The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2018 - 7

OUTREACH REPORT

BY LUCY GUNDERSON

ATA at "Protect Translators and Interpreters,
Protect the World": A Roundtable at the United Nations

O

n April 10, 2018, the Permanent
Mission of the Republic of Belarus
to the United Nations hosted
"Protect Translators and Interpreters,
Protect the World" at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York City. The
purpose of this roundtable discussion
was to address the need for greater legal
and physical protection for translators
and interpreters in situations of armed
conflict and post-conflict peace-building.
The event was organized in cooperation
with a language coalition comprised of
Red T, a nonprofit advocacy organization,
and five major international language
associations (Critical Link International,
International Association of Conference
Interpreters, International Association of
Professional Translators and Interpreters,
International Federation of Translators,
and World Association of Sign Language
Interpreters). Red T is dedicated to the
protection of translators and interpreters
in conflict zones and other adversarial
settings. Led by a team of volunteers,
Red T advocates worldwide on behalf of
linguists at risk, raises awareness of the
dangers they face, and promotes their
safety.1 The organization invited ATA to
send a representative to this event, and I
was honored to be chosen to attend.

WORKING TOWARD RECOGNITION
AND PROTECTION
In addition to discussing steps for
mitigating risks and vulnerabilities, the
panel also focused on what can be done
to help translators and interpreters in
conflict zones gain the international
recognition and protection they deserve.
The impressive list of speakers on the
program included:
■■

Ambassador Valentin Rybakov, the
permanent representative of the Republic
of Belarus to the UN.

■■

Minister Andrei Dapkiunas, the
immediate past permanent representative
of the Republic of Belarus to the UN and
the current deputy foreign minister.

www.atanet.org

(From left): Maya Hess, founder and chief executive officer of Red T, and Lucy Gunderson
■■

Maya Hess, founder and chief executive
officer of Red T.

■■

Linda Fitchett, chair of the Conflict
Zone Interpreter Project of the
International Association of Conference
Interpreters (AIIC).

■■

Kevin Quirk, president of the
International Federation of
Translators (FIT).

■■

Betsy Fisher, policy director of the
International Refugee Assistance
Project (IRAP).

■■

Heidi Cazes, who represented the
International Association of Professional
Translators and Interpreters (IAPTI).

■■

Bill Moody of the World Association of
Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI).

■■

Sara de Jong, a political scientist from The
Open University in the United Kingdom.

This roundtable grew out of thenAmbassador Dapkiunas' statement
at the UN Security Council on May
25, 2017, in which he urged member
states "to initiate the elaboration
of an international instrument that
would enhance the legal protection of

translators and interpreters in situations
of armed conflict and in the situation of
post-conflict peace-building."2
Minister Dapkiunas also spearheaded
UN Resolution 71/288, which
recognizes the contribution of language
professionals to the maintenance of
peace and security and the promotion
of human rights as they assist militaries
and humanitarian organizations, ensure
due process, and facilitate international
negotiations.3 Incidentally, Minister
Dapkiunas and Ambassador Rybakov
both trained as interpreters in Minsk
before entering the diplomatic service,
which is why the #ProtectLinguists issue
is so close to their hearts.
The speakers touched on different
aspects of the problem of linguists in
high-risk settings, specifically in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Maya Hess pointed
out that linguists in armed conflict and
post-conflict peace-building settings may
not only be indirect victims by virtue of
their proximity to warfare, but also direct
victims as a function of the translatortraitor mentality. She emphasized that
despite this double exposure, linguists in
American Translators Association

7


http://www.atanet.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2018

Contents
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The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2018 - Cover2
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