PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS IN INTERPRETERS

Study on the mental health of interpreters

The study was a nationwide online survey conducted by the Center ÜBERLEBEN in cooperation with the Freie Universität Berlin on the mental health of interpreters working with refugees. All paid interpreters/language and cultural mediators who interpret for refugees were eligible to participate.

Psychological stress among interpreters

Non-therapeutic professionals, such as interpreters, have increasing contact with traumatized refugees as part of their work and are often exposed to stress. Interpreters act as language mediators in the therapy process and listen to and interpret the patients’ stressful accounts. However, they often receive little or no professional supervision.

So far, there are only very few and unsystematic empirical studies on the psychological stress as well as protection and risk factors of interpreters.

The investigation of the psychological effects of working with traumatized refugees on interpreters is therefore currently a focus of the department.