Ethics and moral code of the translator. Translator’s Code of Ethics - a version for discussion by participants in the translation industry in Russia Does the legal norms contain a translator’s code of ethics

In any profession, there are norms that must not be violated. They do not always look like commandments, but they are always based on the foundations of universal humanity. morality. This is an introduction to Prof. The translator's code has long been established in world practice.

1. Translator - a translator who re-expresses an oral or written text created in one language into a text in another language. It follows that the text is inviolable for the translator.

2. He does not have the right, at will, to change the text during translation, shorten it or expand it, if the additional task of adaptation, selection, etc. not supplied by the customer.

3. When translating, he, with the help of prof. action always tends to transfer when translating to max. least invariant of the original text.

4. In some cases, in the context of an oral consecutive P. or a simultaneous interpreter, he turned out to be a person who was also charged with diplomatic powers, for example, when politicians spoke out. If these diplomatic powers are recognized for the translator, he has the opportunity to err in the translation, performing the function of an auxiliary person in support of the diplomat. rel., preventing their violation, but not obliged to protect the interests of any. 1 side.

5. In other cases, the translator does not have the right to interfere in the relations of the parties, as well as to reveal his own position regarding the content of the translated text.

6. The translator is obliged to maintain confidentiality in relation to the content of the translated material and not to disclose it unnecessarily.

7. The translator is obliged by means known to him to ensure a high level of competence in the areas of the original language, the target language, the translation technique and the subject matter of the text.

8. The translator has the right to demand everything the necessary conditions to provide high level translation competence, incl. and acc. conditions of their work: when interpreting, the reliability of broadcasting equipment, if necessary, reducing the rate of speech of the speaker. With simultaneous translation - the provision of speeches by the speaker the day before, pauses in work for rest, etc. In writing - the provision of reference and other literature on the topic.

9. The translator is responsible for the quality of the translation, and if the translation is poor or publicistic, he has a copyright on it, protected by law. And when publishing a translation, its name must be indicated.

With prof. The ethics of translators are closely related to the rules of situational behavior, which require the observance of decency, and the rules of behavior aimed at maintaining health. The rules of situational behavior imply a complete adaptation of the interpreter to the situation in which he finds himself. A great scientist/movie star may be provocatively dressed or misbehaving, a translator is not. Because being in the role of a translator, he must be invisible as a person, not distract attention to himself, his task is to serve as a transmission link of information. Therefore, he must be dressed neatly and according to the occasion, observe the generally accepted. moral standards. He violates them only when they are incompatible with his main professional role in the situation. For example, if he needs to translate during the official. lunch, then he doesn’t have to eat, he doesn’t have to drink anymore. During behind-the-scenes communication (corridor, tete-a-tete), the translator cannot participate in the conversation as an equal interlocutor, otherwise he will distort the source information and lose his reliability as a translator.

Rules guaranteeing the translator the preservation of prof. health are usually tacitly respected, first of all they relate to interpretation and the higher the volume of mental. costs, the harder they are. The work of a translator with good reason can be classified as extreme. Working, the translator constantly finds himself in a situation of the so-called. communication stress, i.e. a state of exceptional concentration of the resources of the body and psyche.

According to the latest neurophysiological studies, in terms of the amount of brain resources used, simultaneous translation is in second place among the types of human activity after the performance of an unfamiliar work on the violin from sight. Naturally, such a load must be dosed. In the field of professional translation, there is a physiological norm. An interpreter, even a consecutive interpreter, should in no case work more than two hours in a row. It is believed that the normal work of an interpreter in the mode is synchronous without a shift: 20-30 minutes. Although in reality, circumstances can make him work for wear and tear - nervous exhaustion.

Before intense mental work, he must sleep well, at least 8 hours. Alcohol during oral work is excluded. You also need to remember that the fulfillment of a translation order, no matter how important it may be, is not the last for a translator, to whom he must give his all, but only one of the episodes of a long career, the number of orders of which exceeds thousands. Being a professional, he is simply obliged to maintain his physical. and psycho. conditions at the right level.

The translator is a unique accumulator of information about different areas of people. knowledge and people actions, and it is equally important for him to know the essence of the process of the phenomenon, and how all this is called in native and foreign languages. language. In addition to the constant focus on expanding erudition, the translator has to be ready for the urgent development of an unfamiliar area.

Future work tomorrow, say, with representatives nuclear energy, may include new inf. material designed using 3 main. language layers:

1. Officially book speech, letters. text.

2. Officially oral. speech, official communication.

3. Prof. jargon - informal. prof. communication.

An experienced translator with a trained memory masters all this rich arsenal on the go. It is important to use max. number of sources possible in a given situation. Those. directories, dictionaries, internet and expert advice.

There is an opinion that in order to translate prof. texts, the translator himself must be a professional acc. area - at least a diploma. specialist. This is partly true when applied to written translation. Here professional knowledge and experience are of great help, since translation provides enough time for analysis, reflection, selection of material. However, in oral and especially simultaneous translation, deep knowledge in the subject area can do a disservice to the translator, forcing him to do it where it is not necessary.

