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Master Reference Master The British Media Portrayal of Local Afghan Interpreters Employed by the British Armed Forces BESSANT, Claire Abstract Local conflict zone interpreters occupy a precarious position between warring parties. They are often viewed as traitors by the adversaries of their employer military, and may be targeted as a result of their work. The Taliban’s persecution of local Afghan interpreters employed by the British military has received considerable media attention in the UK. Through the lens of narrative theory this paper analyses the British media’s portrayal of local Afghan interpreters and their situation, and looks at the role played by the media in its coverage of our topic. The findings indicate that press coverage is generally biased in favour of the interpreters. Publications may use their sway over public opinion and government policy to assist the interpreters, assuming the role of a player rather than that of a bystander reporter. This paper increases understanding of how local conflict zone interpreters are viewed, and the concrete impact which this can have on their situation. Reference BESSANT, Claire. The British Media Portrayal of Local Afghan Interpreters Employed by the British Armed Forces. Master : Univ. Genève, 2020 Available at: http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:147457 Disclaimer: layout of this document may differ from the published version. 1 / 1 The British Media Portrayal of Local Afghan Interpreters Employed by the British Armed Forces Claire Bessant Mémoire présenté à la Faculté de Traduction et d’Interprétation pour l’obtention du MA en Interprétation de Conférence Directeur de mémoire : Prof. Lucía RUIZ ROSENDO Juré : Prof. Kilian SEEBER Janvier 2020 Key Words Interpreters, media, conflict, military, Afghanistan Abstract Local conflict zone interpreters occupy a precarious position between warring parties. They are often viewed as traitors by the adversaries of their employer military, and may be targeted as a result of their work. The Taliban’s persecution of local Afghan interpreters employed by the British military has received considerable media attention in the UK. Through the lens of narrative theory this paper analyses the British media’s portrayal of local Afghan interpreters and their situation, and looks at the role played by the media in its coverage of our topic. The findings indicate that press coverage is generally biased in favour of the interpreters. Publications may use their sway over public opinion and government policy to assist the interpreters, assuming the role of a player rather than that of a bystander reporter. This paper increases understanding of how local conflict zone interpreters are viewed, and the concrete impact which this can have on their situation. 2 Student Information Claire Bessant 25 Boulevard du Pont d’Arve 1205 Genève [email protected] 3 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Student Information ....................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 Local Interpreters in Conflict Zones .......................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 Afghanistan ................................................................................................................. 22 2.1 The Geography of Afghanistan ...................................................................................................... 22 2.2 The Population of Afghanistan ...................................................................................................... 24 2.3 The Afghan Economy ...................................................................................................................... 25 2.4 The Durand Line ............................................................................................................................. 25 2.5 The History of Afghanistan ............................................................................................................ 27 2.5.1 The Great Game: Russia and Britain ............................................................................................ 28 2.5.2 Tradition and Modernity .............................................................................................................. 31 2.5.3 The Cold War in Afghanistan ....................................................................................................... 32 2.5.4 The Rise of the Taliban ................................................................................................................ 33 2.5.5 The Taliban and al Qaeda ............................................................................................................. 37 Chapter 3 The War ....................................................................................................................... 39 3.1 The Invasion and ISAF ................................................................................................................... 39 3.2 The Taliban Insurgency .................................................................................................................. 41 3.3 The End in Sight? ............................................................................................................................ 42 3.4 The British Campaign in Afghanistan........................................................................................... 43 Chapter 4 Local Interpreters in Helmand Province ................................................................... 47 4.1 The Role of Local Afghan Interpreters ......................................................................................... 47 4.2 Risks faced by Local Afghan Interpreters .................................................................................... 48 4.3 Taliban Reprisals against Local Afghan Interpreters ................................................................. 48 4.4 The British Government Response ................................................................................................ 49 Chapter 5 The British Media Portrayal of Local Afghan Interpreters and their Situation ...... 55 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 55 5.2 Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 55 5.3 Selection of Corpus .......................................................................................................................... 56 5.3.1 Selection of Publications .............................................................................................................. 56 4 5.3.2 Selection of Articles ..................................................................................................................... 58 5.4 Methodology..................................................................................................................................... 59 5.5 Analysis............................................................................................................................................. 60 5.5.1 How do the corpus articles depict the current situation of the interpreters?.................................... 60 5.5.2 How do the corpus articles depict the role of local Afghan interpreters in British employ? ............ 62 5.5.3 How do the corpus articles depict the character of the interpreters?............................................... 66 5.5.4 How do the corpus articles depict British government policy towards the interpreters? ................. 68 5.5.5 What kind of role does the British media assume in its coverage of our subject? ........................... 70 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 75 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 78 Annexes ........................................................................................................................................ 87 5 Acknowledgements I would first and foremost like to thank my supervisor, Lucía Ruiz Rosendo, for her valuable guidance. Thanks are also due to my friends and family for proofreading this project. 6 Introduction Mohammed Rafi Hotak was recruited as an interpreter by the British Armed Forces in 2006. Less than a year after beginning work, he was seriously injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion. Even when equipped with full military body armour, an IED explosion can cause mutilation, loss of limb or loss of life. The explosion left Rafi scarred for life. In addition, his work with the British left him a marked man. He was attacked several times. The Taliban sent him regular death threats and threatened
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