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
