TRAN826 Community based

interpreting
Week 2 Understanding the Code of
Ethics
Jemina Napier
Dept. of Linguistics
Faculty of Human Sciences
Macquarie University
1

Review of Week 1
Describing community-based
interpreting
Defining community-based
interpreting
Evolution of services
Some parameters (Gentile) and a
model of responsiveness to need
(Ozolins)
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Contribution to discussions

Subject:
According to the article we discussed in the course room, I wonder if our
own country will ever get up to the point of fully comprehensive services? If
the answer is no, why? If yes, what will it take to be able to achieve that?

Reply:
If the "our own country" you mentioned is China, in my opinion, the answer
is no. Simply because the development of the real community services depend on
the demand of the market. First of all, China is not as a multicultural country
as Australia, so the majority speak either Mandarin or Cantonese. As far as I
know, the few foreigners in China all have their own interpreters whether
professional or not. If they go to China for business, they must have their own
interpreters. If they work as a scholar or something else, they can always find
some bilingual Chinese to interpret freely for them because Chinese people are
so nice to foreigners ,especially volunteer uni students.
Secondly, most
minorities can understand or speak Mandarin. I'm not sure of the exact
percentage, but I'm sure the youngest generation are learning and speaking
Mandarin at school. Therefore, even if the old people in minorities have
difficulties in understanding Mandarin or Cantonese, it's easy to find a family
member or friend who can understand Mandarin to interpret for them. As above, I
don't think there is a demand for community based interpreters in China.
However, as the international trade market in China is expanding, there will be
definitely more foreigners coming to China. I do think there will be a demand
for conference interpreters in China instead of community based interpreters.

Overview
What is the purpose of the code of
ethics?
How important is the Code of Ethics
to community based interpreting?
Findings of the FIT survey
AUSIT/ASLIA Code of Ethics
General principles
Code of practice

Application of the code : video

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Readings for Week 2

1. AUSIT (Australian Institute of Interpreters and
Translators) (2003) Code of Ethics Website:
www.ausit.org
2. Chesher, T., Slatyer, H., Doubine, V., Jaric, L., &
R. Lazzari (2003). Community based interpreting (CBI)
the interpreters perspective. In eds. Brunette, L.,
Bastin, G., Hemlin, I. & Clarke, H. The Critical Link
3: Interpreters in the Community. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins Publishing Co.
3. Slatyer, H & T. Chesher (2007) Talking about accuracy:
interpreters understanding of a key principle of
professional ethics. In Pckhacker, F., Jakobsen, A.L.
& I.M. Mees (eds) Interpreting studies and beyond.
Copenhagen: Copenhagen studies in language.

Asked at a lunch on Wednesday to describe his

best moment of this rugby World Cup, the great
John Eales said it had come from the Japanese
team.
There had been a technical discussion of
forward play, scrums and rucks and the like.
Someone asked the Japanese captain if he
thought that a rolling maul might be putting
all his eggs in one basket. This idiomatic
phrase was carefully translated into Japanese
and, after some discussion, back came the
answer: No thanks, we had noodles for dinner
Mike Carlton, SMH 23-24 November, 2003

Why do we have a code of

ethics?
Codes of ethics contribute to
professional status
"Being a professional has to do with the ability to
profess to a collective standard of ethics and
practice above self-interest. a professional is
trained to recognised standards of competence, adheres
to a recognised code of practice and enjoys the
support and regulation of a professional structure
(Akach et al. 1999:75 in Erasmus,1999)

Codes of ethics guide the behaviour of

professionals
It is a function of a code of ethics to guide the
interpreter on how to wield (their)power (Edwards,
1988:22)
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What are the most important guiding

principles for CBI?
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Series1

Ethics

Confidentiality

Impartiality

Accuracy

Professional
conduct

Other

Invalid

13%

52%

40%

39%

33%

23%

8%

Codes of Ethics
Developed in 1995 at the request of
NAATI & presented in 1996 at FIT
Congress in Melbourne
The standard for practice in Australia
for spoken languages
Includes 8 General Principles which are
described in a Code of Practice
ASLIA was established in 1991, &
developed its own Code & guidelines.
ASLIA since revised its Code in 2007
Download the AUSIT Code here & ASLIA
Code here

Know your code!

QUIZ
1. List the general Principles of the AUSIT Code of
Ethics
2. Which of the following sub-points does not apply
to accuracy?
1.
2.
3.
4.

3.

Certification
Truth and completeness
Qualifications and accreditation
Clear transmission

Which of the following two principles are included

in the definition of impartiality?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Objectivity
Conflicts of interest
Reliability
Trust and respect
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General Principles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Professional Conduct
Confidentiality
Competence
Impartiality
Accuracy
Employment
Professional Development
Professional Solidarity
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Which principles?
You have been called to interpret for a
psychiatrist and his patient. You meet the
patient in the waiting room and the patient
tells you that he hasnt been taking his
medication. In the pre-briefing session,
the psychiatrist informs you that the
illness the patient has is likely to make
him aggressive, but the medication he is on
will calm the aggression. Do you inform the
psychiatrist that the patient has told you
he is not taking his medication?

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Video : Ethical issues for

community interpreters
Watch the video, and
identify which ethical principles are
under threat
decide what the interpreter should do
under these circumstances

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Confidentiality
Interpreters and translators shall not disclose
information acquired during the course of their
assignments
Interpreters and translators may only disclose
information with the permission of their clients (or if
the law requires disclosure)
If other interpreters or translators are involved in the
same assignment and require briefing, this should be
done after obtaining the clients permission, and all
are obliged to maintain confidentiality
No work should be subcontracted to colleagues without
the clients permission
Translated documents remain the clients property
(AUSIT, 2003)

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Why is confidentiality
important?
Plimer & Candlin (1996): women
reluctant to use interpreters because
of bad experiences including lack of
respect of confidentiality
Mesa (1997): clients consider
confidentiality the main priority
Difficulty of being a member of a small
linguistic community

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Impartiality
Professional detachment must be
maintained at all times
Interpreters and translators are not
responsible for what clients say or
write. They should not voice or
write an opinion, solicited or
unsolicited, on anything or anyone
concerned with an assignment

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Accuracy
Interpreters and translators shall
take all reasonable care to be
accurate. They must
- not alter, add to or omit anything
from the assigned work
- acknowledge and promptly rectify
any interpreting or translation
mistakes. If anything is unclear,
interpreters and translators shall
ask for repetition, rephrasing or
explanation (AUSIT, 2003)
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Key principles for community based

interpreting
(Extracts from the AUSIT Code of Practice)
1. Professional Conduct
b) Honesty, Integrity and Dignity
c) Reliability

2. Confidentiality
a) Information sharing
ii. Disclosure of information

4. Impartiality
b) Objectivity
ii. Professional detachment

c) Responsibility related to impartiality

5. Accuracy
a) Truth and completeness
b) Uncertainties in Transmission and Comprehension
c) Clear transmission

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