Today I read one Facebook post from a Vietnamese interpreter, and honestly… my feeling is very mixed, kiểu half agree, half not really sure.
The story is not simple call, it’s like full chaos situation.
The interpreter is certified, got NBCMI and ALTA, so clearly not beginner. But the call she described, really “căng” from the start. Old lady almost cannot hear, not wearing hearing aid, TV noise very loud, already very hard to manage. Then got one family member standing there, keep interrupt, even though not authorized to speak.
That already bad enough.
But then the man started to insult, using very heavy Vietnamese words, like not just normal rude, but very offensive, very disrespectful. Even insult both interpreter and the client.
Reading that part, I feel really frustrated for her.
Because if you work in this industry, you know already, we are not robot. We are trying to manage communication, follow protocol, keep accuracy, and at the same time dealing with people shouting, noise, confusion. And then still get insulted like that… very hard to stay calm.
So from human side, I really understand why she felt triggered.
But… when I read further, I start to think a bit more.
She responded back.
She told the man something like, if you want respect then you should respect others. Honestly, that sentence, very reasonable. Anyone reading also will feel like, yeah that’s correct.
But in interpreter role… this is where problem starts.
Because we are trained to stay neutral, not to engage, not to argue, even when the other person is wrong or disrespectful.
Is that fair?
Maybe not.
But that is still the expectation in this job.
So was it her fault?
I think… partly yes, partly no.
Not wrong for feeling angry. Not wrong for wanting to defend herself. Anyone in that situation will feel the same.
But from professional perspective, once you respond emotionally, the company will see it as “you crossed the line”.
They don’t really look at the whole context.
They look at guideline.
They don’t see how chaotic the call was.
They only see that interpreter engaged in conflict.
And the QA comment… “if you cannot handle, don’t talk so far”… honestly feels quite cold.
Like they are saying, just disconnect earlier, don’t even try to manage.
But if you disconnect early, later also can get complaint for not completing call.
So interpreters are always stuck in the middle.
You try also wrong, you don’t try also wrong.
Then about termination.
Was it fair?
Personally, I feel it is too harsh.
Maybe warning, maybe coaching, maybe internal review first.
But straight termination, especially for certified interpreter, feels like company protecting themselves more than supporting interpreter.
And this is something I see quite often.
Many LSP companies treat interpreters like replaceable resource.
As long as calls are completed, business continues.
But when problem happens, interpreter is the one taking all responsibility.
No real protection, no proper understanding.
But at the same time, I also cannot say she is 100% right.
Because in this profession, there is one hard truth:
You can be right as a person, but still wrong as an interpreter.
And that gap… is where many of us struggle.
After reading this post, I don’t just think about who is right or wrong.
I think about the system.
We are trained just enough to start working, but not enough to handle extreme situations like this.
No one really teaches how to deal with verbal abuse, emotional pressure, or toxic environment during live calls.
But still, we are expected to perform perfectly.
So in the end, I feel this is not only about one interpreter.
Interpreter maybe crossed professional boundary a bit.
Company maybe did not handle the situation fairly.
And the biggest issue is…
This kind of situation is not rare at all.
Today is her.
Tomorrow can be any of us.
This job is not only about language skills.
It’s also about how much pressure you can tolerate before breaking.
