SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- In the translation world, the Italian phrase "traduttore, traditore" (translator, traitor) is used to suggest the inability to capture all the meaning in the original text and transfer it into another language because something inevitably gets lost in translation. Insurgents in Iraq view translators and interpreters as traitors and often kill them.
The jobs of translators and interpreters are vital in Iraq since the war on terrorism is not only about force but also about information. Since the vast majority of American personnel do not speak Arabic, interpreters are used. An army commander in Iraq has said his men could not do two-thirds of their job without interpreters. These individuals are embedded with soldiers in their missions and provide an indispensable link to information that may save lives.
Insurgents know that, without that information, American soldiers will be operating in the dark. That's why interpreters are especially targeted.