Interpreting in Estonia in geopolitically changed Europe (1944-1991)

Abstract

This article aims to provide insight into interpreting in Estonia from 1944 to 1991, during the years when it was part of the Soviet Union. The author worked with Estonian archival film and photo collections in order to establish the use of interpreting in Estonia after World War II. The earliest footage of simultaneous interpretation discovered is from an Estonia-related event in Moscow in August 1940. The visual proof collected and interviews with interpreters allow the author to conclude that interpretation was used to facilitate communication between Russian- and Estonian-speaking communities.