Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1.5 billion children and youth are out of school. With this, the need for reading materials for children that can be accessed at home, is more urgent than ever. StoryWeaver is collaborating with UNHCR, UNESCO, The Global Digital Library, The Global Book Alliance, The Asia Foundation and Learning Equality, to call for translation volunteers to accelerate the creation of multilingual digital reading material via the #TranslateAStory campaign.
You can participate in this campaign by volunteering to translate on StoryWeaver. It’s easy!
Step 1: Find the book that's just right for you
StoryWeaver has over 1000 high quality books to translate from. A simple Level 1 book usually takes under 20 minutes to publish on StoryWeaver. You can also choose to translate books from 60 languages, like English, Hindi, French, Spanish, Thai, and many more.
Looking for some inspiration for which storybooks to translate? We’ve put together a list of books here, which includes wonderful books like Incredible Insects: A Counting Book, Bobo and the Worms, The Runaway Pig, Ira Investigates the Invisible, and several others.
And if the book you have selected has already been translated - no problem! The StoryWeaver recommendation engine will share some more options for you to choose from.
Step 2: Translate - Online or Offline!
The StoryWeaver Translate tool supports translation into 234 languages, and has a Dictionary to help you choose the appropriate words for your translation. Have a limited Internet connection? We are still here for you! You can save the book to your Offline Translate Library and sync when you have connectivity.
Here is a step-by-step guide on using the StoryWeaver Translate tool.
Can’t find your language? Have some queries? Write to [email protected] or review our FAQ page.
Step 3: Publish & Share
As soon as you hit publish, your storybook will be published under New Arrivals. Don't forget to share your storybook with your friends. And of course build your author profile!
Join the #TranslateAStory campaign: TRANSLATE NOW
By submitting your translation to StoryWeaver, you are agreeing to a CC-BY 4.0 license being applied to it. Terms and conditions apply.
comments (2)Bharti Menghani is a translator and storyteller, who loves creating storybooks in her mother tongue, Sindhi. Bharti aims to help revitalise the language by contributing to literature in Sindhi. As part of the Freedom To Read 2020 campaign, she has created a digital library of 50 storybooks in Sindhi.
In this email interview, Bharti writes about her love for her mother tongue and the importance of creating children's books in Sindhi.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself, your interests and your work?
I am an HR professional working in a corporate.
Reading stories has always been my passion. I have grown up reading and discussing stories with my mother, and I feel that stories have shaped my personality as they have always acted as a torchbearer for me, showing me how to face real life issues. I love to read children's stories, motivational books, spiritual stories, folk tales and stories from the Panchtantra.
We would love to learn about your personal relationship with Sindhi - do tell us about it.
Sindhi is my mother tongue. I grew up speaking and reading in Sindhi. As I did my schooling from a school where Sindhi was a compulsory subject, I started writing in Sindhi from grade 4 and simply loved it.
How did you come across StoryWeaver and the Freedom to Read campaign?
In 2016, I did a course in storytelling from a renowned institute. Most of my batchmates were teachers and I came to know about Pratham Books' Storyweaver through them. When I visited the website, I was amazed to see the vast repository of storybooks in a variety of languages and more importantly, created with the noble cause of providing reading material to children as their basic right. I followed StoryWeaver on social media and kept receiving notifications from time to time. Though one such notification, I came to know about International Mother Language Day and the Freedom to Read campaign.
Bharti has translated 50 storybooks into Sindhi on StoryWeaver
Why do you think is it important to have children’s books in Sindhi?
In 1967, Sindhi was added to the constitution, as an official language of the Republic of India. However, like many other regional languages today, Sindhi is facing the danger of becoming extinct.
There are two sets of children in the Sindhi community. One – those who have the means to afford books and other reading material in Sindhi, but do not do so, as their parents want them to learn to read and write in English. For these children, their interaction with the Sindhi language only comes from speaking it at home. The second set comprises those children who speak in Sindhi, but being from an economically weaker background, they are unable to buy Sindhi books for reading. Hence, it is important to have children's books in Sindhi to cater to the needs of both the sections. I feel that Storyweaver is one such platform which fulfills this criteria.