UE requires max-but adequate and, most importantly, fast selection of correspondences. Paradoxically, the level of UE can be the higher, the lower his knowledge in the subject area. Of course, at the same time, he must master the terms and understand what they mean, but mastering them is a matter of several days, hours and even minutes for a professional, depending on the task. In other words, a good translator is not the one who knows more, but the one who translates better. The translator, as a rule, is not only a philologist, but also a country expert, which makes it possible. use his knowledge not only for translation work, but also for building trusting relationships with partners. A professional translator plays a key role in establishing a spirit of cooperation, especially when negotiation processes are carried out with representatives of peoples and cultures, worldviews, whose etiquettes have the noun. different from those in the West. The translator needs to take action if he finds that he is being misunderstood. The interpreter may, if necessary, ask either party to explain the idea in other words or repeat it again.

09/22/2014, Categories Publications

Preamble
Work on the Code of Ethics was carried out in 2013–2014. within the framework of an expert group organized in 2012 to prepare a round table on the interaction of freelancers and translation agencies at TRF-2012 in Kazan. Subsequently, the group prepared " Guidelines on conclusion of contracts between translators and customers” and a round table was held in Krasnaya Polyana at TRF-2013.

After the Sochi forum, the members of the working group, who began to recognize the group as a useful and rather unique phenomenon in the Russian translation market (within it, there is, albeit not easy, a real dialogue between freelance translators and translation companies, while there is an opportunity to hear and combine group interests and positions ), came to the conclusion that it would be desirable to continue working in the format of an expert group that considers issues relevant to the translation community and the translation market as a whole, and to prepare relevant normative documents in the form of recommendations.

Now the group includes heads of translation companies that are on the first lines of the rating of translation companies in Russia (in particular, Logrus, Neotech, Ego Translating, Janus), experienced freelance translators, as members of professional translation associations ( The Union of Translators of Russia and the National League of Translators), as well as those outside their ranks, lawyers.

Among the priority needs of the translation industry in Russia, the development of an ethical code stands apart, which would become a guideline in solving a large number of problems that arise in the course of the daily activities of participants in this industry. Currently, the situation is such that each company and each freelancer is guided by his own corporate code or their own notions of what is good and what is bad in the interactions between freelancers, translation companies and clients of translation services. How different these concepts are can be judged by the lively discussions in in social networks and online forums. Undoubtedly, the development of common positions on ethical issues will be an important step towards the consolidation of the industry.

Having set themselves such an ambitious task, the members of the expert group are well aware that the text proposed in this publication, although it was the result of a lot of work to develop consensus decisions and take into account the balance of interests of various groups, is still only a recommendation. For the code to work, industry participants need to support it as useful tool in their daily work. Therefore, the round table at TFR-2014 will be the beginning of a broad discussion of the code both at the level of translation associations and at the level of the general translation community. The Group intends to listen very carefully to feedback and, based on the results of the discussion, make changes and additions to the text in order to develop the final version of the code.

To this end, after TFR-2014, a special Facebook group will be organized.

