How bad sound led to tinnitus and hyperacusis: An interpreter's journey
In March 2022, I was diagnosed with hyperacusis and tinnitus due to poor sound from interpreting.
Six months later, I am now well on the path to recovery.
Today, I'd like to share my journey with you. I hope it will help you stay safe. If you face something similar, know that treatment is available, and that you are not alone.
If you’d like to watch me tell this story, click here to see a video I recorded two months after my injury.
How bad sound led to bad health
As interpreters, we often need to make difficult calls about whether incoming sound is good enough to be interpreted.
In my case, I decided to tough out some poor, crackling sound with drastically varying volume levels since a key participant in the meeting relied on me in order to communicate and contribute.
I thought the sound was bad, but “doable.” However, after interpreting, I felt splitting ear and jaw pain and a headache. Soon thereafter, I started feeling like my ears were clogged, and was hypersensitive to volume levels that wouldn't normally have bothered me.
The pain lasted for several days, so I went to see a doctor. My generalist suspected an ear infection, but when the pain did not lessen, I took medical leave for the first time in my freelance career and went to see a specialist.
My hyperacusis and tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus, which affects at least 10% of people at some point in their lives, can cause a buzzing or ringing in one or both ears. In my case, I hear a constant, high-pitched sound (∼8000 Hz) in my injured ear. Tinnitus is uncomfortable, and can make falling asleep hard. Early on, it also gave me a headache. My tinnitus is especially bad whenever my ear is covered – which, unfortunately, is the case when interpreting, regardless of which headphones I use.
Although I have become somewhat more accustomed to the tinnitus and notice it less, it is still a constant presence in my life, and flares up when I am stressed, tired or exposed to bad sound.
The hyperacusis was far worse.
Have you ever gone to a concert and felt uncomfortable because the volume level was so high? Imagine feeling that way all the time.
Everything bothered my ears. People talking. High-pitched sounds. Clinking silverware. Even walking down the street. (Sirens and motorcycles were unbearable.)
When I dared to go to a restaurant, I’d ask for the quietest table, then pick the seat where I’d hear best and experience the least discomfort.
I was honestly afraid that my interpreting career was over, and that I wouldn’t be able to do the things I love in life, like meeting up with friends or singing with my choir.
Diagnosis and treatment
An ENT doctor will run a series of hearing tests, where you have to indicate uncomfortable volume levels. If you are uncomfortable at decibel levels below average, you may be diagnosed with hyperacusis.
Although some ENTs are unaware of the fact that hyperacusis is treatable, luckily, various treatments do exist.
My doctor prescribed an earbud with a custom filter that lowers the decibels I hear in my injured ear. I wear it when I might be exposed to poor or loud sound, including while interpreting. Most importantly, I don’t wear it all the time: By slowly re-exposing myself to normal volume levels, my hyperacusis has lessened significantly.
I also started a treatment called audio-psychotherapy (aka the Tomatis method). For two hours a day, three days a week, I listened to Mozart and Gregorian chants through a special headset that used both normal audio tech and bone conduction to “rewire” my brain. Although research on this technique is limited, I found it helped me.
After three weeks, I went back to work. The beginning was especially hard: I heard buzzing from most consoles, and suffered through remote participants. Colleagues were incredibly understanding, and offered to work longer shifts or take over if I needed a break. Although interpreting was exhausting and sometimes painful, I have gradually been improving. Six months after my accident, I am now able to work full days again, although I still favor my healthy ear.
What I’ve learned
Our professional associations have spent the last few years fighting to limit our exposure to poor sound, raise awareness, and protect us. Studies like AIIC’s Acoustic Shocks Research Project help to document stories like mine and suggest potential solutions.
You’re probably already protecting yourself by applying one or several of these tips:
lower the volume to the lowest comfortable level,
reduce exposure to noise,
use speakers to monitor the meeting when you’re not interpreting,
take breaks from noise,
halt interpreting if the sound is potentially unsafe, and
educate clients about good equipment
(Consider sharing my one-pager with ten easy tips for great online meetings with your clients. It is available in a range of languages thanks to our generous colleagues.)
In the unfortunate case that you experience symptoms like mine, here are a few things you can do.
First, know that you are not alone. You may feel isolated and depressed, but seek medical treatment and let your family and friends support you.
Second, see an ENT. Get a diagnosis, and seek treatment. In my case, I saw three doctors before I found one who knew how to treat my hyperacusis, but treatment is available.
Third, report symptoms to your employers and professional associations. Reporting potentially harmful sound is essential for insurance claims.
Fourth, make sure your contract protects you from temporary or permanent disability. (Tony Rosado and I have compiled a 15+ page cut-and-paste template to help you draft and negotiate remote interpreting contracts.)
Fifth, take the time you need to recover.
Finally, don’t interpret bad sound. Instead, report it. Only by standing together will we make our voices heard and protect other colleagues from similar situations.