Categories: translation, trials
Date: 28 November 2007 00:54:19
It has just come to my attention that Iraqi interpreters who have worked for the British army in Iraq are being persecuted by their own countrymen for their "collaboration with the enemy". From what I understand, these men are being horribly tortured when captured. It seems that the British government is more or less washing its hands of the people who have helped their campaign.
There is more information on http://danhardie.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/letting-them-die/ (will that work as a link? - if not, copy and paste into your browser) Dan Hardie is campaigning on behalf of the interpreters and the government has made some concessions to allow asylum to some interpreters in Britain - but not all. Hardie asks people to write to their MP - and gives an outline of the arguments you can use in your letter.
As you can imagine, I feel quite strongly about this issue. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of waging the war in the first place, this is no way to treat people. From a professional point of view, this touches a very raw nerve. You have read my rants about the frustrations of a translator - and graciously empathised with me. The profession of translation and interpreting is highly underrated and undervalued. Without translators and interpreters, very few people would know what is going on in the world and very little business would be carried out between different countries and cultures.
I sit at home in my safe little office and deal with very civilised people. I do not have to face death or deal with political issues of literally world-shattering importance every time I render a sentence from one language to another. I can tolerate the lack of recognition for my own paltry offerings to the profession but the situation outlined above is literally one of life or death for these Iraqi men and their families.
Can I ask you to highlight this situation by writing to your MP? If you can't do this for some reason, would you at least pray for safety and justice for the people involved?
On behalf of my colleagues,
Thank you.