06.07.20141 ForfatterProsjektittel FORSVARET Forsvarets logistikkorganisasjon 06.07.20141 FORSVARET Forsvarets skole i etterretnings- og sikkerhetstjeneste.

11.04.23 1Forfatter Prosjektittel

FORSVARETForsvarets logistikkorganisasjon

11.04.23 1

FORSVARETForsvarets skole i etterretnings- og sikkerhetstjeneste

NON FAVET FORS NISI MENTE PRAEPARATIS

Developing Operational Proficiency:To what extent will non-native Pashto interpreters

be able to handle shabnama’s “night letters”(letters of intimidation, distributed by Taliban at night)?

What can be the use of non-native Pashtointerpreters with regard to night letters?

Finn Thiesen

11.04.23 2Forfatter Prosjektittel

FORSVARETForsvarets logistikkorganisasjon

11.04.23 2

FORSVARETForsvarets skole i etterretnings- og sikkerhetstjeneste

NON FAVET FORS NISI MENTE PRAEPARATIS

Specimen of night letter

11.04.23 3Forfatter Prosjektittel

FORSVARETForsvarets logistikkorganisasjon

11.04.23 3

FORSVARETForsvarets skole i etterretnings- og sikkerhetstjeneste

NON FAVET FORS NISI MENTE PRAEPARATIS

Translation

• Information to all those persons in Maruf sub-district that day and night serve the Americans, show them the hide-outs of the Mujahedin and dishonour our country’s faithful Moslems: The Americans will not protect you for ever. You may at any time fall into our hands. We know the name and domicile of each and every one. Take an example from the friends of the Russians (i.e. see what happened to them)! God willing, you will very soon fall under the knives and projectiles of the Mujahedin.

• And then good-bye.•

11.04.23 4NON FAVET FORS NISI MENTE PRAEPARATIS

FORSVARETForsvarets skole i etterretnings- og sikkerhetstjeneste

Revised title:

To what extent will non-native Pashto interpretersbe able to handle handwritten documents?What can be the use of non-native Pashto

interpreters with regard to such documents?

11.04.23 5NON FAVET FORS NISI MENTE PRAEPARATIS

FORSVARETForsvarets skole i etterretnings- og sikkerhetstjeneste

Conclusion

1. Non-native interpreters will in most cases be unable to read handwritten documents.

2. Native interpreters cannot be trusted completely. Firstly: One cannot be 100% sure of their loyalty. Secondly: More often their English will be insufficient for the task. The outcome could easily be garbled.

3. The obvious solution is to have the document translated jointly by a native and a non-native interpreter. The result would be reliable and exact (and both of the interpreters would learn from the experience).