It was launched in 2011 and was founded by Jeff Israely, former bureau chief for Time Magazine in Europe, and Irène Toporkoff, former CEO of Ask.com France and Angie Interactive.

[1] In the words of Jeff Israely, it aims for "The professional (and participatory) selection and translation of the best, most relevant stories in the foreign-language media.

"[2] Journalists and translators from around the world contribute to Worldcrunch,[3] which translates articles from top news organizations such as Le Monde, Le Temps, Die Welt, Folha de Sao Paulo, The Economic Observer or America Economia into English.

[4][5] The goal is to compensate for the decline in English-language foreign coverage[6][7] with translations from quality worldwide media sources.

[8][9] Content includes direct translations, articles that are shortened or fitted with additional context, and in-house productions summarizing current world affairs.