“It Breaks My Heart” - Interpreting for Trauma

Presented by Marjory Bancroft
Creator of The Community Interpreter

Credit Hours for Continuing Education

The Colorado Judicial Department, Office of Language Access In progress

CCHI CEAP In progress

Domestic violence… Sexual assault… Child abuse… Refugees… Every day interpreters witness suffering and interpret it. Who is preparing them to cope?

This one-day workshop focuses on specific techniques, strategies and self-care practices for interpreters who encounter trauma in any setting. The workshop highlights mental health, medical and legal services; the techniques explored can easily be applied to schools and social service settings.

Through discussion, film vignettes, activities and role plays, interpreters will plunge into the field of interpreting for victims of trauma. By exploring how they can interpret effectively without re-traumatizing the survivor, interpreters will learn the value of professional boundaries. The day concludes with a spotlight on interpreter stress and vicarious trauma. Interpreters will build a self-care plan to protect themselves from stress and trauma.

Learning objectives

After completing this workshop, interpreters will be able to:

Discuss how to interpret effectively for trauma survivors, with a special focus on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.
Practice techniques for interpreting traumatic content that promote accuracy, avoid re-traumatizing the survivor and respect survivor autonomy.
Develop a plan to address long-term wellness and self-care strategies to practice before, during and after the assignment.

About the Presenter

Marjory Bancroft is the CEO of Cross-Cultural Communications (the only national U.S. training agency for community interpreting). An international leader in the field, she has lived in eight countries and studied seven languages. Marjory holds a BA and MA in French linguistics from Quebec City and advanced language certificates from Spain, Germany, and Jordan. Her career spans interpreting, translation and training.

Marjory has been a consultant for the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) Technical Training and Assistance Center since 2001. Her focus at OVC has been in the area of victim services, including domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and child abuse. She has also volunteered extensively in these areas as an advocate, hotline counselor, and board member. The author of numerous publications and training curricula, she speaks and keynotes widely at conferences across the U.S. and abroad, sits on several international committees.

Marjory's commitment to victim services, in particular survivors of torture, war trauma, and gender-based violence, is the core mission of her personal and professional life. She is a board member of Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma.