Court interpreters carry the testimony too

When a witness describes what happened, you say it as “I.” The threats, the injuries, and the details of the scene come out in your own voice, at the speed of the testimony, and then the next case is called. Lawyers and judges hear the same material, and their roles give them some distance from it, because an advocate has a side and a judge has a decision to make. Your job is to disappear into the words.

What the research shows

Researchers in Australia surveyed 271 practicing public service interpreters in Victoria, including those working in the justice system. Close to 40 percent said they’d try to avoid similar assignments in the future, and 70 percent had sought no support at all (Lai, Heydon, and Mulayim, 2015).

The same pattern shows up wherever interpreters carry other people’s trauma. Among 64 interpreters working with refugees in Germany, 21 percent showed secondary traumatization, some of them at a severe level, and those with stronger social support scored lower (Kindermann et al., 2017). In a German national survey of 164 interpreters in refugee care, interpreting more traumatic content was linked to more work-related exhaustion, and almost half of the interpreters had never had supervision in their main work setting (Geiling et al., 2022).

Interpreters who work in Australian courts, police interviews, and family violence services describe getting little warning before distressing material and uneven support after it. The researchers concluded that limited pre-briefing and inconsistent support increase interpreters’ exposure to vicarious trauma (Cho, Gerber, and Rusho, 2026). Australia’s national standards for courts now say interpreters “may be vulnerable to vicarious trauma and secondary stress” and should ideally have access to counseling or debriefing after proceedings, with breaks about every 45 minutes (Judicial Commission of New South Wales).

Why it builds up

The work is set up in a way that makes the exposure harder to put down. Many interpreters work freelance (two thirds of those in the German survey did), moving between assignments with no team behind them and no one to talk to when a hearing goes badly (Geiling et al., 2022).

Interpreters in one Australian study said they want to be treated as part of the professional team (Lai and Costello, 2021).

What helps

The research points to the same few things again and again: a briefing before difficult material, a debrief after it, regular breaks, and people to talk to. A pilot program of structured support for interpreters in refugee settings found it could ease the effects of vicarious trauma and burnout (Costa, Lázaro Gutiérrez, and Rausch, 2020).

From our work with interpreters, courts, and legal teams, AWP also recommends:

• Space out known difficult cases. When you can see a run of hard testimony coming on the calendar, spread it across the week.
• Turn down an assignment that’s too much right now. If you aren’t ready, or the assignment comes without a briefing or support, it’s professional to say no.
• Meet with other interpreters as a peer group. People who do the same work understand it without explanation, and a regular group gives you somewhere to put what you carry.
• Take professional development on the exposure itself. Training that explains how vicarious trauma works, and how to reduce it, helps you notice it early and manage it.

You can check where you are with our free self-assessment, and our compassion fatigue briefing explains the warning signs.

For courts, agencies, and interpreter programs

Call to request a supportive and restorative workshop for your staff. AWP brings physicians, psychologists, former judges, and experts in toxic stress to interpreter teams and court staff, in person or online.

Request a workshop 303.997.2218