An electronic version of this Code of Ethics will be published on the websites of the SPR, Translation Forum Russia and NLP.
Target
This Code formulates practical advice on civilized and professional interaction of all participants in translation activities in the Russian Federation.
The Code of Ethics has the status of a recommendatory document. However, in the absence of a written agreement between the parties, this document may be an addition to the oral agreement between the parties if the translator notifies the customer about this before the conclusion of the agreement.
Audience
The document is addressed to all participants in translation activities: translation companies, their managers and employees, freelance translators of various profiles (translators and interpreters, guide-interpreters, sign language interpreters, simultaneous interpreters, audiovisual interpreters, etc.), staff translators of organizations, editors and proofreaders of translated texts, including employees of organizations that order translation services. Hereinafter, the participants in the translation activities listed above are referred to as the "Translator" or "Translation Company".
Translators/Translation Companies are advised to inform customers of the existence of this Code of Ethics and that the Translator/Translation Company adheres to it.
The provisions of this code are also recommended for compliance by all persons and organizations involved in the process of creating the result of translation activities, including as a customer.
1. Professional working principles
1.1. Work within the competence
The translator/translation company performs translation within its competence - linguistic, subject, cultural and technological. This also means that a translator strives to translate exclusively into his native language, the language of his everyday communication or in a language whose proficiency level is documented as corresponding to the level of the native speaker. Otherwise, the Translator/Translation Company warns the end customer that there may be certain shortcomings in the translation.
1.2. Non-acceptance of the conditions that do not allow to fulfill the order properly
If the existing knowledge, competencies, production capabilities or conditions of the order (for example, terms) do not allow the translation to be performed in accordance with the agreed requirements, the Translator / Translation Company immediately notifies the customer about this and either negotiates acceptable terms and conditions with him or refuses the order. If the relevant circumstances become clear after accepting the order, you should immediately notify the customer about them and try to correct the conditions of the order; if the customer insists on fulfilling the order on the same terms, it is necessary to do everything possible to ensure the highest quality translation.
1.3. Objectivity and independence
In the process of oral translation, the Translator does not make personal judgments in the translation and does not convey his attitude to the message. The interpreter maintains a neutral position, trying to convey the messages of both parties as accurately as possible. If the dialogue takes place on raised tones, the Interpreter remains a little more neutral than his interlocutors (“half a tone lower”) and tries to smooth out a possible conflict, creating an atmosphere conducive to negotiations. The translator should not agree to possible requests from one party or another to translate information that is not intended for translation.
1.4. good faith
The Translator/Translation Company makes every possible effort to provide translation or interpretation in accordance with the agreed terms of the order.
1.5. Copyright Compliance
The Translator/Translation Company respects the legal rights of the authors of the original texts. The translator has the right to demand that customers and other persons observe his legal copyrights. When receiving orders to change and/or edit previously made translations, including using translation memory databases, the Translator has the right to assume that the issues of copyright transfer have been properly resolved between the authors of the previously made translations and the translation customer.
1.6. Exclusion of conflicts of interest
If, at the stage of placing an order, the Translator / Translation Company understands that it has a personal commercial interest that is contrary to the interests of the customer, the only right decision will be to inform the customer about this and, possibly, refuse to work. The use of information obtained at the stage of discussing an order or in the course of work for personal commercial interests is also recognized as unethical.
1.7. Compliance
The translator/translation company knows and applies in its work the norms and principles of the best world practice in the field of translation activity to the extent that they do not contradict the legislation of the Russian Federation.
1.8. Right of withdrawal
The translator/translation company has the right to reject the order for ideological or ethical reasons at the stage of order approval, while the work has not yet begun. If such reasons appeared during the execution of the order, then the terms of the contract take precedence, and the termination of work is permissible only if the further execution of the translation is contrary to the legislation of the respective country.
1.9. Training
The Translator/Translation Company constantly improves its qualifications and improves its skills through training, communication with colleagues, reading professional literature, mastering related specialties, deepening subject and technical knowledge, mastering new technologies, as well as by any other available means.
1.10. Confidentiality
The Translator/Translation Company guarantees the confidentiality of information that has become known during the discussion or implementation of the translation and which is confidential by law or in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the parties. The exception is information that is not confidential or does not constitute trade secret by direct indication of the law.
2. Payment and liability
2.1. Competent pricing
The translator/translation company approaches tariff formation responsibly and consciously, realizing that an incorrectly set (overestimated or underestimated) tariff destabilizes the industry. Responsible pricing involves learning market conditions, as well as the normative documentation of translation associations and other relevant materials. The translator/translation company maintains rates at a level that allows the provision of services of acceptable quality on an ongoing basis. Competent pricing is aimed at forming a correct understanding of the relationship between the price and the quality of the service provided by the customer.
In the process of concluding a contract, the parties should, when determining the final price, take into account a reasonable balance of interests.
Deliberate underestimation of the cost of a project by the Translator/Translation Company in order to beat a competitor on price is considered unethical and unacceptable from the point of view of the provisions of this Code.
2.2. Limits of Liability
Within the framework of agreements between translators and translation companies, the limits of liability for the provision of interpretation or translation services (for example, a penalty to the Translator for errors or other types of fines) are agreed by the parties at the time of conclusion of the contract and should not exceed the amount of payment for the order to which the claims relate. To that extent, a fine is a disciplinary measure. More significant fines can only be imposed by a court decision.
3. Competition
3.1. Fair competition
Within the framework of this Code, such methods of competition are recognized as unethical, which are contrary to generally accepted world practice and business ethics, even if they are not prohibited by applicable law, for example, Internet attacks, defamation and trolling campaigns in social networks, obvious poaching of personnel, including by contacting headhunters or providing deliberately false information about a potential employer or terms of cooperation, as well as provoking employees of a competing company to divulge secrets during negotiations, provoking transferred personnel to divulge commercial and industrial secrets of a previous employer, negative feedback about competitors in communication with the customer, the use of accidentally obtained confidential information, the deliberate underestimation of prices, etc.
3.2. Relations with the end customer
