5 Easy Ways to Prevent or Alleviate Stress During an Interpreting EncounterPresented by Biljana Karamehmedovic, ND, CoreCHI

www.certifiedlanguages.com

Steps to relieve the pressure

I am a consecutive interpreting veteran with over two decades of interpreting experience, primarily in health care. During that time I experienced and still experience my share of stressful events. But no matter how stressful some of my experiences as an interpreter have been, they brought with them priceless lessons. Here are 5 techniques I’ve learned which I hope can help you manage interpreting encounters with increased confidence and stellar performance.

1. Breathe.

Conscious breathing is one of the most successful and fastest tools we can use to prevent or alleviate stress. There are many proven techniques focusing on inhaling and exhaling in order to achieve a different mental state. One of the most well-known techniques is 7-11 breathing, a technique used to prevent and resolve panic attacks. It calls for inhaling to the count of 7 and exhaling to the count of 11.

2. Know thyself.In seeking understanding, we raise our awareness and our ability to tap into our potential to manage whatever we face or struggle with. Learning about what stress actually is, how you react in a stressful situation, and simply “knowing thyself” helps you to be ready to face or decline potential challenges in an encounter.Being aware in advance of what words, events, or situations trigger our stress response can help anyone employ techniques to avert or alleviate a stress reaction.

3. Disassociate and Compartmentalize (D&C).

Mentally keeping work in a “work file” and personal life in a “personal file” is a vital art for any interpreter to master. Our work gets us so far into other people’s personal files, and the trick here is to teach our minds to recognize and accept that these aren’t our own personal files, regardless how similar to our own they may be.

4. Snap Out Silently (S.O.S.)

Snapping out means forcing yourself to abruptly and immediately change focus from how I feel to the task at hand. To do this you can call on your favorite mental affirmation, image, or even kinesthetic memory. Scratch, pinch, or bite yourself – whatever works best for you - in some discreet manner to help you snap out of a negative mental state into a better, more positive one. You can do this without disruption to what you are doing and without others noticing it.

5. Remember why you‘re doing this.

Switching your focus to something you appreciate instead of keeping it on something you consider hard and negative will help remind of what you’re grateful for and why others are grateful for your service. Remember why you are doing what you are doing; remember the unparalleled impact you have in the lives of those you serve with your amazing skills. Remember: the world needs you.

Biljana Karamehmedovic, ND, CoreCHI, is a Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian interpreter, transformational coach, educator, and both founder and CEO at LEAP Results International. She recently gave a presentation at the 10th Annual TAHIT Symposium titled “Panic Blank Overwhelm: Mental and Neurolinguistic Hacks to Stay Cool in the Hottest Seat.” Visit her website www.BiljanaKaramehmedovic.com for further resources.

www.certifiedlanguages.com