WarTalk Foreign Languages and the British War Effort in Europe, 1940-47

This book offers a new perspective on the British experience of the Second World War in Europe, one in which foreignness and foreign languages are central to the dynamics of war-making. It offers a series of snapshots of the role which foreign languages played in Britain's war - in intelligence gathering (both signals and human intelligence), in psychological warfare, in preparations for liberating and occupying the continent, in denazification, in providing relief for refugees and displaced persons, and in postwar relationships with the USSR. By mapping the linguistic landscape of Britain's war in Europe, key aspects of international communication - translation, language performance, authenticity, language policies - are seen to be vital to military preparations and operations.

HILARY FOOTITT is a professor and senior research fellow in the School of Languages and European Studies, University of Reading, UK. Her research interests include women in politics, war and liberation in France and the development of language policy. Previous publications include War and Liberation in France (Palgrave 2004) and Women, Europe and the New Languages of Politics (Continuum 2002). Hilary is Principal Investigator for the AHRC project, Languages at War, and is an editorial board member for the Journal of War and Culture Studies.
 
SIMONA TOBIA is a research assistant in the School of Languages and European Studies, University of Reading, UK. Her research focuses primarily on the history of the Twentieth Century, especially of the Second World War and of the Cold War. Her publications include Advertising America: The United States Information Service in Italy, 1945-1956 (LED Edizioni Universitarie, 2009).

To come.