Sensitivity to languages is central to any serious analysis of inequality between Global North and Global South. Listening, Power and Inclusion is a long overdue intervention in this area, exploring urgent questions of interpreting and translation in the work of international NGOs. Drawing on extensive geographical and institutional case studies, the book recasts development as an inherently multilingual operation. The result is essential reading for scholars and practitioners in this field.
- Charles Forsdick, AHRC Theme Leadership Fellow, Translating Cultures

Humanitarian and developmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a significant role in our complex and fragile world. They operate in diverse contexts which are often characterised by multilingualism. However, we know hardly anything about how NGOs communicate with local communities, and how they perceive the role of languages and cultural knowledge in their development programmes. This volume investigates development as a multilingual endeavour and focuses on the ways in which NGOs listen to the voices of those on the receiving end of aid, which can be listening through English or through translation. Empirical analyses of three UK-based international NGOs and case studies from Malawi, Kyrgyzstan and Peru, provide extensive insights into listening experiences and challenges faced. This highly absorbing and stimulating book is of interest both to scholars and practitioners (donors, NGOs) who can build on the valuable recommendations and thus ensure they deliver their missions of empowerment and social justice.
- Christina Schäffner, Emeritus Professor of Translation Studies, University of Aston

Languages in Development NGOs makes us question fundamental assumptions about the nature of communication in relationships among local communities and the NGOs that serve them. So often couched in references to feedback and lost voices, Footitt, Crack and Tesseur critique extant approaches to development projects, and illuminate a novel way of seeing communication in development as a two-way process of dialogic exchange. They elucidate the complexity of the in-situ communicative experiences of local actors, and to demonstrate the ways in which multi-directional communication shapes and defines the listening space. Filled with rich examples from different NGOs and different country settings, this book will make you think about the role of language and cultural understanding in development policy making and implementation.
- Julie Gilson, Reader in Asian Studies, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom