Horizontal Violence and Interpreters

Know what horizontal violence is and why it happens. Be able to recognize horizontal violence in interpreting. Know some strategies for how to reduce horizontal violence in our field.

Why do we eat our young? Wait, DO we eat our young? A. Is there evidence of intergenerational communication conflict in among interpreters in Ohio? B. If so, what is the nature of it?

Preliminary survey to address first question Analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively Interviews Analyzed qualitatively; main focus

Terminology Commonalities among different terms Specific behaviors Effects on victims Importance

Oppression Mainly-female fields Fields whose values are subjugated Witnessing oppression frequently

Subjugated professional status Helping fields Limited professional identity

Constrained decision latitude Powerlessness Nursing’s JDR framework and interpreting’s DCS framework

Professional hierarchies “Hostility is the natural outcome of working in a hierarchical system where there is little control and scarce resources” (Bartholomew 2006, p.70).

Role stress Rigid expectations of role Expectation of femininity Ideal of invisibility

The stress of HV depletes resources needed to deal with it Transition shock new professionals experience

It’s a culture We love the status quo Induction of new members Hostility toward change Dues-paying

The role of new professionals Denial Intermittent reinforcement Unwillingness to be observed Experiences in schools and training programs

Both groups were more comfortable with their own group Comments that indicated it was more than generational

Horizontal violence happened to all 4 interviewees Defensiveness Common knowledge of “those kind of stories” Mention of “gatekeepers” Hesitancy to be labeled “new” Note about methodology- “new” and “experienced” for this study

All 4 interviewees had participated in HV Important note: This is not something they were aware of, nor are they bad people. It would be wrong to otherize them. Negative comments about other interpreters Denial of the problem Language about training programs Overconfidence and dues-paying

Critical/feminist pedagogy Assertiveness Recognizing and naming the phenomenon JDR, DC-S Psychological capital Supervision and mentorship

What about the unique realities of interpreting? We almost always work between people We have unusual power dynamics with our consumers We work with oppression regularly