Trans Mreža Balkan

Call for translators / interpreters for Digital Transposium 2020

Trans Network Balkan is looking for translators / interpreters to work on the Digital Transposium 2020 translating from BCgHS or English to Albanian, Macedonian, or Slovenian (and potentially vice-versa).

Who are we and what is Digital Transposium?

Trans Network Balkan (TMB) is a small team of activists across the Balkans who came together with the desire to create a regional support network for trans, intersex and gender variant (TIGV) people. Our work covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.

Transposium is an event that brings together up to 100 TIGV people and allies from across the region as a place where we connect, support, learn from each other and strengthen our movement through educational, artistic and social content. This year we were supposed to hold the 6th Transposium, but due to the circumstances of the current prevalence of disease caused by coronavirus (COVID-19), we decided to hold Transposium 2020 via online platforms. We hope that this way we will gather an even larger number of people from our community who would otherwise not have an opportunity to participate in the live program. You can see some pictures and information from previous Transposiums on the pages of our partners Spektra and Trans Aid.

What are we looking for?

As the next Transposium will be held online, we are hopeful that everyone in the Balkan region will be able to join in and participate in the program with little to no language barriers. Therefore we would like to give paid opportunities to those in our community who could help make that possible: translating application forms (in June/July), application answers (if needed – probably in August), promotional videos (in June/July), the program (draft in July, final in September), as well as live interpretation during Transposium (to be confirmed at a later date, depending on application form responses – if needed, the interpretation would most likely be during weekends from mid-September to mid-October).

How to apply?

If you are interested, please contact us at info@transbalkan.org with the subject line “Translation/interpretation – LANGUAGE” (where “LANGUAGE” is the language(s) you can translate to/from – Albanian, Macedonian and/or Slovenian). Please include your basic information, which languages you could provide translation for, what translation/interpretation experience you have and if you have any previous examples available, as well as your availability (when you can start and whether you could commit to all or only some of the above-mentioned potential translation and interpretation needs).

The call is open to all persons who meet the above criteria, and we especially encourage trans, intersex and gender variant persons from the region to apply!
The deadline for applicants is June 4th 2020.

Javni poziv za ideje i produkciju promotivnog video materijala za Digitalni Transpozij_um

Click for English

Imaš li iskustva sa osmišljavanjem videa, režijom, produkcijom, montažom, i/ili animacijom? Želiš doprinijeti pravima TIRV (trans, interspolnih i rodno varijantnih) osoba? Prijavi se na natječaj Trans Mreže Balkan za osmišljavanje i izradu video materijala u svrhu promocije Digitalnog Transpozij_uma 2020.!

Ko smo mi i šta je Digitalni Transpozij_um?

Trans Mreža Balkan (TMB) je mali tim aktivistakinja širom Balkana koji se okupio iz želje da se stvori regionalna mreža podrške za trans, interspolne i rodno varijatne (TIRV) osobe. Djelujemo u Albaniji, BiH, Crnoj Gori, Hrvatskoj, Kosovu, Sjevernoj Makedoniji, Sloveniji i Srbiji.
A Transpozij_um je događaj koji okuplja do 100 TIRV osoba i bližnjih iz cijele regije kao mjesto gdje se povezujemo, podržavamo, učimo jednie od drugih i jačamo naš pokret kroz edukativni, umjetnički i društveni sadržaj. Ove godine smo trebalie održati 6. po redu Transpozij_um, no spletom okolnosti trenutne rasprostranjenosti bolesti uzrokovane koronavirusom (COVID-19) odlučilie smo održati Transpozij_um 2020 putem online platformi. Nadamo se da ćemo ovim putem okupiti još veći broj osoba iz zajednice koje inače ne bi imale mogućnost da učestvuju u programu uživo. Neke slike i informacije s prethodnih Transpozij_uma možeš vidjeti na stranicama naših partnera_ica Spektra i Trans Aid.

Šta očekujemo?

Kako bismo što bolje približilie ideju i način realizacije Digitalnog Transpozij_uma svim TIRV osobama i saborcima_kinjama diljem regije, planiramo objaviti dva promotivna videa klipa za društvene mreže, u trajanju do 3 minute, koji će sadržavati snimak uz jednostavne animacije (prema dogovoru). Jedan video bi bio u svrhu razjašnjavanja samog Transpozij_uma, a drugi bi objašjanjavao kako tačno će se odvijati Digitalni Transpozij_um, koje alate ćemo koristiti i na koji način.