The Translator does not, on its own initiative, establish contact with the end customer, bypassing its direct customer (Translation Company) during the translation and within a reasonable period after its completion, which in world practice is one year, unless otherwise stipulated by the agreement between the Translator and the Translation Company .
3.3. Anti-corruption
Within the framework of this code, connivance or non-resistance to corruption is recognized as unethical, including: any form of extortion by state and municipal employees or employees of the customer, commercial bribery of the customer’s employees (including gifts and benefits in kind), collusion with state and municipal employees or employees of the customer, causing damage to the state or the customer company, collusion with competitors - participants in bidding, auctions, tenders for the provision of translation and related services, as well as participation in bidding, auctions and tenders of several affiliated legal entities.
4. Relationships with customers
4.1. Agreement between the parties
Relations between the parties involved in translation activities are built on the basis of an agreement, which can be concluded orally or in writing. Although the preferred option is a written contract, where all the essential conditions are agreed (type of service, scope of services, delivery period, price per unit of measurement, final price, payment term, penalties, etc.), the Translator / Translation Company also observes oral arrangements agreed prior to commencement of work. Changing the terms of the contract after unilateral interpretation or translation or adding clauses containing conditions that are unfavorable for the other party is recognized as unethical. Realizing that a stable partnership and cooperation within the industry is impossible without mutual respect of counterparties and a balance of interests of all participants in the translation market, translation companies, translators and translation service customers seek to take into account mutual interests when concluding contracts.
In order to avoid disagreements when concluding an oral contract, it is recommended to determine all essential conditions and fix them in writing (for example, in the form of electronic messages or SMS messages).
4.2. Informing the customer at all levels
To make the translation process as transparent as possible, it is recommended to inform the customers of translation services about the basic principles, techniques and rules for their provision.
4.3. Offering optimal solutions to the customer
If the customer proposes a non-optimal solution to the problem during the preparation or discussion of the project, the Translator / Translation Company is recommended to take the initiative and offer the customer an improved algorithm of actions in order to achieve the best end result, indicating the benefits received by the customer.
4.4. Pointing out errors in the original
If the source material or the course of work proposed by the customer contains obvious, gross factual errors, the Translator/Translation Company is recommended to take the initiative and point them out to the customer.
4.5. Difficulties and force majeure circumstances
In the event of unforeseen difficulties or force majeure circumstances, the Translator / Translation Company immediately informs the customer about them and together with him decides how to resolve the situation with the least possible losses.
4.6. Dispute resolution through negotiations
Disputable cases related to translation activities are recommended to be resolved through negotiations directly between the parties to the dispute. In complex cases, it is possible to create special commission independent experts; The composition of the commission is formed by agreement of the parties. The legislation also allows the practice of arbitration. It is recognized as unethical to bring controversial cases to the public court (for example, discuss them in social networks, professional forums, etc.), since in such situations the consideration cannot be objective, and there is also no competent body authorized to consider disputes and take decisions on them. solutions.
4.7. Constructive communication at all levels
The culture of communication directly affects the accuracy of the transfer of thoughts and the quality of interaction between the parties involved in translation activities. Communication is carried out correctly, without becoming personal, with understanding and respect for the rights and obligations of the parties, observance of the rules of courtesy, professional, corporate and network ethics.
5. Relationships in the professional environment
5.1. Translation companies and their employees
Translation companies that have subscribed to this code of ethics ensure that their staff and freelancers are aware of and comply with the provisions of the code, and undertake, other things being equal, to cooperate with those freelancers who have declared their agreement with the provisions of this code.
5.2. Refusal of unreasonable criticism of colleagues
It is recommended that the Translator/Translation Company avoid harsh statements about colleagues, especially in front of the customer, as this is detrimental to the industry as a whole and creates a negative image of a participant in translation activities. In any situation, mutual help and support is more productive. In all cases, the evaluation of other individuals and organizations must be objective and action-oriented and result-oriented.
5.3. Mutual assistance, transfer of experience, friendly relations
Goodwill is an unconditional and comprehensive recommendation to the Translator/Translation Company. Moreover, it is recommended not to consider colleagues in the industry solely as competitors, even if they, by virtue of the circumstances, are. Mutual assistance, exchange of useful experience, training of colleagues bring additional dividends and add positive emotions.
5.4. Inadmissibility of discrimination based on age, gender, appearance, etc.
When looking for an interpreter, you should avoid specifying parameters such as age, gender, characteristics of the applicant's appearance, etc., unless this is clearly related to the nature of the work (for example, for a trip to regions with a harsh climate).
5.5. Culture of network communication
When communicating through electronic means communication, it is recommended to observe netiquette - the etiquette of communication on the Internet.
6. Public relations
6.1. The desire to increase the prestige of the profession
When fulfilling its contractual obligations, the Translator / Translation Company behaves with dignity.
The work of a translator, as a rule, remains invisible to the general public, and its importance is underestimated. The Translator/Translation Company is recommended to make reasonable efforts to acquaint the public with the everyday life of the industry (for example, talk about interesting episodes related to translations in social networks, in personal blogs, articles and interviews in the media, etc.), using examples show the importance of the translator's work. Translation companies can, for example, run career guidance events in their region. When talking about a translated book or about the success of any event, it is recommended, wherever appropriate, to note the work of the translator.
6.2. Promotion and support of legislative initiatives
The translator/translation company always promotes initiatives aimed at developing the industry, increasing the prestige of the profession, developing industry standards, etc., as well as legislative initiatives that promote the recognition and support of the translation profession by state and municipal bodies and structures.
6.3. Volunteering, charitable activities
Participation or refusal to participate in volunteer activities (provision of translation services free of charge) and other forms of charity is the personal choice of the Translator/Translation Company. Coercion to unpaid work or the use of the results of volunteer work for commercial purposes is not allowed. When performing a translation free of charge, the Translator/Translation Company is guided by the same professional standards responsibility, quality and confidentiality, as in the execution of paid orders.
6.4. Prevention of intercultural differences
The profession of translator, by definition, unites. The Translator / Translation Company does not allow messages that incite ethnic hatred, does not use offensive epithets in relation to other peoples, does not participate in online flames and forums related or not related to translation activities that have the goal or result of inciting hatred or ethnic hatred, even if such actions do not formally contradict the law, with the exception of cases where offensive epithets are contained in the translated materials.

