Time-resolved Fourier transform IR emission spectroscopy has been used to monitor the population distribution of both the energy giving molecules and the energy receiving molecules during collisional quenching of highly vibrationally excited SO2 by bath-gas SF6. The change in population of the SF6 nu (3) = 1 level measured as a function of rime is compared with that calculated based on the transition dipole coupling model with the transition dipole of highly excited SO2 extracted from its IR emission spectra. The excellent agreement indicates that long-range interaction through transition dipole coupling is responsible for the vibration to vibration energy transfer from the highly excited molecules.