Videi bi išli na BCgHS i engleskom jeziku, tako da je potrebno radno znanje oba jezika ili barem jednog od ta dva.

Da bi dočaralie vizuelno koje vrste videa smo zamislilie, evo samo nekih primjera (ali smo otvorenie za dijalog i nešto drugačije): THE WHOLE PACKAGE: NOW AVAILABLE FOR TRANS MEN, What It’s Like To Be Intersex, My Genderation Films

Šta dobijaš?

Priliku za doprinos TIRV pokretu i jačanju TIRV zajednice
Rad sa super timom TIRV aktivista_kinja (ili nam reci ako nismo baš tako super) 😀
Razvoj svog portfolija
Ponešto novca – nemamo puno, ali cilj nam je da platimo ljude za njihov doprinos kad god je to moguće, pa ćemo zajedno vidjeti koliko bi bilo pošteno 🙂

Kako se prijaviti?

Na email adresu info@transbalkan.org s naslovom “Video Digitalni Transpozij_um” pošalji sljedeće:

Linkovi na primjere prethodnog sličnog rada s jasnom naznakom koja je bila tvoja uloga/doprinos
Kratko motivacijsko pismo (npr. zašto želiš raditi na ovome, koja iskustva imaš, koja je tvoja vizija/viđenje ovih videa, zašto baš tebe da odaberemo)
Opis kapaciteta i potreba (možeš li odraditi oba videa ili samo 1, koliko brzo misliš da možeš to odraditi, koje aspekte možeš – od koncepta do finalnog proizvoda – a za koje bi ti trebala dodatna osoba, je li ti ok raditi s još nekim ili samo solo)

Poziv je otvoren za sve osobe koje zadovoljavaju navedene kriterije, a posebno potičemo TIRV osobe iz regije da se prijave!

Vremenski okvir

Objavljivanje konkursa	13.05.2020.
Zatvaranje konkursa	04.06.2020.
Razgovori online s osobama koje su ušle u uži izbor	08. i 09.06.2020.
Početak angažmana	12.06.2020.

Public call for ideas and production of promotional videos for the Digital Transposium

Do you have experience with video design, directing, production, editing, and / or animation? Do you want to contribute to the rights of TIGV (trans, intersex and gender variant people)? Apply to Trans Network Balkan’s call for development and production of promotional video materials for Digital Transposium 2020!

Who are we and what is Digital Transposium?

What we expect?

In order to bring the idea and the process of realization of the Digital Transposium closer to all TIGV people and allies throughout the region, we plan to publish two promotional videos for social media lasting up to 3 minutes, which will contain live action footage along with simple animation (to be discussed). One video would be for the purpose of clarifying Transposium itself, and the other would explain exactly how the Digital Transposium will take place, which tools we will use and in what way.

The videos would be in BCgHS and English, so working knowledge of both languages or at least one of the two is required.

To visualize what types of videos we have in mind, here are just a few examples (but we are open for dialogue and something different): THE WHOLE PACKAGE: NOW AVAILABLE FOR TRANS MEN, What It’s Like To Be Intersex, My Genderation Films

What do you get?

1. An opportunity to contribute to the TIGV movement and strengthen the TIGV community

2. To work with a great team of TIGV activists (or tell us if we are not so great) 😀

3. To develop your portfolio

4. Some money – we don’t have much, but our goal is to pay people for their contribution whenever possible, so we’ll see together what would be fair 🙂

How to apply?

Send the following to our email address info@transbalkan.org with the subject “Video Digital Transposium”:

Links to examples of previous similar work with a clear indication of what your role / contribution was
Short motivation letter (eg why you want to work on this, what experience you have, what is your vision / how you see these videos, why we should choose you)
Description of capacity and needs (can you do both videos or just 1, how fast do you think you can do it, what aspects can you do – starting from the concept to final product – and for which you would need an extra person, are you ok to work with someone else or only solo)

The call is open to all persons who meet the above criteria, and we especially encourage TIGV persons from the region to apply!

Time frame

Call announcement	13.05.2020.
Closing of applications	04.06.2020.
Online conversations with chosen applicants	08. i 09.06.2020.
Start of production	12.06.2020.

