Meeting the Language Challenges of NATO Operations Policy, Practice and Professionalization

After 40 years of Cold War, during which it never carried out a 'live' operation, NATO suddenly found itself intervening in three conflicts – in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan – where the ability to communicate with local officials and populations was essential to the success of the missions. It was largely unprepared for this, leading to confusion and improvisation. This book explains how the Alliance responded to the language and cultural challenges it faced and how one man led efforts to reorganize and professionalize NATO's translation and interpretation support on the ground so as to ensure that the missions did not fail through lack of understanding. The book contrasts these challenges with the situation during the Cold War period and outlines NATO's language policy and practices, including the growing dominance of the English language. It finally recounts how NATO eventually developed a coherent doctrine on linguist support for military operations.

Ian P. Jones joined NATO as a linguist in 1976. He served as Head of the Linguistic Service at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) from 1989 to 2011 and was responsible for coordinating the Linguistic Services in the Alliance's permanent and peace support operation headquarters.

Louise Askew has worked as a linguist for the US Government, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and was Chief of the Linguistic Service at the NATO HQ in Sarajevo from 2000 to 2004. In June 2011, she received a PhD on the language policy of international organizations in post-Dayton Bosnia-Herzegovina. She now works as an interpreter for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Introduction: Translation and Interpretation as the Focus of Language Policy
1. NATO Linguistic Services 1949-1994
2.English as the Working Language
3.Bosnia-Herzegovina – Identifying the Problems
4.Bosnia-Herzegovina – Implementing Solutions
5.Kosovo – Following a Pattern
6.Kosovo – Implementing Solutions
7.Afghanistan 2003
8.Afghanistan 2006
9.Afghanistan from 2008
10. NATO Doctrine
11. Conclusions