| Summary: | Court interpreters interpret for a variety of court cases. They include criminal cases involving murder, rape or traffic accidents or family cases involving acrimonious divorces and family violence. When court interpreters are exposed to traumatic materials such as horrific photos of a crime scene or negative emotions of parties to a family violence case, they may face vicarious trauma (VT). Exposure to these traumatic materials may cause emotional distress to court interpreters or affect their cognitive processes, therefore affecting their perceived interpreting performance. Through a web survey of practicing court interpreters in Singapore which resulted in seventy-three valid responses, this research aims to investigate whether the respondents have experienced VT through the exposure of traumatic materials at work, and if yes, to what extent such experience was perceived to have impacted them emotionally and professionally. Whether coping strategies should be included in the organisational training or support programmes for court interpreters to better manage the impact of VT will also be explored in this study. Using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) as a validated measurement tool, findings revealed that there is indication of VT in 93% of the respondents. However, only 61% felt emotional impact of different intensities when they encountered traumatic materials in their interpreting assignments, and 44% reported a certain degree of emotional impact on the quality of their interpretation. Sharing in peer support groups was chosen as the top organisational support resource to cope with the impact of VT. Future studies should review in depth the implementation of organisational support resources to effectively mitigate the impact of VT in court interpreters.
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