Melanie Page

After finding a list on The Good Trade of positive affirmations to read through in the morning, I realized I could use each one as a springboard to accentuate the positive. The first affirmation states, “Asking for help is a sign of self-respect and self-awareness.”

Recently, I’ve been calling a team more often when I work VRS. It’s so easy to do; there is no reason not to. Sometimes, new interpreters like me feel hesitant about calling on a team. Are we not good enough to interpret by ourselves? Do we even belong at this job? Are we harming or letting down our callers?

However, knowing when to call a team is an important part of being a good interpreter. While I might need support with a challenging accent or speedy signer, sometimes I just need extra eyes on a sticky situation. Knowing someone else is there who I can see and hear, who is not only my team but ON my team, is a way that I can bolster my interpreting and feel good about my work life. Hearing someone say, “beautiful” or “great job” helps reinforce what I know about my work.

I respect myself and my callers, so requesting a team demonstrates I am self-aware, that I care about the success of the call, AND that I’m taking care of myself — like when I’m interpreting well but the callers are upset, so emotions are high, which may affect my well-being.

Remind yourself today: “Asking for help is a sign of self-respect and self-awareness.”