Aplicación de estudios sobre el lenguaje en zonas en conflictoel caso del intérprete de guerra

Abstract

This Doctoral Thesis presents the analysis carried out through a sociolinguistic study of the characteristics of interpreting in conflict zones. This research aims to end the linguistic constraints that perpetuate conflict, by making communication between civil population and military personnel easier. The hypotheses are gathered in the following points: - Due to the rapid growth of armed conflicts and migratory flows, there is a greater need of intercultural communication. - The cultural clash and war context have resulted into asymmetric relations between the army and the civil population. - This field has specific features such as specific terminology, sociocultural elements, and even psychological factors that should be considered in the training process. This research analyzes the specific factors which affect interpreting in conflict zones, aiming to identify and mitigate inherent elements to the war context that affect oral communication and therefore, interpreting. The method of analysis is based on combining narratology and critical discourse analysis applied to interpreting. The results focus on: - The role of interpreting in conflict zones. - The interpreter’s autonomy to avoid asymmetries and make intercultural communication in conflict zones easier. Empirical data have been gathered through qualitative analysis of indicators signs of asymmetry by conducting interviews and ethnographic observation of military, interpreters and users in conflict zones. The following indicators have been analyzed: incoherence within discourse, conceptual mappings, and perception of violence, socially constructed roles and relations of power within the war context, propaganda and linguistic manipulation. The study will be completed with a quantitative analysis of the findings to confirm the validity of the theoretical constructions about this field. Ultimately, this research will try to establish the training needs of the interpreters in conflict zones as well as the essential strategies that they should be aware of in the context of their own autonomy, thus, making way to new research and specific training, adapted for them.