Robin Coupland

BBC Learning English

 People and places

Robin 1 Coupland

Dima: Hello, I'm Dima, and today we are seeing … a

doctor. But not an ordinary

doctor. Robin Coupland is the adviser 2 on armed violence for

the International Committee of the Red Cross who has spent

many years as a field surgeon treating victims of

landmines 4.

Landmines are bombs that are placed on or under the ground

and explode when someone steps on them. Just over ten years

ago, countries began to sign the Ottawa Convention banning

landmines, and today 156 countries have made it a law. But

although most countries no longer produce or use them,

landmines left over from the past conflicts continue to

affect many people across the world. In a moment we'll hear

Robin Coupland's account of his work as a surgeon in

Afghanistan. It's a shocking account that contains some of

the language you may hear in news reports about war and

conflict. Listen out for these words:
'limbs', meaning arms or legs of a person; 'mine injury',

that's a wound caused by the explosion of a landmine 3; and

'amputee', meaning a person whose arm or leg had to be cut

off:

Coupland 0'30'

I remember my first day in the hospital on the Afghan

border of Pakistan in Peshawar - when

I walked in, there were just lots of young people, mostly

men, without limbs. And then after a few weeks you realize

you dread 5 the radio call that says, 'Another mine injury

coming', because those two words, 'mine injury', meant a

very specific kind of wound, a specific disability that

you're going to be leaving, another amputee... More blood

loss, longer in the
operating theatre…
 
Dima: Dr Coupland says, whenever there was a radio call

saying, 'Another mine injury coming', he knew it meant

another amputee, in other words another person whose limb

was damaged in a landmine explosion so badly that it would

have to be cut off. Listen to Robin Coupland again and this

time try to answer this question: which verb does he use to

describe his reaction to the news of a new injury?

Coupland 0'30'

I remember my first day in the hospital on the Afghan

border of Pakistan in Peshawar - when

I walked in, there were just lots of young people, mostly

men, without limbs. And then after a few weeks you realize

you dread the radio call that says, 'Another mine injury

coming', because those two words, 'mine injury', meant a

very specific kind of wound, a specific disability that

you're going to be leaving, another amputee... More blood

loss, longer in the operating theatre…

Dima: Did you hear the verb Dr Coupland used to describe

his reaction to a new injury? It was 'dread'. 'To dread',

meaning to feel extremely frightened or anxious about

something that is going to happen.

Sting

Dima: Today we're talking to Robin Coupland, a surgeon

who has for many years treated victims of landmines in many

countries. Now, it's true that since 1997, when the Ottawa

Convention was first opened for signature, a lot has been

done to get rid of landmines. Over forty-million mines have

been destroyed and thousands of square kilometres of land

have been cleared. But while it's good news for the future,

Dr Coupland says it's not much comfort to victims. As

you're listening to him, look out for this language:

'disabled people' - that's people who lack one or more of

the physical or mental abilities that most people have; in

this case, victims of landmines; 'prostheses' - artificial

body parts, such as an arm, foot or tooth, which replace a

missing part; and 'human
 
impact', meaning a powerful effect that something has on a

person. Here's

Robin Coupland:

Coupland 0'21'

There are certainly fewer landmine injuries, but of course

a... an amputation 6 is an amputation for life, and so that

does not mean that the number of services that have to be

provided to disabled people will certainly have to be...

have to be less. Those people will need new prostheses

every three or four years and so the human impact

continues.

Dima: Here are those words and word combinations again:

'disabled people',

'prostheses' and 'human impact'. Let's listen to Robin

Coupland again, and as you're listening, see if you can

answer this question: Does he think the number of services

for the disabled will go down in the near future? Listen:

Coupland 0'21'

There are certainly fewer landmine injuries, but of course

a... an amputation is an amputation for life, and so that

does not mean that the number of services that have to be

provided to disabled people will certainly have to be...

have to be less. Those people will need new prostheses

every three or four years and so the human impact

continues.

Dima: Dr Coupland says the number of services will not go

down because landmine victims will continue to need regular

treatment for the rest of their lives.
That's all we have time for today. Let's finish by

reminding ourselves of some of the language we've heard in

this programme:
'limb'

'mine injury'

'amputee'

'to dread'

'disabled people'

'prosthesis' and

'human impact'.

Join us again next time for more People and places, but for

now goodbye!