“Conflict in Conflict: Ethical Dilemmas and Coping Strategies for Military and Public Service Interpreters”

This presentation addresses the internal conflict interpreters develop as they are called to work in conflict environments, with the latter being – inter alia – war and/or social, environmental, or technological settings. We will analyze what internal conflict is to interpreters, what its stages are from emergence to consolidation, and the strategies interpreters can adopt to recognize internal conflict as it appears and block it (or at least keep it at arm’s length) before it turns into secondary stress.

An environment where a social, ethnic, ethical conflict exists, or a region torn by war may generate internal conflicts in interpreters. The latter can be personal or factual. In both cases, it affects the interpreter’s performance in a way we hardly consider as we accept our jobs. Such an interpreter-proper conflict can in fact undermine a delivery, or perhaps an entire interpreting performance with disastrous consequences on both the speaker, the audience, and possibly (better say likely) the interpreter.

In this presentation the correlation between the environment and the performance of public service interpreters, including military interpreters, will be analyzed. Public service interpreters may be working in institutional settings – such as Ministries, public offices, hospitals, national commissions for asylum seekers, courts, or embedded in military contingents abroad as consultants and advisor. Conversely, military interpreters deploy on operations at home and abroad and bear the burden of the dichotomy of being both professional interpreters and uniformed persons. Both types of interpreters, however, suffer from secondary stress, also known as induced stress, which typically develops in people who are exposed to emotionally challenging situations or when the “client” is a victim of torture or violence, or a witness thereof.

Interpreters can adopt fencing strategies to keep the emotions affecting their performance on the outside. They can also learn to recognize the early signs of secondary stress and ask for help.

Paolo Cappelli is a professional conference interpreter and staff interpreter at the Italian Ministry of Defence. He is also a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC). Language combination: Italian (A), English (B), Spanish (C).
Paolo has been a staff interpreter within the public service for more than twenty-two years. He has large experience in geopolitics and geostrategy, international politics, and military matters. Due to personal interests, he also has a preference for ICT and engineering-related matters. A blogger and writer, columnist, and commentator, Paolo is editor of The Interpreting and Translation Herald.