NAJAVA – DIGITALNI TRANSPOZIJ_UM 2020

English below.

Kao i posljednjih godina, i ove smo krenulie punom parom sa organizacijom novog, 6. po redu Transpozij_uma – regionalnog događaja koji okuplja skoro 100 trans, interspolnih i rodno varijatnih osoba sa cijelog Balkana. No, uzimajući u obzir trenutnu situaciju rasprostranjenja pandemije bolesti COVID-19 i svih rizika koja velika okupljanja nose sa sobom, nažalost smo moralie donijeti tešku odluku da Transpozij_um 6 odgodimo do 2021. Ali pošto ne želimo samo čekati 2021. i bolje dane, i zbog velike važnosti koju Transpozij_um predstavlja za našu zajednicu – kao mjesto gdje se povezujemo, podržavamo, učimo jednie od drugih i jačamo naš pokret – ove godine planiramo Digitalni Transpozij_um da se svei možemo okupiti online! Pošto nam je izrazito bitno da na ovome radimo kolektivno, htjelie bi znati vaša mišljenja o mogućnostima organizacije nekih programa putem online platformi, pa vas pozivamo da nam šaljete sve prijedloge o vrstama sadržaja koje bi moglie zajedno kreirati putem interneta. Virtualne konferencije (webinari) mogu biti zanimljivo iskustvo za povezivanje zajednice. Ne pružaju istu vrstu intimne interakcije koju dobivamo okupljanjem u stvarnom životu, ali ipak mogu pružiti mogućnosti za učenje, razmjenu znanja i umrežavanje. Sve sugestije, pitanja, i razmišljanja pišite nam putem komentara ili poruka na društvenim mrežama, ili na email: info@transbalkan.org. Radujemo se vašim idejama kojima ćemo stvarati Digitalni Transpozij_um zajedničkim snagama! Javljamo se još uskoro, dok sakupimo prve prijedloge i osmislimo kad i kako dalje. 🙂

English:

As in recent years, we have started full steam ahead with the organization of the next, 6th Transposium – a regional event that brings together almost 100 trans, intersex and gender-diverse people from all over the Balkans. However, given the current situation of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the risks that large gatherings bring, we unfortunately had to make the difficult decision to postpone Transposium 6 until 2021. However since we don’t want to just wait for 2021 and better days, and because of the great importance that Transposium represents for our community – as a place where we connect, support, learn from each other and strengthen our movement – this year we are planning a Digital Transposium so that we can all gather online! Since it is extremely important to us to work on this collectively, we would like to know your opinions on the possibilities of organizing some programs through online platforms, so we invite you to send us all suggestions on the types of content we could create together via the Internet. Virtual conferences (webinars) can be an interesting experience for connecting communities. They do not provide the same kind of intimate interaction we get by gathering in real life, but they can still provide opportunities for learning, knowledge sharing, and networking. Send us all of you suggestions, questions, and thoughts via comments or messages on social networks, or by email at info@transbalkan.org. We are looking forward to your ideas with which we will create the Digital Transposium together! We will get back to you soon, while we gather the the initial suggestions and figure out when and how to proceed. 🙂

It’s time for change – a call to the TGEU community to demand transparency and justice

We invite all members of TGEU and our communities to work together to make TGEU an organization where racism, abuse, and silencing are unacceptable.

Yesterday, Trans Network Balkan participated in the TGEU Extraordinary General Assembly. Yesterday we witnessed the validation and even a return of harmful attitudes such as racism and a culture of power abuse to TGEU. We witnessed the validation of rumors over evidence, of politics over compassion. We watched members and candidates leave because the EGA was inaccessible, and we felt the emptiness that should have been filled by over 150 organizations and as many individual members. Many could not afford to pay to have their voices heard, or could not attend the EGA session live or online. We are deeply concerned, but we are not done.

We still believe that justice is possible, and that our communities deserve to be made fully aware of all the facts relating to the conflicts in TGEU. We demand that all the relevant reports and investigations are shared with the membership to the fullest extent possible, while protecting the privacy of individuals. We further demand that the exiting Board is held responsible for any and all of their actions which may have violated the Statutes and/or the legal and human rights of any member of TGEU. We also demand full transparency from the Interim Board in dealing with the conflicts that they stepped up to tackle, and we believe that the membership will support the efforts of the new Board if the Board members demonstrate a dedication to the values and wellbeing of our communities.

