65 THE WAR INTERPRETER: NEEDS AND CHALLENGES OF INTERPRETING IN CONFLICT ZONES YOLANDA MORENO BELLO UNIVERSIDAD DE ALCALÁ Quoting AIIC, translators/interpreters contracted to work in conflict zones are often non- professional linguists even though they play a key role in communications. Moreover, interpreting in conflict zones needs to be examined in a particular way since the context creates a distinct atmosphere from other kinds of interpreting. Data for the empirical research has been collected, first, through the study of previous projects such as InZone or Red T, which explored different aspects of interpreting in conflict zones; and, secondly, by conducting interviews and surveys with soldiers and interpreters that have suffered the consequences of war. The analysis of this data will let us know about the particularities of the situations and the strengths and weaknesses of some of the main principles of the code of ethics (accuracy, impartiality, confidentiality) in conflict situations. The results could help in the development of a code of ethics that protects interpreters and helps them to provide a quality service. Key words: code of ethics, interpreting, conflict zones. Según AIIC, los traductores/intérpretes que trabajan en zonas en conflicto son normalmente personas sin formación lingüística a pesar del papel clave que desempeñan en la comunicación. Además, la interpretación en zonas de conflicto necesita un análisis específico ya que este contexto crea un ambiente característico que no se da en cualquier otro tipo de interpretación. La investigación empírica se ha realizado, en primer lugar, a través del análisis de proyectos previos como InZone or Red T, que examinan los diferentes aspectos de la interpretación en zonas de conflicto, y, en segundo lugar, a través de entrevistas y encuestas realizadas a soldados e intérpretes que han sufrido las consecuencias de la guerra. El análisis de los resultados nos permitirá determinar las particularidades de esta situación, y los puntos débiles y fuertes de los principios clave que abordan los códigos éticos en zonas en conflicto (precisión, imparcialidad, confidencialidad). Gracias a los resultados obtenidos propondremos un modelo de código ético que proteja y ayude a los intérpretes a proporcionar un servicio de calidad. Palabras clave: código ético, interpretación, zonas de conflicto. 1. Introduction Interpreting in conflict zones has played a key role in the history of wars. During the military deployment in a conflict zone, the war interpreter is the only direct link that soldiers have with the culture and peoples there. However, the professional standards and the interpreter’s role have not been framed or specified. Operating in high-risk environments, interpreters are extremely vulnerable and require special protection; not only due to the conflict’s dangers themselves but due to the ambiguous position they have in this dichotomised environment. So users of T/I services must be aware of their responsibilities to translators and interpreters and of the need to continuously protect them. But at the same time, translators and interpreters themselves must know their rights as well as uphold the standards and ethics of the linguistic profession to enhance their safety and standing. The posed hypothesis is that interpreting in conflict zones needs to be examined in a particular way since the context creates a distinct atmosphere from other kinds of interpreting. Due to time and space restrictions, the aim of this paper is to investigate if this specific context also needs a specific code of ethics. For this purpose, the introduction will portray a brief description of the war interpreter and his/her role. Data for the empirical research has been collected, first, through the study of previous projects such as InZone or Red T and Cross-cultural Communication that explored different aspects of interpreting in conflict zones; and, secondly, by conducting interviews and surveys with