The Routledge Handbook of Translation, Interpreting and Crisis

This handbook offers a broad-ranging overview of the study of translating and interpreting in conflict and crisis settings and takes the field in new directions.

Covering a wide selection of multimodal contexts that build on the fundamentals of translation, interpreting, and their in-between hybrid forms of mediation, the handbook is divided into four parts. The opening part covers perspectives on policy and practices, whether contemporary or historical, and cases truly span the globe, from Peru and Brazil, over Belgium and Sierra Leone, to Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong. International developments require profound considerations about the professionalisation of access to language in times of crises, not least in contexts of humanitarian negotiation or conflict zone interpreting–these form the second part. The subsequent part deals with spheres of community in which language needs are positioned within frames of agency, positionality, and trust, and the challenges that these face. The contributions build on cases where interpreters act as catalysts for translation needs in settings of humanitarian aid and beyond. The final part considers language strategies and solutions in crises.

This handbook is the essential guide to translation and interpreting in conflict and crisis settings for advanced students and researchers of translation and interpreting studies and will be of wide interest in peace studies, political science, and beyond.

Christophe Declercq, PhD, is a Lecturer in Translation at Utrecht University, Netherlands, and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London, UK. He has published several articles and chapters on translation and language technology, and for a decade has been an evaluator for the European Commission on multilingual ICT projects. He has published as author and co-editor in the domain of cross-cultural communication at times of conflict, either in a historic or contemporary setting.

Koen Kerremans is an Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium. His research interests pertain to terminology, translation technologies, and multilingual communication. He is a member of the Brussels Centre for Language Studies (BCLS) at VUB.