Table Of ContentImproving the
Emotional Intelligence
of Translators
A Roadmap for an
Experimental Training
Intervention
Séverine Hubscher-Davidson
Caroline Lehr
Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting
Series Editor
Margaret Rogers
School of Literature and Languages
University of Surrey
Guildford, UK
This series examines the crucial role which translation and interpreting in
their myriad forms play at all levels of communication in today’s world,
from the local to the global. Whilst this role is being increasingly recog-
nised in some quarters (for example, through European Union legisla-
tion), in others it remains controversial for economic, political and social
reasons. The rapidly changing landscape of translation and interpreting
practice is accompanied by equally challenging developments in their aca-
demic study, often in an interdisciplinary framework and increasingly
reflecting commonalities between what were once considered to be sepa-
rate disciplines. The books in this series address specific issues in both
translation and interpreting with the aim not only of charting but also of
shaping the discipline with respect to contemporary practice and research.
More information about this series at
http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14574
Séverine Hubscher- Davidson
Caroline Lehr
Improving the
Emotional Intelligence
of Translators
A Roadmap for an Experimental Training
Intervention
Séverine Hubscher-Davidson Caroline Lehr
School of Languages and Applied Institute of Translation and
Linguistics Interpreting
The Open University Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Milton Keynes, UK Winterthur, Switzerland
Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting
ISBN 978-3-030-88859-6 ISBN 978-3-030-88860-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88860-2
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C
ontents
1 Introduction 1
References 5
2 An Interdisciplinary Framework 9
References 13
3 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence Skills for
Translators 17
References 19
4 Personality and EI Research 21
References 24
5 Increasing Emotional Intelligence with Interventions 29
References 37
6 Proposed Method 43
6.1 Participants 44
6.2 Measures 45
6.3 EI Intervention and Procedure 48
6.4 Silent Coaching Exercise 51
6.5 Applying Cognitive Behavioural Techniques 54
v
vi CONTENTS
6.6 Reappraising Boredom 59
6.7 A Focus on Values and Personal Strengths 61
References 65
7 Other Aspects to Consider 73
References 77
8 Conclusion and Future Directions 79
References 82
Appendix 85
References 89
Index 107
L t
ist of abLes
Table 6.1 The silent coaching exercise process 53
Table 6.2 The ABCDEF model 57
Table 6.3 Translator using the ABCDEF model 58
Table 6.4 Five strengths and actions 63
vii
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Over the last decade, significant and rapid changes have taken place in the
world of work in terms of employee productivity, management proce-
dures, technology, and a variety of other areas that make up the workplace
we know today. Amongst other findings, a survey of 1049 employed pro-
fessionals conducted in 2016 revealed that employees are less connected
to their companies than they used to be, that they are not always clear how
their skills connect to their company’s future success, and that over half of
the employees surveyed feel that workplace stress and anxiety interferes
with their daily lives at least moderately (Smyth, 2016). As young people
enter the workforce today, they worry about the future of work due to the
rapidly changing economy and the unstable and shifting work opportuni-
ties, all of which pose significant challenges to their emotional and rela-
tional wellbeing (Di Fabio & Kenny, 2019; Di Fabio et al., 2016).
In the language industry, professional translators have been shown to
suffer from occupational stress as a result of unfair treatment from agen-
cies, poor remuneration, and uncertainty about the future (Courtney &
Phelan, 2019). Surveys reveal that companies are increasing investments
in machine translation (MT) technology to continuously improve the
quality of outputs, in a bid to optimise speed and production (Slator,
2019). Freelance translators often lack feedback from clients with whom
they are rarely in direct contact, something which often makes it difficult
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 1
Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hubscher-Davidson, C. Lehr, Improving the Emotional
Intelligence of Translators, Palgrave Studies in Translating and
Interpreting, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88860-2_1
2 S. HUBSCHER-DAVIDSON AND C. LEHR
for them to establish relationships and maintain motivation. Findings from
job design research, however, show the advantages of focusing on rela-
tional characteristics in the workplace rather than on mere task structures
(Grant, 2007) and Reich and Hershcovis (2011) highlight the increasing
importance of developing and maintaining positive interpersonal relation-
ships in the workplace during times of uncertainty, as this has been shown
to reduce employee stress levels and increase their job satisfaction.
Unfortunately, recent developments in the language industry have often
served to isolate translators, adding to existing high pressure and expecta-
tions in terms of productivity.
Technological developments in particular have had an impact on trans-
lators’ work processes and wellbeing. With the substantial progress in
language-related artificial intelligence in recent years, we are witnessing a
shift in tasks for which machine translation technology can be used, with
more texts being post-edited (TAUS, 2010). Intensive interactions with
computers and language technology tools are believed to pose unique
threats to linguists’ health and welfare (Ehrensberger-Dow, 2017).
Continuous progress will lead to new kinds of translation workplaces and
human-machine interactions that have never existed before. Workplaces in
the language industry will thus undergo considerable changes in the
future. For language professionals, this will require that they deal with
change and uncertainty, but also that they constantly adapt to new task
requirements and changing competence profiles (Massey, 2020). While
new tasks will emerge where humans closely interact with machines, other
aspects of language work that can (currently) only be done by humans,
such as creativity, will continue to require highly qualified and versatile
individuals.
As a result of the abovementioned developments, translators can expe-
rience a variety of emotions at work, such as anxiety linked to competition,
to MT developments, to losing their agency, and to the idea of being
‘reduced’ to mere post-editors (e.g., O’Brien & Conlan, 2018). Emotions
are triggered by internal or external stimuli that are of major significance
to the individual (Scherer, 2000). In the translator’s workplace, emotions
can be elicited by the text that is translated and/or by the translator’s
working conditions. Emotions can be related to actually occurring events,
but also to remembered or imagined stimuli, such as past experiences or
worrying about the potential positive or negative outcomes of one’s
actions (Leary, 2015). Emotions are associated with specific cognitive and
motivational processes which can influence the ways that translators
