Leads:
- Cornelia Protopropescu
- Patricia Rodríguez-Martínez
Sponsors:
- The Austin Bailey Foundation
Project 23: Supporting Mental Health and Reflective Practice for Interpreters
ILA-WALES CIC proudly led a vital project to support the mental health and wellbeing of Translators and Interpreters (T&I)—many of whom are asylum seekers and refugees themselves. Funded by The Austin Bailey Foundation, this initiative focused on offering Reflective Practice for Interpreters.
What We Did
From early 2024 to January 2025, ILA-WALES CIC hosted monthly Reflective Practice for Interpreters sessions in Swansea. Each session welcomed around eight interpreters and was led by trained facilitators—who are also interpreters themselves.
Together, we explored difficult moments during interpreting work, focusing on emotional effects such as:
- Vicarious trauma
- Insomnia and sleep disturbances
- Chronic stress and burnout
- Emotional fatigue
Guest speakers enriched the sessions with practical self-care tools:
- Pamela Verdugo (Psychologist) — “How to overcome insomnia”
- Ruth Davies (Acupuncturist) — “Acupressure to relieve stress”
- Jill Duarte — “The interpreter’s role in the counselling room”
- Charmaine Pollard — “Writing for wellbeing”
Legacy and Impact
This project demonstrated a clear need for structured emotional support for interpreters. Thanks to this success, several organisations that train or employ interpreters have now adopted Reflective Practice for Interpreters in their programmes.
A total of 25 interpreters benefitted directly from the project, and we’re proud to have raised awareness about their essential role and mental health needs.
Gratitude to our sponsor
We are deeply grateful to The Austin Bailey Foundation for sponsoring this project and for believing in the power of Reflective Practice for Interpreters.
