The Linguist

The Linguist 55,2

The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology

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8 The Linguist Vol/55 No/2 2016 www.ciol.org.uk MIGRANT CRISIS Reza Shirmarz talks to an interpreter working with refugees in Greece about dealing with trauma, difficult conditions and dangerous misunderstandings I nterpreters working with migrants often deal with great stress and anxiety due to the tragic situations of the migrants. Although poverty is among the reasons for people illegally immigrating to Greece, war and state oppression are key factors in the current migrant crisis. Most enter by sea or via the river Evros on the border between Greece and Turkey, yet many, including women and children, cannot swim. The problem is compounded by smugglers instructing people to pierce the boat's hull so that police have a duty to save them rather than turning them away. Many have drowned as a result, while others die of thirst and hunger during the journey. Interpreters may witness such tragedies and work with the survivors. Several official bodies provide interpreting services for illegal immigrants and refugees in Greece. Among them, METAction and the Organisation of Asylum are of paramount importance. METAction interpreters are trained, certified, supervised and periodically reassessed, and the NGO provides teaching materials and language tools for interpreters specialising in asylum procedures, as well as training materials for end-users. Although consecutive interpretation, used in refugee interviews, is most common, interpreters are expected to use other types of interpretation where appropriate. To find out more, I spoke to a Farsi-Greek interpreter working with asylum seekers and illegal immigrants in Athens and Lesbos. Desperate liaisons

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