How do interpreters become heroes? Narratives on Soviet/Russian military interpreters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v15i.404Keywords:
narrative analysis, Soviet/Russian military interpreters, war heroesAbstract
This article identifies narratives, or storylines, which represent Soviet/Russian wartime/military interpreters. The data include the autobiographical writings of interpreters, documentaries, media articles, scholarly articles, and websites. The examination of the data proceeds to some extent in accordance with the narrative typology provided by Mona Baker (2006), that is, from general to personal narratives, with the assumption that personal narratives are embedded in collective narratives. The positioning of wartime interpreters participating in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) is compared to that of military interpreters participating in the military operations of the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. A narrative reading of the data uncovers the storylines that portray wartime/military interpreters as quiet war heroes.
References
Avdonina, N. (2012). Zhurnalistika i politika vooruzhennogo konflikta: sravnitelnii analiz amerikanskoi i otechestvennoi pressy [Journalism and the war policy: comparing American and Russian press] (Candidate of Political Sciences thesis), St. Petersburg State University, Russia.
Avdonina, N. (2014). Ritorika voiny [Rhetoric of the war]. Svobodnaia Mysl, 5, 185-202.
Avdonina, N. (2015). Mediatization of the war in Afghanistan: From Charging to Justifying. Presentation, 15th Annual Aleksanteri Conference “Culture and Russian Society”, 21-23 October, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Baker, M. (2006). Translation and conflict. London: Routledge.
Baker, M. (2010). Interpreters and Translators in the War Zone. The Translator, 16(2), 197-222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2010.10799469
Baker, M. (2015). Narrative analysis. In C. Angelelli & B. Baer (Eds.), Researching translation and interpreting (pp. 247-256). London & New York: Taylor & Francis.
Cherednikova, A. (2008). Bez tolmachei ne obhoditsia ni odna voina [No war can do without interpreters]. Voenno-Istoricheskii Zhurnal [Military History Journal], 5(577), 25-28.
Chuprygin, A. (2015, May 27). Voennyi perevodchik - diletant, erudit, soldat [The military interpreter - an amateur, a scrabble, and a soldier]. Interview taken by I. Novikova. Pravda.Ru. Retrieved from http://www.pravda.ru/society/how/27-05-2015/1261295-rodina-0/
Chuzhakin, A. (2005). Politiko-perevodcheskii alfavit, ili Sentimentalnoe puteshestvie v nedavnee proshloe [Political translation alphabet, or a sentimental journey into the recent past]. Mosty. Zhurnal Perevodchikov. [Bridges. Translators and Interpreters' Journal], 2(6), 77-80.
Clubvi (2015). Retrieved 4 December 2015, from http://clubvi.ru/
Dubin, B. (2004). Krovavaia voina i velikaia pobeda [A bloody war and the great victory]. Otechestvennye Zapiski, 5. Retrieved from http://magazines.russ.ru/oz/2004/5/2004_5_5.html
Elkost (2015). ELKOST International Literary Agency - Elena Rzhevskaia. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from http://www.elkost.com/authors/rzhevskaya
Footitt, H., & Kelly, M. (2012). Languages at war. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gavrilov, L., & Kurapova, E. (2012). Iz istorii VIIA (VU MO) [The history of the Military Institute of Foreign Languages (The Military University of the Defence Ministry)]. Viiakovets, 1. Retrieved from http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/nikalexx/post324686662/
Harding, S. (2012). “How do I apply narrative theory?” Socio-narrative theory in translation studies. Target, 24(2), 286-309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/target.24.2.04har
History of the Military Institute of Foreign Languages (in Russian). (2015). Clubvi. Retrieved 4 December 2015, from http://clubvi.ru/history/history03.htm
Inter (2014). V Afganskoi voine mnozhestvo zhiznei bylo spaseno perevodchikami [In the Afghanistan war, interpreters saved many lives] [Television report]. Retrieved from http://vkimo.com/node/2654
Kanavin, I. (2005, April 17). Parlamenter vzial krepost slovom [A negotiator conquered the fortress with a word]. Vesti7.ru. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from http://www.vesti7.ru/news?id=6083
Kangaspuro, M., & Lassila, J. (2012). Naming the War and Framing the Nation in Russian Public Discussion. Canadian Slavonic Papers, 54(3-4), 377-400. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00085006.2012.11092714
Kemppanen, H. (2012a). Looking for an ideal translation strategy - the concept of the golden mean in Russian translation studies. Presentation, Crossling Seminar on Crosscultural Encounters, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, 27 September.
Kemppanen, H. (2012b). The role of the concepts Domestication and Foreignization in Russian translation studies. In M. Jänis, H. Kemppanen & A. Belikova (Eds.), Domestication and Foreignization in Translation Studies (pp. 49-62). Berlin: Frank & Timme.
Koposov, N. (2011). Pamiat strogogo rezhima [The memory of a strict regime]. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie.
