Ethical stress in translation and interpreting

Abstract

Translators and interpreters suffer from an onslaught of job stressors which can impact their productivity and well-being. In a working context where time pressures, technology, and competition are increasingly threatening professional linguists, it is easy to conceive that professional translators can experience stress. While a certain amount of stress can be healthy and enhance translation performance, occupational stress that results from disparities between one’s ethical values and expected behaviours – known as ethical stress – can have negative consequences for individuals. In this chapter, the psychological concept of ethical stress is defined, as well as the conditions that can lead translators to a state of moral hazard and professional dissonance. Drawing on examples from the translation and psychological literature, it is argued that encouraging risk-averse and defensive cultures of practice can constrain the affective experience of ethical decision-making and prevent translators from making use of their professional and moral judgements in line with their moral compass. In addition to professional dissonance, the chapter addresses other emerging issues and debates that have begun to attract attention in the translation and interpreting literature, namely moral injury, vicarious trauma, and burnout.

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