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Caught in the Crossfire

Interpreters during the First World War

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Languages and the First World War: Communicating in a Transnational War

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Languages at War ((PASLW))

Abstract

The First World War is often cited as being ‘the first modern war’, a description which refers to its scale, but also to the weapons used (Strachan 2004: xiv; Gilbert 1983: 423). With over thirty-two countries involved, the war was inherently multilingual, which meant that interpreters and other language coordination services were essential. Armed conflict requires interpreters for intelligence services, for the coordination of troops if the soldiers do not all speak the same language, for communicating with civilians in occupied or besieged territories and for negotiating the end of the war (Baigorri-Jalón 2010: 180).

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Authors
  1. Sandrijn Van Den Noortgate
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. London, UK

    Julian Walker (Independent educator, artist and writer) (Independent educator, artist and writer)

  2. University College London, London, UK

    Christophe Declercq

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© 2016 The Editor(s)

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Van Den Noortgate, S. (2016). Caught in the Crossfire. In: Walker, J., Declercq, C. (eds) Languages and the First World War: Communicating in a Transnational War. Palgrave Studies in Languages at War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137550309_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137550309_6

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-71543-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-55030-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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