Kostiuhin, A. (2009, January 20). Ego slovo okazalos krepche tsitadeli [His word was harder than the Citadel]. Krasnaia Zvezda [A Red Star]. Retrieved from http://old.redstar.ru/2009/01/20_01/3_04.html
Krepost Shpandau sdalas bez boia [The fortress Spandau surrendered without a fight]. (2010). 1945: Nasha obshchaia pobeda [Our common victory]. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from http://1945-2010.info/?lng=ru&module=publications&action=list&id=3&id_pub=40
Kurapova, E. (2009). Sostavliaiushchie professii voennogo perevodchika [Basic elements of the military interpreter profession]. Vkimo. Retrieved 7 December 2015, from http://www.vkimo.com/node/1867
Kurbakov, A., & Kurbakova, S. (Directors). (2005). 65 let FIA [65 anniversary of the Faculty of Foreign Languages] [Video file]. Retrieved from http://clubvi.ru/movies/65let/
Kurbakov, A., Tarasov, V., & Kurbakova, S. (Directors). (2005). Pokolenie pobeditelei [The generation of Victors] [Video file]. Retrieved from http://clubvi.ru/institut-legenda/
Levandrovski, M. (2009). Kak byla "vziata" krepost Shpandau [How the fortress Spandau was conquered]. Partner, 5(140). Retrieved from http://www.partner-inform.de/partner/detail/2009/5/235/3652
Levin, I. (1981). Zapiski voennogo perevodchika [Notes of a wartime interpreter]. Moscow: Moskovskii rabochii.
Loginov, E. (n.d.). Uchebnye tsentry [Training centers]. Vkimo. Retrieved 7 December 2015, from http://www.vkimo.com/node/88
Lovejoy, B. (2011, October 30). Elena Rzhevskaya: The woman who held Hitler’s teeth [Blog post]. Besslovejoy. Retrieved from https://besslovejoy.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/elena-rzhevskaya-the-woman-who-held-hitlers-teeth/
Nehamkin, S. (2014). Ne pokazyvai afgantsu podoshvy! 21 maia - den voennogo perevodchika [Do not show soles to an Afghan! 21 May - a professional holiday for military interpreters/translators]. Argumenti Nedeli, 17(409). Retrieved from http://argumenti.ru/history/n437/338598
Okroev, T. (Producer). (2012). Perevod na peredovoi [Translation/interpreting in the foreground] [Documentary]. Moscow, Russia: television channel Zvezda. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9u3OpXqgzw
Pobeda (2010). O veterane Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny Vladimire Galle [About veteran of the Great Patriotic War Vladimir Gall]. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from http://pobeda-mo.ru/news/804.html
Podoprigora, B. (2010). Nuzhny li Vooruzhennym silam perevodchiki? [Do the military forces need interpreters?]. Vkimo. Retrieved 4 December 2015, from http://vkimo.com/node/738
Prenzlauer, B. (2013, March 3). Interview with Vladimir Gall [in Russian]. Neuntermai.vvn-bda.de. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from http://neuntermai.vvn-bda.de/ru/interview-mit-wladimir-gall/
Russkii mir. (2011, May 23). Legendarnyi parlamenter Vladimir Gall posetil russkii tsentr v Drezdene [A legendary negotiator Vladimir Gall visited the Russian centre in Dresden]. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from http://mail.russkiymir.ru/news/95884/
Ru.wikipedia. (2015). Rzhevskaia, Elena Moiseevna. Retrieved 3 December 2015, from https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Samoilova, G. (Director). (2010). Epizody [Episodes]. Elena Rzhevskaia [Television program]. Moscow, Russia: television channel Kultura. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5ltCIie5mg
Schippel, L. (2011). Review of the book “Nashim oruzhiem bylo slovo…”. Perevodchiki na voine – “Unsere Waffe war das Wort…”. Translation in Kriegszeiten [“Our weapon was the word ...”. Translation in times of war], by V. Zhdanova. Translation Studies, 4(1), 117-120.
Secret evidence of Hitler's identity. (2005, May 8). The Observer. Retrieved from http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/docs/death/Rzhevskaya.html
Shlianin, A. (Director). (2000). Svidetel veka [A witness of the century]. Elena Rzhevskaia [Television program]. Moscow, Russia: television channel NTV. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCSdMRdUozI
Sinkliner, A. (1989). Zapiski voennogo perevodchika [Notes of a wartime interpreter]. Stavropol: Stavropolskoe knizhnoe izdatelstvo.
Sladkov, A. (Presenter). (2012). Voennye perevodchiki [Military interpreters] [Television program]. Moscow, Russia: television channel Russia 1. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC0cOUrEZ0g
Sovershenno sekretno [Top Secret]. (2013). Voennye perevodchiki [Military interpreters] [Documentary]. Moscow, Russia: television channel Sovershenno sekretno. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1TE9ndu2EY
Stezhenskii, V. (2005). Soldatskii dnevnik. Voennye stranitsy [A soldier's diary. Wartime pages]. Moscow: Agraf.
Stupnikova, T. (2003). Nichego krome pravdy. Njurnbergskii protsess: vospominaniia perevodchika [Nothing but the truth. The Nuremberg trials in an interpreter's memory] (2nd ed.). Moscow: Vozvrashchenie.
Vernikov, S. (1977). Zapiski voennogo perevodchika [Notes of a wartime interpreter] (3rd ed.). Sverdlovsk: Sredne-Uralskoe knizhnoe izdatelstvo.
Viiapedia (2015). Encyclopedia of the MIFL (in Russian). Retrieved 4 December 2015, from http://viiapedia.com
Vkimo (2015). The MIFL veterans’ union website (in Russian). Retrieved 4 December 2015, from http://www.vkimo.com/
Vumo (2010). The Faculty of Foreign Languages at the Military University (in Russian). Retrieved 7 December 2015, from http://vumo.su/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:2010-09-24.
Zhdanova, V. (2009). “Nashim oruzhiem bylo slovo…”. Perevodchiki na voine – “Unsere Waffe war das Wort…”. Translation in Kriegszeiten [“Our weapon was the word ...”. Translation in times of war]. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. The material cannot be used for commercial purposes.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
