Skip to content
FacebookTwitterLinkedinYoutubeInstagram
  • Join ATA
  • Renew
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
American Translators Association (ATA)
Find a Language Professional
  • Certification
    • Certification
      • Guide to ATA Certification
      • What is a Certified Translation?
      • How the Exam is Graded
      • Review and Appeal Process
      • Looking for More Information?
    • Taking the Exam
      • About the Exam
      • How to Prepare
      • Practice Test
      • Exam Schedule
    • Already Certified?
      • Put Your Credentials To Work
      • CT Designation and Seal
      • Continuing Education Requirement
    • Register Buttons
      • Exam Schedule
         
      • Order Practice Test
  • Career and Education
    • For Newcomers
      • Student Resources
      • Starting Your Career
      • The Savvy Newcomer Blog
    • For Professionals
      • Growing Your Career
      • Business Strategies
      • Next Level Blog
      • Client Outreach Kit
      • Mentoring
    • Resources
      • For Educators and Trainers
      • Tools and Technology
      • Publications
      • School Outreach
    • Event Buttons
      • Upcoming Webinars
  • Client Assistance
    • Client Resources
      • Why Should I Hire a Professional?
      • Translator vs. Interpreter
      • Getting It Right
    • More Client Resources
      • Need a Certified Translation?
      • What is Machine Translation?
      • The ATA Compass Blog
    • Find a Translator Button
      • Find a Language Professional
  • Events
    • Events
      • Annual Conference
      • Seminars and Workshops
      • Certification Exam Schedule
    • More Events
      • Virtual Events
      • Webinar Series
      • Calendar of Events
    • Event Buttons
      • Visit ATA64
      • Upcoming Webinars
         
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Advocacy and Outreach
    • Press Room
    • The ATA Chronicle
    • The ATA Podcast
    • ATA Newsbriefs
  • Member Center
    • Member Resources
      • Join ATA
      • Renew Your Membership
      • Benefits of Membership
      • Divisions
      • Chapters, Affiliates, and Other Groups
      • Get Involved
      • Shop the ATA Store
    • Already a Member?
      • Log Into Your Member Center
      • Connect with Members
      • Create Your Directory Listing
      • Become a Voting Member
      • Member Discounts
    • Member Buttons
      • Join ATA
         
      • Member Login
  • About Us
    • About ATA
      • Who We Are
      • Press Room
      • Honors and Awards Program
      • Advertise with Us
      • American Foundation for
        Translation and Interpretation
      • ATA Team
      • Contact Us
    • How ATA Works
      • Board of Directors
      • Committees
      • Policies & Procedures
      • Code of Ethics
    • Contact Button
      • Contact ATA
  • Join ATA
  • Renew Your Membership
  • Contact Us
  • Log In
  • Find a Language Professional
March 7, 2021

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and the Interpreter

Growing Your Career, Interpreting
By The ATA Chronicle

For my first column of 2021, I would like to share something that may sound strange but helped me get through 2020: autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). Until mid-2020, I had never heard of it, but, ironically, my twin sister and business partner read about this audio and video phenomenon in an Austrian newspaper. To say I was skeptical in the beginning was an understatement, but 2020 was such a tough year that I promised myself I would try anything that offered what I was looking for: rest, relaxation, and meditation. If you’ve never heard of ASMR, you might be in for a treat. It might sound like new age hocus-pocus, but at its most basic, ASMR is visual or auditory stimuli (e.g., a series of sounds or softly spoken words) that help you relax and/or sleep. It’s a bit hard to describe until you’ve practiced it yourself, but I will take a stab at it.

When I want to relax, I usually listen to some of my favorite classical music on the Idagio app or meditate. I also use the Calm app to hear the soothing sounds of nature. Yoga is another favorite. I also recently discovered sound baths (where you are “bathed” in sound waves) that feature calming sounds produced by a variety of sources, including gongs, chimes, tuning forks, or the human voice.

I was hooked on ASMR the first time I tried it and can already anticipate the relaxation by merely thinking about it. Many friends and colleagues are hooked as well. One friend listened to ASMR before a big interpreting exam, which she aced, and partly credits ASMR for getting her in the right mindset.

ASMR involves so-called brain triggers in the form of gentle sounds (tapping, etc.), gentle whispering, or a combination of both. Essentially, these stimuli are meant to produce a “tingling” sensation in your brain that causes you to relax. Just keep in mind that not everyone reports feeling this sensation. (Don’t worry if you’re in this category because there are also special ASMR videos for tingling-resistant folks!)

