Academic Research
During my academic career, I worked on 3 main projects: my PhD on translation in Amnesty International (2011-2014), a collaborative project called ‘The Listening Zones of NGOs’ (2015-2018), on which I worked with colleagues at the University of Reading and Portsmouth, and my Marie Curie postdoctoral project ‘Translation as Empowerment’ (2019-2021), on which I worked with the Irish humanitarian NGO GOAL. You can find more details on each project below.
My academic work has created long-standing relationships with the NGOs I’ve worked with, and I’ve continued working with for example GOAL, Tearfund and Save the Children International as a freelance consultant on various communications, language & translation related projects.

Translation as Empowerment: Translation as a contributor to human rights in the Global South
Translation as Empowerment: Translation as a contributor to human rights in the Global South

- CAROLINE Fellowship: Co-Fund Irish Research Council & Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Experienced Researcher Fellowship
- 2019-2021
- Awarded €161,142
- Partners: Dublin City University & GOAL Global
- My role: Principal Investigator
- X: @transasempower
- Project website
This project investigated the critical role of translation in establishing an equal, two-way dialogue between Northern NGOs and the communities they engage with in the Global South. The project considered translation, in written and oral form, as a contributor to communities’ empowerment in two ways: as a tool that provides access to information; and as a tool that enables people to be heard.
The project was led by two central research questions:
- What is the role of translation in establishing an equal, two-way dialogue between Northern and Southern Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)?
- How can CSOs (better) assess or measure the effectiveness and impact of their information provision and their provided language support?
Research methods:
- User Interviews: Conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, including NGO staff and community members, to gather qualitative insights into communication practices and challenges.
- Surveys: Designed and distributed surveys to collect quantitative data on language use, accessibility of information, and the perceived impact of translation services.
- Field Observations: Engaged in participatory-action research during a 10-month secondment with GOAL’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) team, observing and documenting communication workflows and translation practices.
Key Findings:
- Information Accessibility: Identified barriers in current communication strategies that hinder information accessibility for non-native speakers, leading to recommendations for more inclusive language practices.
- Community Engagement: Discovered that effective translation practices significantly enhance community engagement and empowerment by ensuring that local voices are heard and valued.
- Impact Assessment: Developed frameworks for NGOs to assess the effectiveness of their translation and language support services, facilitating better resource allocation and strategy development.
Outcomes:
- Strategic Recommendations: Provided actionable insights to GOAL and other NGOs on improving translation practices to foster better community relationships and enhance the effectiveness of their programs.
- Resource Development: Created a repository of free language and translation support resources for NGO staff, promoting sustainable and inclusive communication practices.
Relevance to UX Research: This project exemplifies core UX research competencies, including user-centered research design, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and the development of actionable insights to improve user experiences. The focus on understanding user needs and removing barriers to information aligns closely with UX principles aimed at enhancing accessibility and engagement.

Star research outputs (full list on resources page)
Book (2022): Wine Tesseur. Translation as Social Justice: Translation policies and practices in NGOs. Routledge’s New Perspectives in Translation and Interpreting Studies series. More here.
Journal article: Wine Tesseur (2022) Translation as inclusion? An analysis of international NGOs’ translation policy documents. Language Problems and Language Planning 45(3): 261–283. Article accessible on Open Access here.
NGO learning brief: GOAL (2021): ‘Reaching millions through multilingual COVID-19 awareness messaging: a case study on translation and cultural adaptation in GOAL’s information campaigns’. Accessible here.

- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Grant
- 2015-2018, Awarded £305,547
- Principal Investigator: Prof. Hilary Footitt, Co-investigator Dr. Angela Crack
- My role: Postdoctoral Researcher on the project
- Partners: Universities of Reading & Portsmouth, INTRAC
- Project webpage: University of Reading; Intrac
- X: @listeningzones
From 2015 to 2018, I collaborated on “The Listening Zones of NGOs” project, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). This interdisciplinary research aimed to explore the role of languages and cultural understanding in the policies and practices of international development NGOs. Our goal was to raise awareness about the importance of linguistic and cultural knowledge in development work and to produce practical outputs for the sector.
The project was conducted in close collaboration with the following NGO partners: Christian Aid, Oxfam GB, Save the Children, and Tearfund.
Research Objectives
The project was guided by three central research questions:
- What is the role of languages in power relations in development work?
- How much organizational awareness is there of languages and language policy?
- What is the provision of language and cultural mediation, including translators and interpreters?
Methodology
To address these questions, we employed a mixed-methods approach:
- Archival Research: We analysed NGO and donor archives to understand historical and current language practices.
- Semi-Structured Interviews: Conducted approximately 100 interviews with staff from various NGOs to gather insights into their language policies and practices.
- Case Studies: Undertook fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, and Peru to observe and document language use in diverse cultural contexts. My case study was Kyrgyzstan, where I spent three weeks visiting NGOs and interviewing people, together with my English-Russian/Kyrgyz interpreter.
Key Activities and Contributions
- User-Centered Research: Engaged with NGO practitioners to identify challenges they faced in using languages in their work, ensuring our research addressed real-world needs.
- Data Analysis: Synthesized findings from interviews, archival research, and fieldwork to identify patterns and inform recommendations.
- Stakeholder Workshops: Organized participatory workshops with NGO practitioners to share findings and gather feedback, fostering a collaborative approach to developing practical outputs.
Outcomes and Impact
Our research highlighted that language issues often do not have a high profile within NGOs, with formal language policies frequently absent and translation and interpretation needs underfunded. We produced practical outputs, such as this report, offering practical recommendations on integrating language considerations into NGO policies and practices. Policy influencing is a long-term game based on building trust, collaborative relationships, and a change in beliefs over time. Hence, I have continued working with several of our research partners beyond the scope of the project as a consultant, with as a result a new language and translation policy in place at Tearfund, and a major rescoping exercise of the translation services at Save the Children International.
Relevance to UX Research
This project underscores my ability to conduct comprehensive, user-centered research in complex, multicultural environments. I have experience in employing mixed-methods approaches, engaging with diverse stakeholders, and translating research findings into practical tools and recommendations. These skills are directly transferable to UX research, where understanding user needs, cultural contexts, and effective communication are paramount.
For more information, please visit the project page on INTRAC’s website.

Star research outputs (full list on resources page)
Book: Hilary Footitt, Angela Crack & Wine Tesseur (2020) Development NGOs and Languages: Listening, Power and Inclusion. Palgrave MacMillan.
Journal article: Wine Tesseur (2020) ‘Local capacity building after crisis: the role of languages and translation in the work of development NGOs in Kyrgyzstan’. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal 29 (2): 214-226. Author accepted manuscript.
Report for NGOs and donors: ‘Respecting communities in International Development: languages and cultural understanding’.
Transformation through Translation: Translation Policies at Amnesty International

- Marie Curie Early Careers Research Fellowship in the TIME Project (FP7-PEOPLE-2010-ITN-263954)
- 2011-2015, Total budget awarded € 1,228,978
- Partners: KU Leuven, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Aston University, University of Turku
- My role: grant holder / Principal Investigator on Sub-project 4, hosted by Aston University
- Further information
As part of the EU-funded TIME (Translation Research Training: An Integrated and Intersectoral Model for Europe) project, my doctoral research focused on understanding how translation policies impact user engagement and information dissemination within Amnesty International. The study aimed to uncover how translation practices influence the organization’s global message consistency and user experience across different languages.
Research objectives
- Investigate organisational translation policies, including management strategies, practices, and underlying beliefs at Amnesty International.
- Assess how variations in translation policies affect the consistency and clarity of information presented to diverse user groups.
- Examine the impact of translation practices on user perception and the way in which Amnesty’s message and voice is represented across different languages.
Research methods:
- Ethnographic Field Studies: Conducted immersive fieldwork during secondments at three Amnesty offices: Amnesty International Flanders, and the Language Resource Centres in Madrid and Paris. This approach provided deep insights into the organisational culture and user interactions.
- User Interviews: Performed semi-structured interviews with staff and volunteers to gather qualitative data on their experiences and perceptions related to translation practices.
- Policy Analysis: Reviewed and analyzed policy documents to understand the framework guiding translation decisions and their alignment with user needs.
- Content Analysis: Compiled and examined a corpus of English-to-Dutch translations to identify patterns and assess the effectiveness of communication strategies from a user-centric perspective.
- Data triangulation: used NVivo to analyse and code all data, using Nvivo’s node system, visualisation methods, and affinity mapping tools.
Key Findings:
- Identified significant differences in translation management and practices across offices, leading to inconsistencies in the actual translated texts.
- Discovered that differing beliefs about translation’s role influenced how information was presented to end-users, affecting their engagement and understanding.
- Highlighted the need for a unified translation strategy to ensure a consistent and effective user experience across all platforms and languages.
Star research outputs (full list on resources page)
Doctoral dissertation: Wine Tesseur (2015) ‘Transformation through translation: translation policies at Amnesty International’, PhD in Translation Studies, Aston University, Birmingham. Open access through Aston University.
Journal article: Wine Tesseur (2017) ‘Incorporating translation into sociolinguistic research: translation policy in an international non-governmental organisation’. Journal of Sociolinguistics 21(5): 629–649. Author accepted manuscript.
Event Report: ‘Round Table on Translation policies at NGOs’. Available here.