Army linguist is talk of the town

Lt Adam Fardy and linguist Pte Matt Souverijis chat with some locals during the course of their day in Baghdad.Photo by LCpl Neil Ruskin, 1JPAU

From Cpl Damian Shovell in Iraq

THE ability to converse with the people has proven to be the cornerstone of good relations and, for the soldiers within the SECDET in Baghdad, the inclusion of a capable interpreter to convey their intent and ensure nothing is lost in translation, has proven invaluable.

Pte Matt Souverijis was the CO’s driver in 3RAR and taking discharge when it was realised the 15 years he spent growing up in Egypt provided him with the rare language skills needed within the SECDET.

“My dad’s a Greek Cypriot and mum’s an Australian. I was brought up in Egypt, because my dad worked there,” he said.

Pte Souverijis’s role for the past three months working alongside platoon commander Lt Adam Fardy now saw him dealing directly with the Iraqi people, conducting questioning during patrols and explaining to locals what’s going on in their community.

“I think that’s why we’ve got such a good reputation with the people. We don’t use aggressive methods in telling them what to do.”

Pte Souverijis also worked closely with Iraqi Diplomatic Protective Service personnel who conducted security in the hotel district nearby and he carried one of their radios at all times.

“The boss really relies on them to search vehicles that want to enter the hotel district and I relay any information to them and vice versa,” he said.

“They speak to me in their dialect and I’m slowly picking it up. It’s a bit hard because there’s a different accent, and it’s a different language.

“I also talk to hotel managers with any difficulties in the hotel district, to Iraqi police if there’s an improvised explosive device or explosions nearby or if there’s an investigation to be done we deal with those as well.”

On return from Iraq Pte Souverijis will apply to attend ADF School of Languages to pursue a diploma of Arabic and a career as a linguist.