ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of basic concepts of occupational health and psychology as a subset of general health and wellbeing. It deals with job-analysis, hazard identification, prevention, work demands, stress and anxiety. Those concepts are applied to the interpreting professionals by addressing the main work-related psychological, physical, and social factors, including time pressure, indoor environmental conditions, inadequate equipment, intense cognitive and emotional demands.
The results of a literature review show that interpreters experience challenges such as working with vulnerable populations like refugees, migrants, and medical patients. Therefore, burnout, vicarious trauma and a sense of emotional isolation are frequently reported. Sign language interpreting may also overload the musculoskeletal tissues of the upper limb, while conference interpreting has been related to hearing and vocal strain. In addition to identifying emerging risk factors due to new modes of work, the chapter discusses the importance of preventive strategies including ergonomic workplace design, proper work-rest cycles, emotional and social support, supervision, and targeted training aimed at yielding effective coping mechanisms and long-term wellbeing in this highly demanding profession.
