Translation in times of crises and conflicts

Abstract

This article serves as an introduction to a thematic issue gathering a number of articles that delve into the role that translation and interpreting play in situations of conflict and/or crisis. The interest in how crises and conflicts shape or are shaped by translation has produced an increasing bulk of publications over the past decade. Of note is the work carried out by Federici, O’Brien and their colleagues, who have studied the importance of translation in times of crises, as well as the publications by Baker, who has focused on the interface between translation and conflict. The contributions to this thematic issue examine the position of the interpreter, the importance of translation in the transmission of memory, the role that translators played in history and the use of translation in the creation of conflicts.