Vicarious Trauma Case Study

The purpose of this research project was to study vicarious trauma in order to develop an understanding of this negative aspect of interpreting, to discover how interpreters deal with vicarious trauma, and to bring to light information pertaining to coping with this aspect of the interpreter’s job. In this case study, the researcher examined numerous articles pertaining to vicarious trauma. The researcher then interviewed two nationally certified interpreters: one through a phone conversation, and the other in a face-to-face interview. Each interview focused on the interpreter’s personal definition of vicarious trauma, the interpreter’s experiences with vicarious trauma, and how the interpreter handles vicarious trauma. Current research and the two interviews indicate that vicarious trauma is difficult for an interpreter to avoid, that interpreters use a variety of methods to handle vicarious trauma, and that anticipating vicarious trauma and creating a plan to deal with it can be beneficial for a new interpreter.

Participants

The researcher for this study is currently an Interpreter Training Program major enrolled at Troy University. Participants in this case

RESEARCH When questioned about the meaning of vicarious trauma, Interpreter One said, “Vicarious trauma is when interpreters feel the expressed feelings of the Deaf person they are interpreting for.” Interpreter Two’s answer was quite similar to that of Interpreter One, but Interpreter Two added that sometimes interpreters recognize when a Deaf person is being discounted while the Deaf person is seemingly unaware that this is happening. Interpreter Two indicated that this is a frustrating part of the interpreter’s job. This feeling is supported by the research. (Evidence) Concerning the prevalence of vicarious trauma, the research seems to indicate a high incidence of what some term compassion fatigue.