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The translator must not translate verbatim. When translating, the translator should not react to what was said, show his personal attitude to this. If the translator did not understand a phrase, then it is better to ask again than to translate incorrectly. If the listener misunderstood the interpreter or misunderstood, the interpreter can explain. The interpreter speaks in the 1st person, except for the following cases: a) when the interpreter introduces the speaker (during the introduction, one cannot say "he", "she"); b) the speaker represents the translator (you cannot say "he", "she"). The translator must know obscene expressions and if they are used in a conversation, he can react differently: a) obscenity is an insult to the translator, stop working; b) translate as is; c) translate in milder terms, while mentioning the obscene expression.

Behavior

An interpreter is a service person, he should be invisible ("no one notices a good interpreter"), modest, unflappable, calm and impassive. His face is familiar, but not boring. He should not tell anyone what he heard (“mute as a grave”), attract attention to himself. Gesticulation is minimal. The translator must be careful; he is always under the supervision of the security services and should treat this normally.

Interpreter's position: for private translation - between people, for official translation - behind the back of the client on the left. The interpreter must choose a position so that he can hear the speaker well, and he can hear the interpreter, while taking into account specific circumstances, for example, if the translation is on the move or if one participant in the conversation is very tall and the other is very low, etc. . At receptions, the interpreter is behind the back on the left - between representatives and guests. In such cases, the interpreter may or may not eat - this is agreed in advance in the contract.

Qualities

The translator must have a sense of humor. The translator's voice is well-set, he speaks clearly without stammering. The translator must be tolerant, physically enduring. The interpreter must be punctual (if the translation is at the reception, then the interpreter arrives in advance, together with the organizer, in order to know the list of names, to whom to interpret, etc.). The translator must be able to admit his mistakes. Must be a highly cultured person, i.e. knowledge should not be limited to any one area, just a good knowledge of the language is not enough. The translator must be a psychologist, a sociologist, to predict events on the go. A translator must take care of his professional growth and help his colleagues.

Appearance, attributes

The translator must have a notebook for notes. On official translations, it is obligatory to make notes in a notebook. Appearance translator - neat, accurate. Clothes of soft colors - blue, black, gray.

Generally speaking, professional codes of ethics continue to focus on such concepts as impartiality, neutrality, accuracy and fidelity...

Moira Inguilleri, Ethics

In the previous article devoted to the ethical aspects of translation activity, we analyzed the consideration of this topic in the works of post-Soviet and foreign specialists, focusing on the discussion of the latest theoretical concepts. In this article, we will look at one important aspect practical solution ethical issues by the translation community itself – created by international and national professional organizations translators ethical codes (codes of professional conduct).

It is probably fair to count the history of "ethical codification" by the international translation community from the IV World Congress of the International Federation of Translators ( federationinternationaledestraducteurs,IFT/FIT) of 1963, which adopted the "Translator's Charter", in the preamble of which, among other ethical priorities, the task of creating an ethical (moral) code is directly stated:

International Federation of Translators,

wanting

set out in formal document certain general principles that are inextricably linked to the profession of translator, in order, in particular,

emphasize social function translation;

clarify the rights and obligations of an interpreter;

lay the foundations of the translator's moral code;

improve economic conditions and the social atmosphere in which the translator's activities take place;

and thus contribute to the establishment of translation as a specific and independent profession, –

publishes the text of a charter intended to serve as a guide for the translator in carrying out his activities.

In the accepted FIT in the 1994 updated version of the Charter, these provisions remained unchanged. And although their own code of ethics (EC) FIT, which today unites 77 organizations from 52 countries on all continents, did not develop, such codes are developed by the regional office FIT in Europe and many member organizations FIT.

An interesting analysis of a number of ECs of national and international organizations performed by Canadian researcher Julia McDonagh in 2011 in Moral Ambiguity: Some Shortcomings of Professional Codes of Ethics for Translators. The work considered 16 ECs published by member organizations FIT, plus "Translator's Charter" FIT– 17 documents in total (see table 1).

Table 1. Ethical codes reviewed by D. Macdon in .

McDonagh explained the choice of documents for research by her linguistic competence (knowledge of French, English and Spanish) and the organization's website. She formulates the purpose and methodology of the study as follows:

The purpose of this article is not to identify all the values ​​that bind members of professionally oriented translation communities, but to highlight the values ​​that are common to members of such communities. Since fifteen countries are located in Europe, Northern and South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, a fairly representative sample of ethical standards professional translator.

Upon receipt of the seventeen codes of ethics, they were carefully compared, and then the most frequently encountered principles were identified. These benchmarks have been put in a table to better see which values ​​are considered most important to professionally oriented translation communities.

