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UK
IT
Hellenic Army Interpreter
Officers
Linguistic Services within the
Hellenic Army
International Standardisation
• Plato, Theætetus (163c): “but we do not perceive through
sight or hearing, and we do not know, what the
grammarians and interpreters teach about them …”
• better knowledge of each and every profession is
obtained through correct education and training
Mission
- Translation of documents
- Interpreting during all levels of activities:
* Operations, exercises and training
* Contacts of Hellenic and foreign military authorities
* Cooperation and acquisition committees
* Court hearings, command presentations, film doubling
Linguistic and secretariat services during international
conferences
Escort of foreign dignitaries and delegations
- Selection and training of interpreters, both Officers and
enlisted personnel for the needs of the Hellenic Army
- Operation of Translation Offices
Holders of a university degree in translation and
interpretation, or in studies in the foreign language
abroad and in Greece
Fit for military service, both physically and
mentally
Not more than 28 years of age
Desirable knowledge of a second foreign
language: Arab, English, French, German, Italian,
Russian, Turkish, and the Balkan ones
Applications controlled by a commission, with
Interpreter and Recruiting Corps Officers
Admitted applicants undergo medical, physical and
mental fitness tests, similar to those in effect for field
specialties candidate Officers.
After successfully passing the initial tests, oral and
written examinations
Oral and Written
*
In Greek essay: comprehensive knowledge of and
capability to correctly express in the official language.
*
In the main language selected:
Essay
Direct and reverse translation of 40 lines
(times 12 words = 480 words in total)
Direct and reverse interpreting of 10 minutes
Interview with the examiner
*
In any secondary language optionally:
Essay
Direct and reverse translation of 40 lines
Interview with the examiner
* Approximately Level 4444 and above for the
main language
* Level 3333 and above for the secondary ones
as defined by STANAG 6001 and the Standard
Language Profiles Descriptions in Amplification of
this NATO STANAG, issued by the Defence
School of Languages in May 1996
• Basic Infantry Soldiering: 4 weeks
• Infantry Reserve Officers School course: 3 ½ months
• Application school; Other Corps’ Advanced Course in the
Infantry School; decision for attendance of colleges
• Linguistic post-university and specialisation studies
(Defence Language Institute (DLI) USA?)
• On-the-job training
• Incentives to all Officers to learn foreign languages
(Hellenic Army Military School for Foreign Languages;
financing the obtaining of language proficiency titles, such
as the State Certificate of Language Proficiency, foreign
university diplomas, etc)
Officers – Civilians – Reserve Soldiers
• Civilians, Translators / Interpreters, of
university or secondary education degree
• Contracted through Defence civilian
agencies
• Serving in any Defence post, not
necessarily in the Translation Offices
• Interpreter Reserve Soldiers
• English, French, Italian, Spanish,
Russian and Turkish
HAGS Standing Order
0 – 35 / 2007
• Operation of a Translation Office
• Job Description of the Director of the
Translation Office within the HAGS
• On-the-job training of new Interpreter
Officers
Quality translation and interpreting services
*
Accuracy of expression
*
Sophisticated language
*
Width of complex topics
Translation methods, aids, timings and priorities
Interpreting methods and procedures
• Continuous training
• Exploitation of the experience of senior colleagues
• Prompt use of suitable general and specialised
dictionaries and other reference materials (such as
regulations, directives, magazines, etc)
• Translation and interpreting should not complement or
embellish the original written or oral speech; not provoke
any misunderstanding for its true meaning; and therefore
not deny from the possibility to realise that the text or
expression is incomprehensible, incoherent, fragmentary or
erroneous
Professional Ethics
Protection of Information, on a right-to-know basis
Personal confidence
Protection of personal data
Non-disclosure of relevant information, not even to persons with
a respective security clearance, but without right of access
Rules of duty also apply to other military and civilian personnel,
providing informal translation / interpreting services.
Vital contribution to the combined operational
effectiveness of the military forces of alliances or coalitions
Better use of economic resources
Operating together (interoperability); sharing
common doctrine and procedures; not necessary to have
common military equipment - important to share common
facilities and be able to communicate
No duplication in the research, development,
production, procurement and logistic support
Pooling of resources
Synergies among countries
Interoperability through joint planning, training and
exercises during the Cold War
Practice during joint operations in the Balkans and
Afghanistan
Promulgation of NATO Standardisation Agreements
(STANAGs)
NATO countries through the Conference of National
Armaments Directors (CNADs) and the NATO
Standardisation Organisation (NSO)
NATO Staff through the NATO Committee for
Standardisation, the NATO Standardisation Staff Group and
the NATO Standardisation Agency (NSA)
osce
Standardisation and interoperability mainly led by the
central European institutions
Valuable work of other organisations, such as NATO,
Finabel and the Council of Europe
Linguistic-related documentation on standardisation
and interoperability by those organisations and the
International Standardisation Organisation (ISO)
Terminology for functional, organisational and operational
documentation translation and interpreting, with standardised wording:
*
Military terminology (national, NATO, EU, Finabel, etc) or
of other international organisations (e.g. ISO, IEC, ICAO, etc).
*
National glossaries
*
Dictionaries of acronyms and abbreviations, authorised
symbols, etc.
*
Language proficiency level (Common European Frame,
STANAG 6001, European Council language proficiency levels, etc)
Non-existence of authorised terminology -> use of relevant
dictionaries of the private sector (example, “The Concise Oxford English
Dictionary” (AAP-6)
Correspondence = Communication to one or
more external or internal
individual or organisation
Example
- Most common and widely understood
abbreviations and acronyms (e.g. ACO, SHAPE,
NATO, HQ, U N, PfP, SACEUR)
- Other are to be written in full on their first
appearance, followed by the abbreviation or
acronym in parentheses
a.
Translation of texts from and to foreign languages
b.
Military terminology and use of respective aids
c.
Quality specifications
d.
Standardisation (national, NATO, EU, Finabel, etc) –
familiarisation with acronyms and abbreviations,
standardised symbols, allied publications, STANAGs –
international organisation terminology (UN, OSCE, ISO, IEC,
ICAO) – and in particular STANAG 6001.
e.
Interpreting from and to foreign languages
f.
Participation in the organisation of military activities
g.
Drafting of briefing scripts, film doubling, with or
without subtitles, etc.
h.
General information on the organisation of the
Hellenic Defence, International Organisations (UN, NATO,
EU, OSCE, Finabel, etc), peace-support operations, defence
planning, multilateral military cooperation, logistics, etc.