ABSTRACT
In the Conclusion, key findings of this book are summarised, emphasising broader contextualisation and new perspectives it brought forth. This study reiterated the crucial role language plays in military operations, the complex and taxing situations faced by interpreters with dual backgrounds working for one side against the other and the need for expanded discussion of what types of people have functioned as linguistic intermediaries through history. The new perspectives this research presented include the implications of interpreters’ physical proximity and visibility in hostile settings, legal aspects of interpreters participating in war crimes and interpreters’ ethical choices when pressed to take part in unlawful acts or to testify as eyewitnesses of crimes. For future research, greater attention should be paid to the physical aspects of interpreters’ work, the non-existence of neutrality and perceived authorship of speech found in interpreting in war and violent conflict. Interpreting researchers should be encouraged to work with international law experts to clarify legal issues surrounding interpreters in war and conflict zones and to effectively communicate their research findings to interpreters in high-risk settings and their employers and supporters in order to contribute to the discussion of protecting interpreters from involvement in manifestly unlawful acts such as torture.
