Recognizing the Signs of Burnout There comes a point in many interpreters' careers when showing up starts to feel different. You still interpret and connect people across languages and cultures, but something inside begins to slow down. You might ask yourself, when did this start to feel distant from who I am? Burnout is not a personal failure. It is a natural response to sustained imbalance, when emotional output outweighs the input. Interpreting requires continuous empathy,