Between Words and Wounds: gender, migration, and the emotional burden of language mediators

Abstract

Language mediators face cognitive, emotional, and identity-related challenges in the context of migration and gender-based violence (GBV). These mediators work at the intersection of cultural, social, and gendered power structures and face unique ethical burdens related to gender identification with survivors of GBV (Degani & De Stefani, 2020). This complexity leads to intense stress for mediators working with traumatised survivors and can lead to vicarious trauma and role conflict. Inspired by Beverly Costa’s (2017, 2020) works “In Other Words” and “In More Words”, the project collects narratives from international language mediators working in vulnerable settings. It aims to examine the emotional perceptions of survivor-mediated dialogue through a gendered lens and explore how language mediators navigate their identities while supporting individuals affected by GBV. By resorting to a mixed-method approach that integrates sentiment analysis and corpus-based discourse analysis, we aim to examine a collection of narratives by migrant mediators who have worked in GBV contexts with an attempt to detect, extract and explore their emotional polarisation. Key issues include (1) marginalisation and power imbalance due to gender issues and the migration journey; (2) the impact of emotional stress on the well-being of language mediators. Finally, the expected findings may highlight the need for gender-specific training, emotional support and supervision to effectively manage the complexity of their role and maintain their well-being.