PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY OF TRANSLATORS / INTERPRETERS IN MILITARY CONFLICT AND CRISIS: MODERN CHALLENGES AND DILEMMAS

Abstract

The professional activity of translators/interpreters at war differs greatly from their activity in civil life, as working conditions significantly influence the process of decision-making and choice of appropriate strategies; as well as due to ethical considerations and/or restrictions that translators/interpreters have to face while fulfilling their professional duties. In modern studies, the increase of translators/interpreters' “visibility” at war is emphasized more and more often. Many scholars agree that ethical codes of professional conduct of translators/interpreters when it comes to their work in conflict zones need reconsidering and amendments. One of the urgent problems is the attitude to translators/interpreters from both sides of the conflict. It may cause ethical stress in translators/interpreters and at times leads to a threat to life as the identity of translators/interpreters is unidentified and anxious. National or ethnic characteristics often serve as the main means of translators/interpreters' identification as individuals and professionals. The professional level of translators/interpreters at war (it mainly concerns locally hired translators/interpreters) often becomes a reason for misunderstandings and serious ethical issues related to the adequacy, accuracy, and completeness of translation/interpreting. Translators/interpreters have a certain freedom to choose what and how to translate, which is why they may have a considerable impact on unfolding and constructing the narrative of war without other participants even noticing it. Modern scholars emphasise that under the conditions of armed conflict, such fundamental principles of ethical codes as neutrality and impartiality are almost neglected. Translators/interpreters at war are not simply language mediators but immediate participants in the conflict. Discrepancies between basic principles of professional ethics and real working conditions of translators/interpreters in armed conflict need thorough analysis and further improvement of the existing codes, making appropriate amendments along with strengthening the principle of accountability, outlining the limits of translators/interpreters' rights, including clear rules and regulations.