{"id":4295,"date":"2017-01-17T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/?p=4295"},"modified":"2018-11-05T18:38:56","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T22:38:56","slug":"ocid-the-overwhelmed-conference-interpreter-disorder-a-satirical-article-not-to-be-taken-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/ocid-the-overwhelmed-conference-interpreter-disorder-a-satirical-article-not-to-be-taken-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"OCID \u2013 The Overwhelmed Conference Interpreter Disorder (a satirical article NOT to be taken seriously)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Roberta Barroca<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Sometimes you just gotta let off a little steam! Whether you are a conference interpreter or a medical interpreter, a court interpreter or a community interpreter, you will enjoy this hilarious article by Roberta Barroca, a Brazilian Portuguese conference interpreter. If you suffer from OCID, I hope you aren\u2019t too far along on the spectrum! \ud83d\ude02 <\/em><\/p>\n

Re-posted with Roberta\u2019s permission, including the image, from her Linkedin page\u00a0at https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/ocid-overwhelmed-conference-interpreter-disorder-roberta-barroca<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Lorena Ortiz Schneider, e-Voice Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

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** Disclaimer<\/strong><\/span>:<\/strong> This article is intended to be humorous as it is purely satirical. No offense is intended by the author or this blog.**<\/div>\n
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\"[womanA<\/span>re you a conference interpreter?\u00a0Do you have nightmares about being late to assignments due to traffic or the alarm not going off?\u00a0Do you suffer from cold sweats and tachycardia in the booth?\u00a0You might be suffering from the \u201cOverwhelmed Conference Interpreter Disorder\u201d (hereinafter OCID).\u00a0However, don\u2019t panic just yet because the Department of Interpreters\u2019 Wellness has carried out a promising new research and issued new guidelines for the treatment of OCID.<\/p>\n

First important step to decide the right treatment plan for you is to find out where you are in the OCID spectrum, which ranges from MILD to SEVERE.\u00a0Find symptoms and treatment plans below:<\/p>\n

MILD<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Symptoms:\u00a0slight change in sleeping and eating habits.\u00a0When inside an interpretation booth: dry mouth, moderate sweating and an inclination to interpret in a loud voice with clear shortness of breath.<\/p>\n

Treatment:\u00a0The traditional outpatient therapy includes the use of Bach remedies, 3 mg of melatonin to support sleep and twice a week sessions of shadowing or interpreting at home while recording the delivery and listening to it afterwards.\u00a0This therapy tends to build up the interpreter\u2019s confidence bringing fast results.\u00a0Unfortunately, side effects might include an augmented ego once the disorder is tackled.<\/p>\n

MODERATE<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Symptoms:\u00a0Significant changes in sleeping and eating habits, biting your nails, having nervous tics and pulling out hair from your eyebrows.\u00a0When inside the interpretation booth: heavy sweating, tapping obsessively, clicking a pen, or otherwise being noisily annoying.\u00a0When missing a word, all techniques taught to deal with the situation are immediately forgotten. The interpreter mutes completely and has to switch turns with boothmate.\u00a0Interpreter\u2019s voice varies from loud to very loud as a clear sign of anxiety.<\/p>\n

Treatment:\u00a0The intensive outpatient\u00a0treatment plan includes attending group sessions at least twice a week plus one individual session a week with a licensed medical professional.\u00a0Mild sedatives and melatonin are still recommended but in higher doses (talk to your physician about the exact dose for you).\u00a0Meditation and yoga have been proven to significantly relieve symptoms.\u00a0Common side effects include:\u00a0some interpreters find total inner peace, abandon their careers and move to a cave in India where they meditate 20 hours a day and sometimes fast for up to 60 days in a row.<\/p>\n

SEVERE<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

Symptoms:\u00a0Body weight fluctuations due to not eating at all or binge eating.\u00a0Sleeping cycle strongly compromised causing patient to sleep a lot more or a lot less than usual.\u00a0Sleeping less is more commonly observed.\u00a0Nightmares about being late to an assignment, finding a tarantula in the booth and being murdered by the boothmate are quite common.\u00a0This stage of OCID might be accompanied by the compulsive utterance of obscenities.\u00a0If there are sound issues in a conference, patient might uncontrollably shout at technician having delusional thoughts that the behavior might solve something.\u00a0If someone stands in front of the booth, patient might have an uncontrollable urge to start banging on the booth\u2019s window while contracting all facial muscles.<\/p>\n

Treatment:\u00a0Vacation.\u00a0You, my friend, are in desperate need of a vacation.\u00a0Melatonin, relaxation exercises, meditation\u2026none of that crap will work for you.\u00a0Stop being so greedy and just take a couple of days off.\u00a0At least 20 days off.\u00a0Go offline, find yourself a retreat or spa and get yourself daily massages.\u00a0Do not reply to emails.\u00a0Stop looking for translation mistakes on menus and street signs.\u00a0Just chill!<\/p>\n

When severe OCID proves resistant to treatment, there are more drastic options, including:<\/p>\n