The work of Professor Hilary Footitt, from the Department of Languages and Cultures, has highlighted the need for the military to see foreign languages as a vital part of their operation during war and conflicts. Locally recruited translators/interpreters, who often put their lives at risk, need to be respected and have the professional structures to do their jobs properly. Languages are not an optional ‘add on’ – they’re essential to winning hearts and minds!
After the ‘Languages at War’ project, the Ministry of Defence is reviewing how it uses civilians as interpreters in conflict areas. The Imperial War Museum is adding to its Sound Archives the 60 oral history interviews on foreign languages in war produced in the course of the research and is considering a ‘multilingual trail through war’ as one of the features in its major First World War anniversary exhibitions.
First published: June 2015