World events have highlighted the sometimes risky role that Arabic interpreters play. Do listen to the moving BBC interview about the Arabic interpreters from Iraq who relocated to Scotland.
Iraqis who risked their lives helping the British during the Iraq war were offered the chance to live in the UK. Yet few of them knew what awaited them and their families when they took up the opportunity to escape from Iraq and start afresh. Many were told that they would be going to Glasgow, a city they knew almost nothing about. On arrival they found themselves treated as asylum seekers, faced with the most difficult of housing conditions. The shock of finding damp and cold rooms for those with families led to a sense of betrayal. If they had risked their lives for the British, why were they being treated like that?
Now the families have been in Glasgow for some time, and in the interview, Aasmah Mir catches up with them to find out if things have improved. She speaks to a dentist who at one time treated British patients in Baghdad. Now, because he has yet to get UK qualifications, he is barred from practice in Glasgow. Ali was an Arabic interpreter for Tony Blair and many other politicians who visited Iraq. Today he is unemployed and living in a tower block, looking desperately for work.
We found ourselves hoping that these Arabic interpreters may find employment in the translation and interpreting industry in the UK. They would certainly be able to demonstrate meaningful experience.
Need help?
If you need an Arabic interpreter anywhere in the UK, do please get in touch with the details and we’d be happy to help.
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