Of the 50 storybooks that you translated, which story would be your favourite and why?
Gully Jo Gazab Jo Pitaro would definitely be my favourite. This book is about an intelligent child who is passionate about helping and solving everybody’s problem instantly, and for this he keep collecting things - which could have gone into the waste - and makes the best use of them to help anyone in need.
What are some of your favourite books from childhood? Is there any memorable reading moment that you would like to share?
My favourite book from childhood is a storybook called “Hansti Duniya”. It is children's book that is published every month by the Nirankari Mission and features stories, poetry, and sections on science facts, quizzes, puzzles, mythology, and so on.
Another favourite from childhood is Chacha Chaudhry and the Panchtantra tales.
What is your favourite word / phrase / quote in Sindhi?
Here's a poem about my love for my mother tongue:
सिंधी भाषा प्यारी भाषा,
हर भाषा खां न्यारी भाषा,
प्यार अमड़ि जो जंहिंमें पातुम,
अहिड़े थदड़नि ठारी भाषा,
मिठड़ी ॿोली ऐं लफ़्ज़ मिठा,
आहे भाॻनि वारी भाषा,
अखरनि में वडी॒ सभिन खां,
सिंधियत जी अवतारी भाषा,
कन्हैया आहूजा,हास्य ,व्यंग्य कवि, बिलासपुर
You can read all the storybooks translated by Bharti Menghani here.
Do join the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach out to us through our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Be the first to comment.Pratham Books (www.prathambooks.org) is a not-for-profit children's book publisher that was set up in 2004 to publish good quality, affordable books in many Indian languages. Our mission is to see ‘a book in every child’s hand’ and we have spread the joy of reading to millions of children in India. As a publisher serving every child in India, Pratham Books has always pushed the boundaries when it comes to exploring innovative ways in which to create access to joyful storybooks and have been fortunate in finding partners to collaborate with who share this vision.
In 2015, Pratham Books increased its footprint by going digital. As an industry leader, we were one of the first publishers in the country to openly license our content. All this content is now available on StoryWeaver, which is a digital platform that hosts books in languages from India and beyond, so that every child can have an endless stream of storybooks in her mother tongue to read and enjoy. The platform contains easy-to-use tools to read online and offline, create and translate books. All the books on the platform are openly licensed.
We are looking for a Social Media Manager for StoryWeaver
The role involves developing and implementing strategic engagement initiatives by building and sustaining relationships with multiple stakeholders, and advocating the brand across a variety of social networks.
Illustration by Sayan Mukherjee, for Catch a Ride on Raindrops written by Anjali Vaidya, published by Pratham Books.
Key Responsibilities:
Responsible for all social media handles for StoryWeaver, engaging with and growing our audiences, and contributing towards building StoryWeaver’s brand and visibility. This includes:
Managing the social media content calendar
Implementing and Creating campaign promotion and documentation videos
Implementing paid digital marketing initiatives
Distributing the brand’s content across a variety of different social networks, and the StoryWeaver Blog.
Documenting the use cases of a diverse group of stakeholders from non-profits, community groups, authors, illustrators, publishers, children, parents, etc.
Using Analytics and other measurement tools to provide reports on metrics, and continually find ways to improve on those metrics through testing and new initiatives.
Required skills
3-4 years of experience in social media management
Familiar with the latest technology, trends and analytics in social media
Project management, ability to work with tight timelines
Eye for detail
Nice to have but not mandatory:
Previous experience in Sales/ Marketing/ Public Relations
Video skills
Location:
This is a full-time position and is based out of Bangalore
Compensation:
Salary will be commensurate with qualification and experience.
Write to us:
Email your resume with ‘Social Media Manager - StoryWeaver’ in the subject line to [email protected]
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