The Spanish Civil War has been explored from various perspectives, but it still represents a broad field of research. For instance, interpreters, who played a decisive role in the everyday life during the war and sought to create a continuous balance between the Republican forces, have received little attention so far. The interpreters, who came from 30 different countries, were operating in a variety of fields – among them the military, the medical services, the press, the administration or the interaction with the local population – and thus constituted an integral part in the course of the war.

The majority of the names included in the database have been assembled within the research project “Interpreting and Translating during the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939” at the University of Graz (2018–2019). All project team members were involved in recording the data.

The database may be used in several ways. It primarily serves the search for names and personal information, but it also provides a first impression of the work of interpreters during the Civil War. The records constitute additions to existing databases about Spanish Civil War volunteers, in particular SIDBRINT (Sistema de Información Digital sobre las Brigadas Internacionales). IIW is aimed at people who are generally i nterested in or conducting research on commemorative work in relation to the Spanish Civil War as well as at those interested in the topic of interpreting in conflict situations.