Hello ladies,
Thank you both for discussing such an important topic. I’ve done over one hundred asylum cases and hearing such traumatic stories can be very heavy on the interpreter’s heart. One way I protect myself is avoid making eye contact with the client. From the beginning, I direct the client to look at the provider or interviewer directly. I focus on my notepad. I do modulate my voice and follow the lead of the interviewer to show compassion and humanity (very necessary in these cases) and by doing this allows me to focus in the interpretation and not in the emotions of the client.
The most shocking case I remember was in hospital, I was called to a room in which a teenage girl has just passed away from cancer. The situation was very tense. Parents were in tremendous pain, crying and hauling but also very angry at hospital since their daughter had been disconnected from the respirator after 6 months. Seems that the hospital had taken parents to court to have a judge give the order to have the child disconnected because there was nothing that could be done for the patient anymore. I had never seen a death body before, (I had just started working at a hospital), so it was quite shocking to be there and see how different the color of the skin looked. I decided to look straight down to the floor and follow the lead of the doctors. There was so much warmth, compassion and love in their voices. Parents calmed down once they heard the interpretation. It was painful for everyone involved. The image of the young girl stills stays with me after 4 years of such experience. Regardless, I love my job. Being there for my Spanish speaking people gives the motivation to keep doing this job.