Translating the stories of conflict-affected populations

A translator’s job is to take something in one language and convert it to another – but when you’re translating the stories of people affected by conflict, how do you ensure your own feelings don’t get in the way? In this episode, Mohamad El Kari, translator on the XCEPT project, speaks about the personal and professional challenges he faces in the course of his work. He explores the importance of understanding local culture, the need to remain sensitive to different interpretations of a word or phrase, and the ethical and moral difficulties that arise when working in the context of a conflict. Mohamad also turns to the issue of wellbeing, highlighting the emotional toll that a translator can face when working with stories of conflict trauma. This research is being undertaken as part of the XCEPT research programme, which is funded by UK International Development from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies. XCEPT aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.