Meeting the Language Challenges of NATO Operations: Policy, Practice and Professionalization (Palgrave Studies in Languages at War)

Languages play a crucial role in war, conflict and peacemaking: in intelligence gathering and evaluation, pre-deployment preparations, operations on the ground, regime-change, and supporting refugees and displaced persons. In the politics of war, languages have a dual impact: a public policy dimension, setting frameworks and expectations; and the lived experience of those 'on the ground', working with and meeting speakers of other languages. This series intends to bring together books which deal with the role of languages in situations of conflict, including war, civil war, occupation, peacekeeping, peace-enforcement and humanitarian action in war zones. It will offer an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, translation studies, intercultural communication, history, politics, international relations and cultural studies. Books in the series will explore specific conflict situations across a range of times and places, and specific language-related roles and activities, examining three contexts: languages and the military, meeting the other in war and peace-making, and interpreting/ translating in war. After 40 years of Cold War, NATO found itself intervening in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan, where the ability to communicate with local people was essential to the success of the missions. This book explains how the Alliance responded to this challenge so as to ensure that the missions did not fail through lack of understanding. After 40 years of Cold War, during which it never carried out a 'live' operation, NATO suddenly found itself intervening in three conflicts - in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan - where the ability to communicate with local officials and populations was essential to the success of the missions. It was largely unprepared for this, leading to confusion and improvisation. This book explains how the Alliance responded to the language and cultural challenges it faced and how one man led efforts to reorganize and professionalize NATO's translation and interpretation support on the ground so as to ensure that the missions did not fail through lack of understanding. The book contrasts these challenges with the situation during the Cold War period and outlines NATO's language policy and practices, including the growing dominance of the English language. It finally recounts how NATO eventually developed a coherent doctrine on linguist support for military operations "After 40 years of Cold War, during which it never carried out a 'live' operation, NATO suddenly found itself intervening in three conflicts - in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan - where the ability to communicate with local officials and populations was essential to the success of the missions. It was largely unprepared for this, leading to confusion and improvisation. This book explains how the Alliance responded to the language and cultural challenges it faced and how one man led efforts to reorganize and professionalize NATO's translation and interpretation support on the ground so as to ensure that the missions did not fail through lack of understanding. The book contrasts these challenges with the situation during the Cold War period and outlines NATO's language policy and practices, including the growing dominance of the English language. It finally recounts how NATO eventually developed a coherent doctrine on linguist support for military operations"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction....Pages 1-9 NATO Linguistic Services 1949–1994....Pages 10-27 English as the Working Language....Pages 28-39 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Identifying the Problems....Pages 40-61 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Implementing Solutions....Pages 62-77 Kosovo: Following a Pattern....Pages 78-96 Kosovo: Implementing Solutions....Pages 97-111 Afghanistan 2003....Pages 112-126 Afghanistan 2006....Pages 127-154 Afghanistan from 2008....Pages 155-180 NATO Doctrine....Pages 181-195 Conclusions....Pages 196-204 Back Matter....Pages 205-230