Unfortunately, the author does not provide any tables in the article from which one could clearly see the full list of "ethical principles" according to which ECs were compared, and indicators of such a comparison in relation to each of these principles. The method of verbal commenting on a large amount of data chosen by the author seriously complicates the process of their analysis, therefore, we will limit ourselves only to the conclusions proposed by the author of the study himself:

• Only two provisions are common to all 17 ECs: the requirement for translators to maintain confidentiality and the requirement not to take on work for which the translator does not have the necessary competence.
• More than half of the ECs require the translator to demonstrate good behavior and not damage the image of the profession.
• 7 out of 17 ECs require translators to be objective.
• Half of the ECs recommend that translators improve their professional qualifications and skills.
• Half of the ECs have requirements for ethical advertising.
• Nearly three-quarters of ECs indicate that community members should support their peers.
• Slightly more than half of the ECs include a clause on the rates at which translators must undertake the work.

We decided to perform a similar study in order to get a clear “picture” of the state of EC in the world today. In the sample, we included English-language ECs from the McDonough list, ECs from some other national associations that have English versions on their websites, and also, which we consider important for readers in the post-Soviet space, ECs developed in Ukraine and Russia. In total - 20 documents (see table 2).

Table 2. Ethical codes discussed in the article.

In general, the considered ECs can be divided into two categories:

1. Short documents in which all the provisions are presented in the form of a simple, unstructured list. These documents include: I.T.A. ; SAPT ; SATI, , ; STIBC; UTA .
2. All other more voluminous documents of varying degrees of structure.

Table 2 presents two ECs from the countries of the former USSR: the Russian Code of Ethics for Translators ( TFR) and the Ukrainian "Code professional ethics» ( UTA) . The first document has been developed since 2013 by a group of Russian translation industry professionals united in a community TranslationForumRussia. On various resources you can find its earlier versions, incl. on the websites of the Union of Translators of Russia and the National League of Translators (see, for example, , , ).

A curious case is the documents of the "South African Institute of Translators" ( SATI). The Institute has developed three separate ECs for individual members and corporate members: translation agencies and translation departments of non-linguistic companies (, , , respectively).

The current edition of the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters EC ( NZSTI) is an exact reproduction of the latest edition of the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators EC ( AUSIT) .

The structure of the Russian EC was taken as the sending point for comparing EC TFR. Taking into account the content of the considered EC, the following list of principles has been formed:

• Professional principles of work, responsibility, quality, relationships with customers.
• Professional and linguistic competence, fidelity and accuracy of translation.
• Payment questions.
• Confidentiality.
• Relationships with colleagues.
• Unprofessional behavior, conflicts of interest, discrimination, unfair competition.
• Advertising, publicity, public relations.
• Vocational training, advanced training.
• Dispute resolution.

The results of a comparative analysis of the EC content are shown in Table 3.

As can be seen from the table, our results generally agree with the data obtained by Macdon in , but now it is clear what exactly the individual ECs contain, and the reader can make independent comparisons.

Table 3 Comparative analysis of ethical codes discussed in the article.

And in our sample, all 20 ECs have provisions in which only two general principles: "confidentiality" and "professional principles of work" (with us), "competence" ( competence) (by Macdon). The difference in terminology should not confuse us, since by “competence” a Canadian specialist, in fact, means what we referred to as “professional principles of work”. What she classifies as "accuracy" ( accuracy), we have included in the category "professional and linguistic competence". We will return to the discussion of this aspect of EC later.

All 9 principles are implemented in three ECs: this (it goes without saying) TFR, and FITEurope And ITI. In short ECs, as a rule, fewer principles are implemented than in structured ones. Yes, in I.T.A. implemented only 5 principles, in SAPT- 4, and in STIBC – 3.

As we have already noted, all ECs implement two principles: “professional principles of work” and “confidentiality”. Then, in descending order of "popularity", follow: "unprofessional behavior" (EC 18), "relationships with colleagues" (EC 14), "professional training" (EC 13), "professional and language competence" and "pay issues" (12 EC), "dispute resolution" (11 EC), "advertising, publicity, public relations" (10 EC).

Of course, when comparing documents, one cannot limit oneself to arithmetic calculations of the number of "implementations" of certain ethical principles. The depth and nature of the consideration of certain provisions in different ECs varies significantly. For example, in the Australian and New Zealand ECs, the principle of “unprofessional conduct” is implemented in only two short provisions in the “Professional conduct” section ( AUSIT, NZSTI); in the British EC ( ITI) you can find a total of 15 provisions regarding unprofessional conduct, which are included in the sections "Conflict of interest" (2), "Integrity" (4), "Corruption and bribery" (2), "Contractual relations" (2), " Competition” (4), “Relations with other members” (1). Issues of remuneration of an interpreter in the Russian EC ( TFR) is devoted to the whole section "Payment and responsibility", and in the EC of the European branch FIT (FITEurope) payment is mentioned only in passing in the section "Relationships with fellow translators" as an example of unfair competition - "predatory pricing" ( predatory pricing).

