The spark for Tarjimly came from a simple realization about our own capabilities, as my co-founder, Aziz Alghunaim, and I watched the Syrian refugee crisis unfold. Aziz speaks Arabic, and I speak Urdu; we both work in the tech industry. We agreed that if ever a refugee needed our language skills, even for just 20 minutes, we would be more than willing to help.
That simple agreement became our initial model. We began volunteering as remote interpreters ourselves, helping refugees navigate critical situations from the comfort of our own homes. Once we proved that this remote volunteering model worked, we realized we had an idea that others would want to participate in—we just needed a way to scale it.
Our first strategic decision was to launch on Facebook Messenger. This wasn't about using the trendiest tools; it was a pragmatic choice to connect with volunteers, refugees, and aid workers through a platform they were already using. This strategy paid off early. In 2017, David Marcus, the VP of Facebook Messenger, shared at F8 how Tarjimly was used to connect a volunteer translator in Morocco to a family resettling in San Diego.
That moment validated our core premise: technology could be harnessed to facilitate human connection at scale.
This validation encouraged us to expand our reach and impact.
From Humanitarian Roots to Scalable Design
A great deal has changed since those early years. We’ve updated our platform to support Android and iOS for all users. Refugees, displaced people, immigrants, and aid workers receive a no-cost version. Humanitarian organizations with limited budgets can sign up for a low-cost version and get access via the web as well.
Reach by Tarjimly is designed for organizations and businesses serving populations with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), offering 24/7/365 access to professional interpreters and translators via mobile app, web app, and hotline. All profits are reinvested in our no-cost and low-cost options for the most vulnerable. These developments set the stage for how we leverage technology in our mission.
Reach by Tarjimly is designed to enable organizations and businesses to communicate clearly with speakers who have Limited English Proficiency.
Our commitment to language access for all drives us to innovate continually and motivates us to focus on enabling healthcare organizations to communicate clearly with LEP speakers. The same language barriers we help humanitarian workers and orgs overcome appear every day in emergency rooms, clinics, and social services offices.
But as we had early conversations with prospects and our first healthcare clients, we quickly learned that hospitals and healthcare systems’ operational needs required us to modify our product roadmap to encompass additional language services access points. Access via our mobile app was not enough. Desktop and hotline access points also had to be fully integrated.
Having made this change, we’ve seen that the hotline and web app are more crucial than the mobile app for this particular audience.
Our Evolution: AI as an Amplifier, Not a Replacement
As we've grown, our approach to technology has remained deliberately focused on augmentation and admin. We utilize AI for behind-the-scenes tasks, such as intelligently routing requests to the most qualified available volunteer based on their language and subject-matter expertise.
This isn't about replacing human judgment; it's about accelerating the connection between people.
The most challenging aspect of technology “math” has always been striking the right balance between automation and human touch. At Tarjimly, we've learned that in sensitive situations—particularly in medical or legal contexts—the stakes are too high for pure automation. Nuance, cultural context, and empathy remain uniquely human qualities.
Our most important design principle is therefore simple: The human must remain the final arbiter of meaning in high-trust scenarios.
Looking Forward: Sustainable Growth and Measurable Impact
Our goals have always been ambitious. In 2019, we defined success as helping 100,000 refugees. As of 2025, we've helped 742,060.
As we continue to scale, the lessons from our growth journey are that success in mission-driven technology isn't about chasing the shiniest new AI model, but about patient and principled integration.
The goal isn't to be at the cutting edge of AI, but to be at the cutting edge of impact.
We have seen, time and again, how empowering people to listen to and understand one another changes lives.
As the CEO and founder of Tarjimly, and someone genuinely passionate about tech and humanitarian work, the key question I face daily is how to build a future where technology deepens, rather than weakens, meaningful connections.
AI is a valuable tool paving the way forward, handling logistics, so humans can focus on providing empathy, especially in areas such as humanitarian aid and healthcare.
In care and public service, human connection remains our most essential advancement.