and people who regrettably had no choice but to end their lives after suffering from atomic bomb diseases for a long time. This is what we believe.

 

We are now determined to ask for donations widely. Would you please provide us with financial support so that we continue to expand our activities to reach the world with the voices of those who lost their lives due to the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

 

To maintain the activity, we need at least 3 million yen a year. The breakdown of the necessary expenses will be explained in detail separately, but the expenses will be used only to ensure the necessary procedures to convey the fierce atomic bombing experience to the people of the world as faithfully as possible.

 

Due to the enormous amount of clerical works required for subtitling activities, even with the volunteer spirit of many people, at least one person is required to be fully engaged in clerical works on a regular basis. The reality is that this requires considerable labor costs. We would like to ask for your understanding and support.

 

If you can understand our feelings and wish to donate, even a small amount is fine. If you would like to donate, we will explain the method in detail separately, so please have a look here.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the following email address: netgtas2019@gmail.com

 

NET-GTAS representative

Akira Hayase

September 2021

Posted by abiru