Rex Brynen
07-11-2008, 04:10 AM
I'm not sure if someone posted it earlier, but this video very nicely highlights the critical role (and potential problems) of local interpreters in COIN operations.
Afghanistan: Lost in translation (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/jun/11/afghanistan.johndmchugh) The Guardian, Thursday June 12 2008.
When the US 173rd Airborne's Charlie Company try to speak to a Pashtun elder, the gulf is so great even the interpreters have given up interpreting. John D McHugh reports
As you'll see from the video, unreliable interpretation causes the US team to miss valuable intelligence, lose their temper at a possibly cooperative village elder, and probably alienate the village in the process--while having many of their preconceived notions "confirmed."
Afghanistan: Lost in translation (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/jun/11/afghanistan.johndmchugh) The Guardian, Thursday June 12 2008.
When the US 173rd Airborne's Charlie Company try to speak to a Pashtun elder, the gulf is so great even the interpreters have given up interpreting. John D McHugh reports
As you'll see from the video, unreliable interpretation causes the US team to miss valuable intelligence, lose their temper at a possibly cooperative village elder, and probably alienate the village in the process--while having many of their preconceived notions "confirmed."