Those elected to represent the will and the best interests of our communities are elected to serve, and we will hold them up to this. We believe that the voices of our communities must be heard by the Board – those who look down upon their communities are looking upside down.

Trans Network Balkan stands in solidarity with all those who were harmed by racism and abuse of power which, unfortunately, still has a stronghold in TGEU. We stand in solidarity with those who were subjected to a public hate campaign and demonized despite the evidence to the contrary, and we deeply honor them for persevering and continuing to serve their communities while enduring daily cruelty and abuse. We honor those who carried the work of many on their shoulders, because they would rather sacrifice their own wellbeing than that of our communities. And while we honor them, we do not accept that this is necessary. We do not accept that anyone should be broken and burnt out by the precious work that they do.

We bow to no authority that is not substantiated by principles, we defer to no status titles, nor acts of dominance. We gave our voices and our confidence to those tasked with safeguarding and nurturing TGEU and its communities, and we will never again be silent when witnessing abuse of TGEU Staff and our communities.

-Trans Network Balkan

Izjava povodom napada na trans muškarca u Kolašinu

Trans Mreža Balkan u potpunosti podržava Asocijaciju Spektra u borbi protiv nasilja nad trans osobama u Crnoj Gori, te zahtijevamo poduzimanje svih zakonskih mjera protiv počinilaca zločina u Kolašinu. Ujedinjenie smo protiv opresije i mržnje!

U nasilju nema pravde, nema hrabrosti. U nasilju nema ništa uzvišeno: ono je krajnja degradacija svega što je u nama plemenito i dobro. Ponos u činu nasilja je kraj ljudske časti, kao što je i okretanje glave od nepravde, pa bili mi “obični građani” ili policija, vlada, zakonodavci.

Za trans osobe, nasilje je dio svakodnevice. Ne iznenađuje nas, kao što nas ne iznenađuje ni nasilje u porodici, u školama, na ulici… Nasilje je epidemija, i naučeni smo da ga očekujemo. Naučeni smo da na mržnju i okrutnost gledamo kao na nešto “prirodno.” Kao i ostatak društva, iz puke nužde smo ubijedili samie sebe da su nasilje i mržnja nešto s čime jednostavno moramo živjeti, kao što se nekada živjelo sa kugom. U pokornoj tišini, mi rođeni iz prkosnog kamena Balkana, se nadamo da neće baš nas sačekati mržnja u nekom prolazu, iza škole, ispred pekare. A onda ta mržnja pokuca na vrata porodične kuće, i dok svijet muko gleda, pokuša izbrisati jedno nevino ljudsko biće.

Nasilje nije prirodno. Ono je loš običaj, neispravljena navika našeg društva. Ono je trauma koja traži lijek za sebe tako što uništava druge – pa zato taj lijek nikada i ne nalazi. Nasilje je tragični gubitak svijesti o neupitnoj vrijednosti života. Nasilje nije prirodno koliko god da je postalo norma našeg društva.

Ono što je ljudskom biću prirodno je da se zgražava nad okrutnošću i mržnjom. Prirodno je pomoći drugoj osobi, zaštiti nekoga ko je nadjačan, ko je opkoljen i napadnut. Prirodno je željeti stati između smrti i drugog ljudskog bića. Prirodno je osjetiti tuđu bol i strah i suosjećati, kao što je prirodno osjetiti i ljutnju i očaj. Ali mi nismo samo bespomoćni promatrači. Skrenuti pogledi i utisani glasovi omogućavaju da jednom trans momku na vrata rodne kuće dođu osobe koje su odlučile da on ne bi trebao živjeti u miru jer se njima iz nekog razloga ne sviđa. Sutra im se nećete sviđati ti ili tvoje dijete.

Mi se svaki dan borimo za svoje živote i živote drugih trans osoba, i nikada nećemo odustati. Jednako tako nećemo prihvatiti užasnu pomisao da ljudi oko nas nemaju u sebi dovoljno ljubavi i časti da ustanu protiv nasilja, i da u miru gledaju kako se brišu ljudski životi.

-Daniel Žujo, izvršni koordinator Trans Mreže Balkan