Iraqi interpreters are usually part of the native population and have witnessed the transformation of the country since the overthrow of Saddam and the occupation of the United States. Many are at the forefront of the battlefields and witness what most civilians do not.
Unlike the soldiers whom they assist with translation, they will not leave the area once the conflict is over. This has made each Iraqi interpreter a chronicler of the war as they pass on information to military newcomers who prepare for battle.
One Iraqi interpreter stated, "my job is talking to and interpreting what the Iraqi people are saying, feeling, and believing about the country, the coalition forces, and the Iraqi Army. I've talked to…a million Iraqis and a million American soldiers. I mean who did that? I don't think anyone has done that before."
The job is not without its difficulties and dangers, and the American government has attempted to obtain visas for those interpreters and their families who eventually wish to leave the area. Last month, the United States Embassy in Baghdad indicated it was expanding an immigration program to give 5,000 visas a year for the next five years to those Iraqis who have assisted the American government.
18 August 2008
