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Translation Resources

Root Resources

The ROOT Group is dedicated to assisting your in-site projects. But we also understand that one of the biggest deterrents to starting a project- and one of the possible pitfalls during project-planning- is the PCVs unfamiliarity with technical Thai phrases. We know, until you start on a fertilizer project, opportunities to say "decomposed pig feces" are few and far between.

And while some volunteers are graced with competent English speaking counterparts, others are not. Learning Thai is ultimately the responsibility of the individual volunteer, but ROOT Group is committed to making every effort towards eliminating the handicap of completing environmental projects in a second-language environment.

ROOT offers two basic styles of translation assistance: 1) Materials in Thai or in Thai/English, and 2) Direct translation services. Volunteers with a year's experience in the field have identified feasible site-based translators and successful translation practices. ROOT will marshal both to the benefit of new volunteers in the field.

Materials in Thai

• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Project-Specific Material (see parenthetical after some links)
• Environmental Camp Materials (see parenthetical after some links)

• A translated recycle price list*. This is from Wongpanit, a private recycling company in Thailand. NOTE: The prices change constantly, so these prices are already out of date. This page is more of a translation guide.
• Speaking of translations, click here* for a simple vocab spreadsheet given to CBOD 121 during PST. It covers basic terminology of recyclables, as well as miscellaneous environmental terms. BY THE WAY, that idiot Mark Cox forgot to say why "coconut" is on the recyclable list. Most buyers purchase coconut shells so they can in turn sell them to factories that extract natural oils from them for various purposes.

*Files hosted on the PC External Sharepoint...have your user name and password at hand!


Online Translation Services

• Google Translate - Google's online translation service, can translate entire web pages
• Thai2English.com - Online Thai-English dictionary. Can be set to use the transliterations found in the standard PCV Dictionary (Choose "Thai for Beginners" in the bottom box).
• Thai-Language.com - Online Thai-English dictionary and language resource. Thai Words can be entered with "Reverse Phonetic Transcription"

• CEC Vocabulary- Business related words produced by PC-Thailand's Community Enterprise Committee
• PCThailand Wiki's Thai Language Page- The above links, and more.
• IRC Library- A list of books available to you in the Bangkok office's In-Country Resource Center library.
• Thai/English MSOffice Menus- follow the links in the paragraph

ROOT Group Translation Assistance

• Root Translation Policy - All root members are responsible for reading and complying with this document.

(note: while PC Staff is often happy to assist with translations, it is sometimes a drain on their time and resources. ROOT Group established its Translation Policy partly as an attempt to reduce strain on PC Staff. Your old LIF, on the other hand....)