INTERPRETER, FIXER OR COLLABORATOR?

In our Newsletter 2005 we wrote:  What is an interpreter? Is it a discreet figure in headphones behind the glass at an international conference, or a desperate-looking individual in a black balaclava? Depending on where you are in the world, either of these could be an interpreter, because the term is used so loosely. For those of us who provide simultaneous interpreting at conferences, what we call ourselves is rarely queried; in Iraq, however, describing yourself as an interpreter could be a matter of life and death. During the recent conflict and occupation of Iraq, hundreds of Iraqis have worked as "translators" (the preferred US military term), contributing invaluable knowledge of local customs and terrain as well as their knowledge of English to a difficult process of communication between two cultures. This is common enough in conflict situations, where interpreters are often referred to as "fixers" because they use their local knowledge and contacts to solve problems and resolve arguments. But in Iraq many interpreters have died for their pains, shot at while working or "executed" by guerrillas who describe them as collaborators. These brave people hide their faces in ski masks and use false names to protect themselves. UK members of AIIC pay tribute now to those who have suffered and died while on duty as interpreters. We can hardly imagine what they go through, but we know how important trust and confidentiality are for interpreters, whether in peace or conflict.

Since then the Iraqi interpreters have been dumped into the collaborator category by their fellow-countrymen and had been given short shrift until by the British Government. We welcome the recent news of a change of heart by Gordon Brown who has agreed to look again at the plight of Iraqi interpreters working for the British armed forces who fear they will be killed if abandoned when the British troops withdraw. According to Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, the Government takes its duty of care for those who work for the armed services very seriously and accepts that the 90 or more interpreters may be particularly vulnerable.
We also note that Denmark, which is about to withdraw from Iraq, has agreed to help 60 Iraqis and their families who have worked for their forces.