The Role of Yemeni Translators in Promoting the Humanitarian Action in Yemen During the Civil War

Abstract

Seven years have passed since the forgotten war in Yemen, as Western media called it. During these years, the Yemeni translator played a prominent role in promoting humanitarian work by accompanying international aid and medical staff their interventions and responses in an internally displaced person (IDP)camps, field hospitals, shelters, and food and drug distribution centres. This study aimed to examine the roles played by the Yemeni translators in promoting human actions and meet community needs. An interview was conducted with 10 Yemeni translators working in the field of relief and humanitarian actions in Yemen. The United Nations has classified Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. Therefore, to meet the needs of society and the huge number of internally displaced people because of the ongoing conflict. Several international organizations provided urgent assistance to affected families and IDP camps, which required bilingual translators and assistants to provide field support, monitor the needs of indigenous people. The study found that Yemeni translators have played a key role in promoting humanitarian work, despite the difficulties and risks facing their works in the field. Therefore, this study recommended training the local translators by provide an adequate and up to date training for local translators who are working in the field of translation to reach effective and professional results.