Dr Rasheed Abdul Hadi - A wartime interpreter

Since the war in Syria broke out in 2011, the Syrian government has collaborated with the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations on a number of agreements, conferences, and workshops concerning the humanitarian crisis, human rights, and the hotly contested use of banned weapons in Syria. In order to facilitate communication throughout the war, both sides hired local interpreters and translators and had to agree on every detail of each translated document. Interpreters were also required to try their best to take all of those details into account during meetings and conferences. Specifically, interpreters and translators who worked for both the government and international organisations had to ensure that the terms and phrases they used in their interpretations and translations aligned with those agencies’ and the government’s interests.

Also, it is important to emphasise that these translators and interpreters have firsthand knowledge of the war and have thus formed their own opinions about the situation on the ground, which may not align with those of the government or international groups. They have therefore found it extremely challenging to reconcile two viewpoints that are typically at odds with one another. Moreover, they are unable to express their conflicted positionality and personal opinion on issues out of concern for the repercussions of fully portraying the situation. As a result, the conflict that interpreters and translators face while trying to create a translation that will satisfy all parties stems from their own experiences during the war and, more negatively, the growing distance between their own sense of identity and personal narrative and those imposed upon them by other parties. However, because of their work as interpreters and translators, they remain accountable for the narratives they construct and maintain.

Dr Rasheed Abdul Hadi is a Senior Lecturer at Damascus University, Syria, and a visiting research fellow at Bath Spa University, UK. He is also a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. He has more than 15 years of experience teaching interpreting and translation techniques and skills to undergraduate and postgraduate translation students. He has published articles and translated several books from English into Arabic and Arabic into English. He has also served as a freelance interpreter and translator for several government bodies and UN agencies (e.g. the UNRC Office, UNDP, UNOCHA) and international organisations operating in Syria throughout the war.

 All are welcome. 

Image Credits: “Syria, an interpreter, right, passes candy out to local children at the Women Center, outside of Forward Operating Base Pasab, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Jan. 11, 2012. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kristina Truluck)”