There are a variety of ASMR channels on YouTube, some of which have become quite popular in the past year with millions of subscribers. One of my favorites channels was created by YouTuber Tingting. She is Chinese but presents her videos in English. I’ve enjoyed ASMR videos in languages I don’t understand, as it’s not about the words but how the words make you feel.

I find when I listen to ASMR videos, I’m instantly relaxed and feel energized and either ready to tackle my day or go to sleep, depending on which video I chose. I sometimes also listen to ASMR during my daily hour-long walks and find it really calms me down and puts me in a positive mindset, which we all need these days. Another YouTube channel I really like is called Gentle Whispering. You may have to try different channels until you find one that really speaks to you, but there are hundreds from which to choose. Some ASMR channels focus on role play, meaning the speaker will be simulating a head massage, a visit to the hairdresser, or some other relaxing activity. Those are generally less compelling for me as I tend to prefer softly spoken videos or those featuring only sounds or words.

I certainly don’t blame you if you’re still a bit skeptical, as this column perhaps isn’t the best medium to describe an audio and video sensory experience. However, I wanted to share the information about ASMR widely because I bet many of you will really like it. It’s also entirely free on YouTube, although you can choose to financially support some of the hard-working content creators through Patreon.

I’ve listened to ASMR before complicated remote simultaneous interpreting assignments, right after waking up, before I go to sleep, and before conference interpreting assignments. It works like a charm and I feel energized just thinking about it. I think this is a healthy addiction that many of us might really enjoy in 2021. After you try ASMR, I would love to know what you think.

Additional Resources

Tingting YouTube: http://bit.ly/ASMR-Tingting

Gentle Whispering YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GentleWhispering

Cline, John, “What Is ASMR and Why Are People Watching These Videos?” Psychology Today (September 6, 2018),
http://bit.ly/ASMR-Psychology-Today.

Kelles, Jamie. “How ASMR Became a Sensation,” The New York Times (April 4, 2019), http://bit.ly/ASMR-sensation.

Kwong, Emily. “What Causes ASMR? What’s Behind the Feeling?” National Public Radio (October 17, 2019), http://bit.ly/ASMR-tingle.


Judy Jenner is a Spanish and German business and legal translator and a federally and state-certified (California, Nevada) Spanish court interpreter. She has an MBA in marketing and runs her boutique translation and interpreting business, Twin Translations, with her twin sister Dagmar. She was born in Austria and grew up in Mexico City. A former in-house translation department manager, she is a past president of the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association. She writes the blog Translation Times and is a frequent conference speaker. She is the co-author of The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation.
judy.jenner@twintranslations.com

This column is not intended to constitute legal, financial, or other business advice. Each individual or company should make its own independent business decisions and consult its own legal, financial, or other advisors as appropriate. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of ATA or its Board of Directors. Ideas and questions should be directed to judy.jenner@twintranslations.com.

Share this

Posts navigation

← How to Maintain Your Working Languages as a Translator
Savvy Diversification Series – Multilingual SEO: A booming niche for tech-savvy translators →

Latest Posts

  • Linguist in the Spotlight – Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo March 21, 2023
  • Newsbriefs: March 15, 2023 March 15, 2023
  • Breaking Intercultural Communication Barriers in Business March 15, 2023
  • Get More Done as a Freelance Translator – How to Plan Your Work and Become More Productive March 15, 2023
  • Continuing Professional Development Reflection: From Translation Student to Freelance Translator March 14, 2023

Topics

  • Advocacy & Outreach
  • Annual Conference
  • Book Reviews
  • Business Strategies
  • Certification Exam
  • Certification Program
  • Client Assistance
  • Educators and Trainers
  • Growing Your Career
  • Industry News
  • Interpreting
  • Member Benefits
  • Member News
  • Mentoring
  • Networking
  • Public Outreach
  • Publications
  • Resources
  • School Outreach
  • Specializations
  • Starting Your Career
  • Student Resources
  • Tools and Technology
  • Translation
Language Services Directory
ata_logo_footer

American Translators Association
225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 590
Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone +1-703-683-6100
Fax +1-703-683-6122

  • Certification
  • Career and Education
  • Client Assistance
  • Events
  • News
  • Member Center
  • About Us
  • Member Login
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Submit Feedback

© 2023 - American Translators Association

Website by Yoko Co

Find a Language Professional
Scroll To Top