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FeBruArY/MArCh The Linguist 19 FEATURES Limited progress The increasing recognition, on the part of NGos, law enforcement and workers' rights organisations, of the centrality of translation to their efforts against illegal and abusive practices is significant. existing measures, however, are still a far cry from the guarantee of adequate provision of competent translators and interpreters for all labour migrants who, without access to quality translation resources, are prevented from revealing abusive practices associated with both forced and contractual labour. The limited availability and poor quality of translation resources show that, despite some progress, quality translation provision is still not fully comprehended as an integral component of human and labour rights. There are direct consequences for individuals when they cannot read a document they sign because it has not been translated into a language they understand, or is written in a formal legal, medical or technical register. Likewise, there are implications attached to adults not being provided with the resources to communicate with employers, law enforcement officials or medical personnel in a language in which they are fully or sufficiently competent, particularly about matters of fair treatment, wages and abuse. It is clear that labour migrants understand the significance of translation, given the number of individuals-turned-activists located in different countries and continents, working together on projects and towards common goals, and intervening in situations where there are barriers to protesting or where protests are prohibited. 7 The absence of adequate translation services is directly connected to the restricted residency rights of labour migrants across the globe. Their enduring non-permanent immigration status – even for those who remain in these countries for decades – is designed to maintain clear cultural and national distinctions between migrants and citizens in the countries in which they reside. In addition, their restricted freedom of movement within these countries gives the migrants little choice regarding the degree of acculturation or assimilation to which they can aspire. The cultural border crossings and transnational identities associated with globalisation are unavailable to them, as are the translation resources that would give them the information necessary to act in their own best interests. Notes 1 International Labour organization (2013) Domestic Workers Across the World: Global and regional statistics and the extent of legal protection, Geneva: International Labour office, 52-53 2 Gardner, A, Pessoa, S and harkness, L (2014) Labour Migrants and Access to Contemporary Justice in Contemporary Qatar, London: Middle east Centre, LSe 3 In 2000, the uN developed the Palermo Protocols, which distinguish between the smuggling of migrants and "trafficking in persons", where trafficking is understood as the movement, placement or maintenance of a person in a situation of exploitation through force, fraud, coercion or abuse of vulnerability, while smuggling involves people who knowingly seek illegal entry to a foreign country. A trafficked migrant is deemed to be a victim whose debt to a trafficker continues beyond their arrival and who is entitled to protection from governments, while a smuggled migrant is automatically subject to deportation and the smuggler charged with committing a crime against the state. See Inghilleri, M (2017) Translation and Migration, London: routledge, 82 4 bit.ly/unodchuman-trafficking 5 bit.ly/stategovTrafficking 6 owens, C et al (2014) 'understanding the organization, operation and Victimization Process of Labor Trafficking in the united States', urban Institute; bit.ly/urbanorg 7 Op. cit. Inghilleri, 81, 92-103 (urls accessed 18 January 2019) Live-in workers are not only physically and psychologically tethered, they are also linguistically tethered LOSING THEIR VOICE At a protest in London against human trafficking, women tape their mouths shut in a symbolic gesture (left); and labour migrants being transported in a caged van in Phuket, Thailand (above) @Linguist_CIOL