Wartalk : foreign languages and the British war effort in Europe, 1940-47 / Hilary Footitt, University of Reading, UK and Simona Tobia, University of Reading, UK
Published
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, is a division of St Martin's Press LLC, 2013
Preparing for War: the British and Foreign Languages -- Intelligence in Translation: Finding Out About the Enemy -- Role-Playing for War: the Human in Human Intelligence -- The War of Words: Psychological Warfare in a Foreign Language -- Continental Invasion: Liberation and Occupation -- Pursuing War Criminals: Military Interpreters in War Tribunals -- The British and the War Victims: Bringing Relief to Refugees and Displaced Persons Overseas -- The Russian Ally: Moving to Cold War -- Conclusions -- Notes
Summary
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
