Learn more about Machine Translation
CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology) offers free machine translations to make our resources accessible in various languages. This work is made possible by generous funding from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), which has funded the development and operation of this system.
This translation system will convert existing items on WASH Resources into your chosen language using machine learning-based translation. We are working to further train and tune the translation models to improve the quality of translations, especially as it relates to WASH terminology. This tailored approach results in more accurate translations compared to general-purpose tools. If you ever have any suggestions on how to further improve, please get in touch!
Accessing the Translation Service
You must be signed in to make use of this feature. There is no cost to create an account or request translations. Look for the “Sign In” link in the top right corner of the website, where you can also create an account if you don’t already have one.
Once you are signed in, you will be able to request translations of many resources. Note that translations may take several minutes to complete. You will receive an email with a link to the translated document once it’s ready!
Supported Document Types
You can only request machine translations for resources that are available in common office formats (e.g., Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and Powerpoint presentations). PDFs, images, videos, and e-learning modules are not currently supported due to technical constraints. We hope to extend support to these formats in the near future.
Supported Languages
We have created models for each of the languages available for machine translation. We do this in order to provide a better end result that takes into account WASH terminology. We hope to also extend support to more languages in the near future. If you are looking for a specific language, please get in touch!
Using Translated Resources
You can access as many translations as you wish, for free. You must keep in mind that these are automated translations that are not reviewed by CAWST before they are provided to you. We strongly encourage you to review, edit, and refine the translated documents before putting them to use. If you ever have any concerns about a translation, or have suggestions on how to further improve a translation, please contact us.
Contributing Improvements
- Feedback: We value feedback on translation quality. Whether your experience was positive or negative, we’d love to hear from you.
- Attribution and Posting: Documents you improve could be featured on WASH Resources with attribution to you and your organization. They can also be used to enhance our machine learning models. If you want to contribute a document to WASH Resources, please fill out this form and a member of our team will follow-up with you.
About CAWST
CAWST is a Canadian charity and licensed engineering firm. We address the global need for safe drinking water and sanitation by building local knowledge and skills on household solutions people can implement themselves.
Supported by
Development of this website and creation of collections of emergency themed tools on Water Treatment, Water Quality Testing, Behavior Change and Sanitation funded by Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance - USAID.
This project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
