Abstract
A transcript of an interview with Ellen Elias-Bursać by Leigh Swigart and David P. Briand. The interview took place on February 9, 2016 at Brandeis University, Waltham Massachusetts, USA, and the transcript, which is represented here, has been reviewed and edited from the original audio version. During the interview, Elias-Bursać reminisces on experience as an American living in Yugoslavia; aptitude towards languages; recruitment to work at ICTY; Tadić case from a translator's viewpoint; different standards of translation for purposes of investigation and courtroom hearings, and camaraderie of working as a reviser. Elias-Bursać also discusses role of ICTY Conference Language Services Section (CLSS); vetting process of translators; linguistic and substantive difficulties of translation; differences between the interrelated Balkan languages; the creation of the Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian language variety used during Tadić and thereafter; differences between providing language services for Prosecution and Defense teams; the role of ICTY staff psychologist; her research and book on ICTY language services, and impact of ICTY on people in the Balkans.