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Article published In: Translation and Interpreting Studies
Vol. 20:1 (2025) ► pp.50–77

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Activist interpreting in abortion clinics

Emotional challenges and self-care strategies

ORCiD logo with link | University of Vienna | University of Silesia in Katowice
ORCiD logo with link | University of Vienna
ORCiD logo with link | University of Vienna
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Vienna.

Published online: 22 November 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.23064.bar
Abstract
We present a case study of a group of activist interpreters Ciocia Wienia, a Vienna-based informal pro-choice collective. The activists facilitate abortion travel from Poland to Austria, offer onsite support and interpret in abortion clinics. We analyze original data from a corpus of 13 qualitative in-depth interviews with members and associates of Ciocia Wienia. Based on a qualitative content analysis, this contribution investigates which situations and stressors are described as emotionally challenging as well as which coping strategies and techniques of self-care and mental hygiene are employed to process burdensome emotions. Our results suggest that negative feelings such as sadness, frustration, anger, stress, and uncertainty make work in such a context emotionally taxing, even though positive emotions are reported as well. Apart from sharing with the group and supervision, only a few activists seem to have developed a set of distinct individual self-care and coping strategies.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Interpreting and emotionality
    • Impact of emotionally challenging texts and settings on interpreters
    • Interpreters’ self-care strategies
  • The study: Background
    • Research questions
    • Contextual background: Ciocia Wienia as an informal activist collective
    • Methodology
    • Researchers’ positionalities
    • Participants
  • Results
    • Negative emotionality
      • Sadness
      • Frustration and anger
      • Stress
      • Uncertainty
      • Empathy
    • Coping
      • Lack of coping strategies
      • Coping strategies
  • Discussion and conclusions
  • References
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