GROUNDBREAKING DISCUSSION ON INTERPRETING IN CONFLICT ZONES

InterpretAmerica is the guest author for the NAJIT Blog this week with an in-depth post on Interpreting in Conflict Zones. Please view the blog here.

As part of the civilian interpreting profession, we hear daily news stories of interpreters killed while working for the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan, or listen to interviews conducted through an interpreter with victims of famine, natural disaster, or civil wars. We might fleetingly wonder who they are, how they learned their English, Dari, Pashto or Somali and probably assume that they aren’t “real” interpreters. How could they be? After all, who trained them? Who’s vouching for their competence?

The answers to those questions might surprise you and they are of great relevance to our profession. Interpreting in conflict zones is not only where most of the money in interpreting is spent, it is also where we can find tremendous innovation in training techniques, the use of technology, and collaboration across broad coalitions of military, non profit, governmental and private entities.

Curious? We were, and for that reason we have convened a first-of-its kind panel discussion on Interpreting in Conflict Zones, to take place at the 3^rd North American Summit on Interpreting this June 15-16, in Monterey, California. Jonathan Levy, Director of Language Services at Cyracom International has extensive experience training military linguists in translation and interpreting. He will moderate the panel discussion, Interpreting in Conflict Zones, which will bring together a commissioned officer with extensive field experience in Iraq and Afghanistan working with interpreters, a military linguist who has interpreted for combat missions, Revan Hedo, a freelance interpreter and translator who began his career in Iraq, and Barbara Moser-Mercer, founder of the Center for Interpreting in Conflict Zones (InZone), and who has extensive experience training and embedding interpreters with a myriad of agencies and non-profits in hot spots all over the world.

Complete details can be found at www.interpretamerica.net/summit. Early bird rates and student and teacher discounts all still apply! Register now!