| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Are (freelance) translators also affected by vicarious trauma ? Thread poster: Ermelie
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Ermelie
France
Local time: 13:39
English to French
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Dear ProZ members,
I am a French translation student looking for information about vicarious trauma for my Master’s thesis.
I have found some documentation related to the work of interpreters, but nothing related to translators. I know it happens, as a translator once talked about it in a meeting, but I wonder if it happens frequently, if a category of translators is more likely to be affected by it, if some research on translators has been conducted (that I haven’... See more Dear ProZ members,
I am a French translation student looking for information about vicarious trauma for my Master’s thesis.
I have found some documentation related to the work of interpreters, but nothing related to translators. I know it happens, as a translator once talked about it in a meeting, but I wonder if it happens frequently, if a category of translators is more likely to be affected by it, if some research on translators has been conducted (that I haven’t found…), etc.
I would be very grateful for any general information or personal experience that you could share on this topic. Also please let me know if I can contact you directly.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post. I am looking forward to reading your responses! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:39
Member (2008)
Italian to English
I have no idea what vicarious trauma is, so presumably I am not suffering from it.
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:39
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Never heard it... | Apr 23, 2020 |
Is it a psychological stress related to one's job?
If yes, no, I don't suffer from it.
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X) 
Spain
Local time: 13:39
Spanish to English
+ ...
I know what vicarious trauma is, so presumably I am suffering from it.
It means getting too involved with other people's problems. It is mainly suffered by psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors and advisors and the like, in short, people who try to help other people, but unfortunately the other people are often beyond help, and the terrible feeling that nothing can be done to help them often means that counsellors descend into watching adverts for miracle saucepans and miracl... See more I know what vicarious trauma is, so presumably I am suffering from it.
It means getting too involved with other people's problems. It is mainly suffered by psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors and advisors and the like, in short, people who try to help other people, but unfortunately the other people are often beyond help, and the terrible feeling that nothing can be done to help them often means that counsellors descend into watching adverts for miracle saucepans and miracle back pain relief until the wee hours, sleeplessness, dark depression, domestic violence, heavy drinking and crack sprees, self-hate, self-abuse, self-mutilation, and occasionally suicide.
Sometimes I feel that it can apply to translators or other professions, although without any direct responsibility for the people concerned. For example, your business may bring you into contact with someone who has an in-built propensity to moan for no good reason, an irresistible urge to moan and to be the very first to moan and to moan louder than all the rest, and to moan constantly and relentlessly, regardless of the issue at hand.
The constant moaning inevitably has an effect on others. You may start to moan continually yourself. The problem is that you get used to moaning, you reach a stage when you are happy only when you are moaning, although often you do not even know why you are moaning, but this does not matter because moaning is the only way forward to achieve peace of mind, and eventually and inevitably you are incapable of not moaning because you are addicted to moaning. ▲ Collapse
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If I understood the definition of vicarious trauma right, then maybe yes.
I once subtitled (subtitling and translating) some news interviews that exposed me to nauseous footage of police brutality and first-hand accounts from the victims. The project lasted for a week. It left me feeling rather depressed and sad. I even cried a few times.
Perhaps 'trauma' is much too heavy a word to describe my experience because it didn't take me long to feel OK. But I can't imagine do... See more If I understood the definition of vicarious trauma right, then maybe yes.
I once subtitled (subtitling and translating) some news interviews that exposed me to nauseous footage of police brutality and first-hand accounts from the victims. The project lasted for a week. It left me feeling rather depressed and sad. I even cried a few times.
Perhaps 'trauma' is much too heavy a word to describe my experience because it didn't take me long to feel OK. But I can't imagine doing this kind of project all the time. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Chié_JP
Japan
Local time: 20:39
Member (2013)
English to Japanese
+ ...
| Pandemic conditions | Apr 23, 2020 |
I am not sure why I was informed that I am following this topic
but every day we see the news and get upset. It does not have to be a freelancer, everyone is suffering from world conditions these days.
I do not know how to stay away as the news is as important as tragic.
No one ever thought they will get into the world with "force majeure" when they have seen and translated it tens of thousands of times.
| | | | Peter Simon
Netherlands
Local time: 13:39
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Definitely not as a translator, except when I get terribly low-level translatables Otherwise, I'm old (and hopefully wise) enough (who wouldn't be, after surviving two near-death experiences, largely unscathed), living on my own, going out a couple of times to nature every day and understanding that not only is mankind hopeless but also I shouldn't feel involved in the lives of even my nearest and dearest (not many, but enough). I... See more Definitely not as a translator, except when I get terribly low-level translatables Otherwise, I'm old (and hopefully wise) enough (who wouldn't be, after surviving two near-death experiences, largely unscathed), living on my own, going out a couple of times to nature every day and understanding that not only is mankind hopeless but also I shouldn't feel involved in the lives of even my nearest and dearest (not many, but enough). I've also seen enough films (not only from Holywood, there are lots of more depressing kinds and origins), news and books (from lots of cultures - who hasn't been affected by Arundhati Roy...) to have decided that knowing about all those kinds and measures of suffering reaches us only because of the much-lauded world-wide village brought about by the internet and similar channels. Why should I be so deeply affected by stuff (happiness as well) I have no power to have an effect upon? Otherwise all of us should commit suicide (which might be better than to get the brunt of what there is yet to come). Do what you can and don't bother about what you can't. ▲ Collapse
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:39
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Empathic Illness? | Apr 23, 2020 |
Mervyn Henderson wrote:
I know what vicarious trauma is, so presumably I am suffering from it.