The task of a detailed comparison of all 20 documents for each of the 9 ethical principles is beyond the scope of this short article. As McDona rightly notes, despite the importance of many of these principles, “their study is not so interesting, since they do not belong exclusively (or almost exclusively) to the translation profession”, it is much more interesting to consider those that “are specifically related to translation (or the linguistic profession as a whole). Therefore, in her article, she considers in more detail the implementation in EC of such principles as "accuracy" ( accuracy), "working languages" ( workinglanguages) and "illegal/immoral/unethical texts" ( illegal/immoral/unethical texts).

We dare to assert that the "model" implementation of this principle is proposed in the oldest of the considered documents - the "Translator's Charter" in the 1994 edition:

Section 1. General Responsibilities translator

1. Any translation must be faithful and accurately convey the form of the original - the observance of such fidelity is the moral and legal duty of the translator.
2. A correct translation, however, should not be confused with a literal translation, since the correct translation does not exclude adaptation aimed at making one feel in another language and in another country the form, atmosphere and inner meaning of the work.
3. The translator must have a good knowledge of the language from which he is translating, and, more importantly, to be fluent in the language into which he is translating.

These provisions are fully consistent with the traditional linguistic paradigm, which puts the equivalence and fidelity of translation at the forefront, which we discussed in and about which, in particular, Anthony Pym spoke:

The traditional ethics of translation is based on the concept of fidelity. The translator, we are told, must be faithful to the source text, the author of the source text, the intentions of the text or the author, or something in that general direction...

In this vein, the relevant provisions are formulated in the EC of such organizations as:

• ATA(USA):

1. convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately and impartially;

• ATIO(Canada):

2.2 Fidelity and accuracy

2.2.1 Members shall faithfully and accurately reproduce in the target language the closest natural equivalent of the message in the original language of the source, without embellishment, omissions or clarifications.

• AUSIT(Australia), NZSTI(N. Zealand):

5. Accuracy

Interpreters and translators, relying on their professional knowledge and experience, strive to remain always true to the meaning of texts and messages. ,

• SATI(SOUTH AFRICA):

Constantly strive to achieve the highest possible quality in terms of accuracy of transmission, terminological correctness, language and style.

• TFR(Russia):

1.1. Work within the competence

The translator/translation company performs translation within its competence - linguistic, subject, cultural and technological.

1.3. Objectivity and independence

When performing a translation (primarily oral), it is not allowed to introduce personal judgments into the translation and express an attitude towards the message. The interpreter maintains a neutral position and strives to convey the messages of the parties as accurately as possible.

As for the Russian "Ethical Code of the Translator", having earlier versions of this document, one can trace an interesting evolution in the implementation of the principle under consideration. So in, apparently, the earliest available version in paragraph 1.1 we read:

The translator performs translation within the limits of his competences - linguistic, subject, cultural and technological. This means, among other things, that a translator strives to translate exclusively into his native language or into a language that he speaks at the level of a native speaker. Otherwise, the Translator warns the customer that there may be shortcomings in the translation.

In the supposedly next time version of clause 1.1, it is worded as follows:

The translator/translation company performs translation within its competence - linguistic, subject, cultural and technological. This also means that a translator seeks to translate exclusively into his native language, the language of his everyday communication or into a language whose level of proficiency is documented as corresponding to the level of the native speaker. Otherwise, the Translator/Translation Company warns the end customer that there may be certain shortcomings in the translation.

What are we seeing? At first, the EC project strongly encouraged the (translator) translator to "translate exclusively into his native language or into a language in which he speaks at the level of a native speaker", later this requirement was somewhat "blurred" by the addition of new alternatives. And, starting from the 2nd edition, this part of the requirements has been completely removed,. Thus, EC TFR on this issue reached the level of the "Charter" and other above-mentioned EC, which Not require the interpreter to translate exclusively or predominantly into their native language, the language of everyday communication, or a language for which they have a proven level of competence.

However, the "conservative" nature of the implementation of this principle in the early versions of the EC TFR has parallels in the wording of some of the foreign ECs currently in force:

• FITEurope(international organization) :

2.1 Competencies

Interpreters and translators should only work in languages ​​and subject areas for which they are qualified and have the necessary skills. Translators should only translate into their native language, the language of their everyday communication, or into a language in which they have a proven level of equivalent competence.

• I.T.A.(Israel):

1. I will endeavor to write and/or orally translate the original message correctly. I acknowledge that ideally this level of skill requires:

A. mastering the target language at a level corresponding to the level of an educated native speaker;

• ITI(Great Britain):

4. Professional values

4.1 Members shall act in accordance with the following professional values:

(a) convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately and impartially

3. Written translation

3.1 …members shall only translate into a language which is either (i) their native or everyday language, or (ii) a language for which they have satisfied the Institute that they have equivalent competence. They should only translate from those languages ​​for which they can demonstrate that they have the necessary skills.

3.2 …members should at all times maintain the highest standards of performance according to their ability, ensuring that meaning and case are correct, unless specifically instructed by their clients, preferably in writing, to recreate the text in the cultural context of the target language.

