Organizing the translathon: Engaging youth in translating the Unboxing the Internet Infrastructure Toolkit

Participants receiving their certificates at the end of the Translathon

On 11 November 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) organized a collaborative translation event, bringing together community members, students, and recent graduates. The session engaged 9 participants in person, including 5 women, selected from a diverse pool of 22 survey respondents. Their backgrounds ranged from students and English teachers to software engineers, fresh graduates, and members of civil society organizations (CSOs).

The main purpose of this Translathon was to adapt the Unboxing the Internet Infrastructure: the environmental cost of the Internet and what you can do about its Toolkit and its Facilitator Guide for future training sessions across the provinces. These sessions aim to target students aged from 13 to 18, providing them with hands-on learning opportunities and raising awareness of the environmental impacts of Internet infrastructure. This event was an effort to ensure that the translation process would produce materials that are accurate, accessible, and contextually appropriate for the target audience.

To structure the translation process, participants were divided into four teams. The Toolkit and Facilitator Guide were each divided into four parts, with every team working on a specific section for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After completing their sections, the teams presented their translations to the group. This collaborative review allowed participants to discuss challenging terms, refine language choices, and ensure consistency across all sections.

One of the most rewarding aspects was seeing participants quickly engage with the materials and with each other. Even those with little prior translation experience became confident in suggesting accurate and meaningful Khmer terms. The ODC Team observed lively discussions and exchanges of personal experiences that helped contextualize the translations, making the session both productive and inspiring. It was also notable how invested participants were in the purpose of the Toolkit. Many expressed excitement about contributing to materials that will help young students understand the environmental and digital implications of internet infrastructure. Organizing this event highlighted how a structured, participatory approach can empower youth and community members, while also producing high-quality educational resources.

The event successfully produced polished translations of both documents, now ready for use in upcoming provincial training sessions. Beyond the final product, the Translathon demonstrated the importance of engaging local communities in creating educational tools, ensuring both accuracy and relevance, while strengthening connections between ODC and the communities it serves. The ODC Team would like to express our appreciation to all participants for their dedication and enthusiasm. This Translathon was a vivid reminder of the power of collaboration and the meaningful impact that engaged youth can have on producing educational resources.