Paper long abstract

Effective communication in disaster zones is a matter of critical importance, as it directly impacts the success of search-and-rescue operations and the provision of life-saving medical care. This study examines the extent to which undergraduate Japanese language programs at Turkish universities prepare graduates for post-disaster interpreting, using the February 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquakes as a case study. Data collection began with semi-structured interviews with nine volunteer interpreters—comprising six undergraduate students and three graduates—who provided Japanese–Turkish interpreting for the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Rescue and Medical Teams during the immediate response phase (February–April 2023). Although no prior information was provided regarding whether written or oral translation would be required, the volunteers were confronted in the field with predominantly real-time oral interpreting. Participants consistently reported two primary challenges: a near-total lack of disaster-related and medical terminology in Japanese, and recurrent misunderstandings stemming from the Japanese teams’ consensus-based and hierarchical structure, which led to protracted decision-making processes. Several interviewees noted that the limited compulsory courses on Japanese society and culture proved surprisingly useful in navigating intercultural obstacles. Building on these findings, and to assess the academic foundation for future disaster interpreters, a systematic curriculum analysis was conducted across all five Japanese Language departments, using publicly available syllabi. Findings starkly confirmed the volunteers’ concerns: Translation and interpreting courses constitute only a minor part (19–27.8%) of compulsory credits, disproportionately focused on written translation. Dedicated culture courses account for a negligible share (0–5.6%) of credits, being entirely absent in two programs. Our findings lead us to conclude that current compulsory curricula leave graduates significantly underprepared for disaster-context interpreting. We, therefore, recommend the immediate introduction of a new course provisionally entitled “Disaster Interpreting” which should include specialized terminology and intensive consecutive practice under simulated stress, and training on Japanese communication norms in emergency settings. However, successfully implementing such a course would require addressing potential challenges, such as sharing the experiences of volunteers with field experience in a classroom setting and designing realistic emergency simulations.