• ITIA(Ireland):

4. Impartiality

4.1. Members of the Association shall make every effort to ensure the faithful transmission of the original text, which must be completely free from their personal interpretation, opinion or influence;

5. Working conditions

5.1. Translation

5.1.1. Members of the Association should, in principle, translate into their native language;

• SFT(France):

1. General principles

b. Loyalty

Translators should strive to reproduce the message being conveyed as faithfully as possible.

3. Obligations to clients

With. Translators should always strive to provide an appropriate standard of work for their clients. To achieve this, they must:

i. translate exclusively into their native language or a language they are fluent in;

If we take the level of linguistic requirements of the "Charter" as a starting point, then on the other side of it, obviously, there are those ECs in which such linguistic requirements for a translator are not specifically stipulated. There are a lot of such ECs in our sample: AIIC ; BDÜ ; IAPTI; SAPT; SATI , ; STIBC ; UTA. The relevant wording in these ECs stipulates only the general high professional level and / or responsibility of the translator. For example:

• BDÜ(Germany):

1 General professional duties

1.1 BDÜ members must perform their professional duties without prejudice and to the best of their knowledge. …

1.2 Members of the BDÜ must have the appropriate professional qualifications and provide quality requirements acceptable to the BDÜ.

• IAPTI(international organization):

2. Obligations related to the implementation of professional activities

All IAPTI members must:

2.1. Perform translation or interpretation tasks carefully and responsibly.

2.2. Accept only those orders for which they are able to guarantee their customers an appropriate level of quality.

• UTA(Ukraine):

1. Ensure a professional level of translation and interpreting.

Thus, the implementation of the principle "Professional and linguistic competence" in the third group of EC can be considered as located on the other side of the linguistic divide, determined by us by the provisions of the current edition of the "Translator's Charter". It seems to us that such a position is more modern and more “progressive”, since these ECs make an attempt to move away from the traditional “binding” to the requirement of “fidelity” of the translation: let the client and the professional community determine the appropriate level of quality, and the translator (member of the professional community) guarantees responsible and high-quality performance of a specific translation task.

1. The translator must perform a complete and accurate translation.

2. The translator is PROHIBITED:

carry on unrelated conversations or not to the point)

correct speaker's mistakes

not being able to correctly correct their translation errors

translate in the third person, if possible

delete or omit information

add information that was not in the original

add or remove "politeness markers"

behave unethically

3. The interpreter must remain impartial.

3.1. The interpreter is prohibited from taking sides in a conversation, regardless of personal and moral considerations.

3.2. The translator is required to provide only accurate translated information without the use of body language, negative or positive intonation, or the expression of personal opinion.

4. The translator must keep all assignments confidential.

5. The translator should only play the role of a translator, acting as an intermediary and accurately conveying information translated from one language to another.

5. The Interpreter shall maintain professional conduct at all times.

The translator must behave professionally at all times.

5.1 The Interpreter shall speak in a clear voice, while maintaining professional decorum and objectivity.

The interpreter must speak clearly, follow professional etiquette and be objective.

5.2 The Interpreter shall remain alert and mentally agile prior to and during interpretations. To this end, the Interpreter should take breaks after handling difficult or long periods of interpretation.

The translator must be attentive and (have a lively mind J) quick-witted before and during the translation. After a long and difficult translation, you need to take a break.

6. The Interpreter shall be culturally sensitive.

The translator must be culturally aware.

6.1Members of certain cultures may require or prefer one gender to another for interpretation. As professionals, Interpreters cannot take issue in these choices, or let personal opinions be reflected in the interpretation process. The Interpreter must respect and adhere to these choices to the best of the Interpreter's ability.

Members of certain cultures may require or prefer a certain gender interpreter. Being a professional, the translator cannot decide on such matters or express his opinion on this matter during the translation process. The translator must respect and adhere to this opinion to the best of his ability.

6.2 The Interpreter shall bridge the cultural gap to the satisfaction of both parties.

The translator needs to help both parties bridge the cultural divide.

7. The Interpreter shall, at all times, assess his/her ability to maintain the highest standards for professional interpretation. The Interpreter shall convey any reservations about his/her ability to successfully complete the assignment for the customer. The Interpreter shall decline any assignment he/she believes to be beyond his/her technical knowledge or linguistic ability.

The translator must translate to high standards. The translator also needs to express all doubts about the successful completion of the task set by the client. The translator must refuse to translate if he lacks any technical or linguistic knowledge.

8. The Interpreter shall continually improve his/her skills and knowledge through activities such as professional training or education and interaction with colleagues and specialists in related fields.

The translator must constantly improve his professional skills and knowledge through professional training, training, communication with colleagues and experts in the fields of knowledge related to translation.

9. The Interpreter shall not accept any job or situation which might detract from the dignity of the profession. The Interpreter shall refrain from any act which might bring the profession into disrepute.

An interpreter should not take on a job that can ruin his reputation and bring him into disrepute.