Interpreting at the Border: «Shuttle interpreting» for the UNHCR

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ISSN online: 2444-1961

Prefijo Doi: 10.14201

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Marija Todorova
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2017), Articles, pages 115-129
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14201/clina201732115129
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Abstract

This paper will provide an overview of relevant research in the area of interpreting in conflict zones with a special focus on working with refugees. The relevant theoretical framework will be supplemented by my personal experience working as field interpreter for UNHCR in Macedonia and Kosovo in 1999/2000, and the experiences of my colleague interpreting for the refugees in Macedonia during the European refugee crisis at the Macedonia-Greece border in 2015/2016. Tackling the question of the discrepancy between the prescribed neutrality and real-life experiences of mediating and advocating for the vulnerable, the article will propose a new mode of working for interpreters in conflict that I would call «shuttle interpreting», namely independent interpreting between the communication parties. 

Keywords:

UNHCR, emergency, shuttle interpreting, refugees, border

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