The care and feeding of linguists : the working environment of interpreters, translators, and linguists during peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Baker, Catherine

Abstract

The history of war and peacekeeping has little to say about languages or the people who work with them, yet a closer inspection shows that contacts between different languages and the presence of an interpreter were a routine experience during the peacekeeping and peace-building operations conducted by the UN and NATO in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This paper shows how political, strategic, tactical, and economic pressures affected the working lives of local civilians employed as interpreters/translators/linguists and the soldiers from the multinational force who served as military interpreters. In so doing, it argues that the history of interlingual communication deserves to be included in the history of conflict.

Citation

Baker, C. (2010). The care and feeding of linguists : the working environment of interpreters, translators, and linguists during peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina. War and Society, 29(2), 154-175. https://doi.org/10.1179/204243410X12674422128993

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jul 19, 2013
• Publication Date: 2010-10
• Deposit Date: Jun 23, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 23, 2014
• Journal: War and Society
• Print ISSN: 0729-2473
• Publisher: Maney Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 154-175
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/204243410X12674422128993
• Keywords: Linguists; Peacekeeping; Bosnia-Herzegovina; IFOR; SFOR; Military contractors; UNPROFOR
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/459659
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/204243410X12674422128993
• Additional Information: Published version: The care and feeding of linguists: the working environment of interpreters, translators, and linguists during peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Catherine Baker. War and Society 2010 29:2, 154-175 © 2010 Maney Publishing
• Contract Date: Jun 23, 2014