It means getting too involved with other people's problems.
Yes, I might suffer from empathy syndrome!
Sometimes, I am so busy worrying about others that I forget to take care of myself.
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expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:39
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| The same happened to me | Apr 23, 2020 |
Zibow Retailleau wrote:
If I understood the definition of vicarious trauma right, then maybe yes.
I once subtitled (subtitling and translating) some news interviews that exposed me to nauseous footage of police brutality and first-hand accounts from the victims. The project lasted for a week. It left me feeling rather depressed and sad. I even cried a few times.
Perhaps 'trauma' is much too heavy a word to describe my experience because it didn't take me long to feel OK. But I can't imagine doing this kind of project all the time.
The same happened to me a few years ago when translating a child abuse report.
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I guess anyone unable or unwilling to figure out what vicarious trauma means is unlikely to suffer from it.
I’ve never seen a green dog but I can imagine what one would look like.
But the answer to the original question is undoubtedly yes, but it will obviously depend on what you translate.
| | | | Ermelie
France
Local time: 13:39
English to French
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TOPIC STARTER | Definition of vicarious trauma | Apr 23, 2020 |
Tom in London wrote:
I have no idea what vicarious trauma is, so presumably I am not suffering from it.
expressisverbis wrote :
Is it a psychological stress related to one's job?
If yes, no, I don't suffer from it.
Thank you for your answers.
Vicarious trauma (or secondary trauma) is the “absorbing of another person’s trauma”. People affected by vicarious trauma develop the same symptoms as if they were actually living the victim’s experience (although they are just hearing a victim’s story or seeing (violent/disturbing) images. Common symptoms are lingering feelings such as anger, rage or sadness but people severely affected can develop anxiety, stress, burnout, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can really change a person.
As Mervyn Henderson said below, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. are among the most exposed professionals to this type of trauma. You’ll also find journalists and activists who can be exposed to violent content online or interprets who give their voice to the victims. I hope my explanation is clear enough. I thought that medical translators, or translators who had to deal with subtitling (for example) might have experienced this kind of trauma… Please let me know if it sounds familiar to you.
Also, if you are more interested in this topic, I recommend the links below. Otherwise, I wish you a nice day 😊
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsaorjIo1Yc
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/how-activists-and-reporters-can-protect-themselves-from-secondary-trauma/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/201308/vicarious-trauma-and-the-professional-interpreter
| | | | Ermelie
France
Local time: 13:39
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | @Zibow Retailleau | Apr 23, 2020 |
Zibow Retailleau wrote:
If I understood the definition of vicarious trauma right, then maybe yes.
I once subtitled (subtitling and translating) some news interviews that exposed me to nauseous footage of police brutality and first-hand accounts from the victims. The project lasted for a week. It left me feeling rather depressed and sad. I even cried a few times.
Perhaps 'trauma' is much too heavy a word to describe my experience because it didn't take me long to feel OK. But I can't imagine doing this kind of project all the time.
Thank you very much for your answer.
It is the kind of symptoms that can ben caused by vicarious trauma. People who are frequently exposed to this type of content might of course develop more severe symptoms with long-term effects. I am happy to hear that it did not take you long to recover. Would you mind if I sent you a message and ask you a few more questions about this experience?
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:39
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Psychologists and their ilk have it easy | Apr 23, 2020 |
Mervyn Henderson wrote:
It is mainly suffered by psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors and advisors and the like... self-mutilation, and occasionally suicide.
And yet I think it is actually dentists that have the highest, or one of the highest rates of suicide? Saw an article about it a couple of years ago. I asked my own dentist when I saw him a few days later whether he had suicidal thoughts, but he cheerfully rebuffed the idea. I don't think psychologists or psychiatrists were even in the top 10 of suicidal professions, so they can't be suffering that much.
I don't feel vicarious trauma either. Funnily enough, if the company accounts I am translating show that its profits have plummeted, I somehow manage to remain calm and detached.
Dan
| | | | | No, I don't mind. | Apr 23, 2020 |
Ermelie wrote:
Would you mind if I sent you a message and ask you a few more questions about this experience?
Feel free.
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:39
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Thanks, Ermelie | Apr 23, 2020 |
Ermelie wrote: Tom in London wrote:
I have no idea what vicarious trauma is, so presumably I am not suffering from it. expressisverbis wrote :
Is it a psychological stress related to one's job?
If yes, no, I don't suffer from it. Thank you for your answers. Vicarious trauma (or secondary trauma) is the “absorbing of another person’s trauma”. People affected by vicarious trauma develop the same symptoms as if they were actually living the victim’s experience (although they are just hearing a victim’s story or seeing (violent/disturbing) images. Common symptoms are lingering feelings such as anger, rage or sadness but people severely affected can develop anxiety, stress, burnout, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can really change a person. As Mervyn Henderson said below, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. are among the most exposed professionals to this type of trauma. You’ll also find journalists and activists who can be exposed to violent content online or interprets who give their voice to the victims. I hope my explanation is clear enough. I thought that medical translators, or translators who had to deal with subtitling (for example) might have experienced this kind of trauma… Please let me know if it sounds familiar to you. Also, if you are more interested in this topic, I recommend the links below. Otherwise, I wish you a nice day 😊 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsaorjIo1Yc https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/how-activists-and-reporters-can-protect-themselves-from-secondary-trauma/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/201308/vicarious-trauma-and-the-professional-interpreter
We are always learning
Have a nice day!
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