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Irina Sergeevna Alekseeva is a professor at the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, a translator of fiction, in 2004 she was awarded an honorary diploma from the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation for her great contribution to training, the development of education and science. I.S. Alekseeva drew up a kind of translator's code, which included the following points:

The translator is not an interlocutor or opponent of the client, but a translator that re-expresses an oral or written text created in one language into a text in another language.

It follows from this that the text is inviolable for the translator. The translator does not have the right to change the meaning and composition of the text when translating, shortening it or expanding it, if an additional task is adaptation, selection, additions, etc. not supplied by the customer.

When translating, the translator, using professional actions known to him, always strives to convey to the maximum extent the invariant of the source text.

In some cases, in an environment of consecutive or simultaneous interpretation, an interpreter is also a person vested with diplomatic powers (for example, when translating statements of major politicians in an atmosphere of international contacts). If these diplomatic powers are recognized for the translator, he has the right to sin against the accuracy of the original text, performing the function of an auxiliary person in supporting diplomatic relations, preventing their complication, but at the same time is not obliged to protect the interests of any one party.

In a situation of interpretation, the interpreter is obliged to observe the ethics of oral communication, respecting the freedom of the client's personality and not infringing upon his dignity.

In other cases, the translator has no right to interfere with the relations between the parties, as well as to reveal his own position regarding the content of the translated text.

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

The translator has no right to react emotionally to individual defects in the speaker's speech and should not reproduce them; he is guided in oral translation by the oral version of the literary norm of the target language.

The translator is obliged to ensure a high level of competence in the fields of the source language, target language, translation technique and subject matter of the text using the methods he knows. The translator is obliged to immediately signal his insufficient competence, and to correct the errors noticed by himself, and not to hide; it is a guarantee of the high quality of translation and the trust of others.

The translator is responsible for the quality of the translation, and if the translation is literary or journalistic, he has copyright on it, protected by law, and when publishing the translation, his name must be indicated.

The translator has the right to demand everyone necessary conditions to provide high level translation competence, including the appropriate working conditions (for oral translation - the reliability of the broadcasting equipment, if necessary - reducing the rate of speech of the speaker; with simultaneous - the provision of speeches of the speakers the day before, pauses in work for rest, etc.; in writing - providing reference and other literature on the topic).

In a written translation, the translator is obliged to follow the rules of its design, which ensure the correct attitude towards the customer [Alekseeva, 2008, p. 347].

09/22/2014, Categories Publications

Preamble
Work on the Code of Ethics was carried out in 2013–2014. within the 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 "Methodological recommendations for concluding agreements between translators and customers" and held a round table in Krasnaya Polyana at TRF-2013.

After the Sochi forum, the members of the working group, who began to realize the group as a useful and rather unique phenomenon in the Russian translation market (inside it, although it is not easy, there is 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 about the desirability of continuing the work already in the format of an expert group, considering issues relevant to the translation community and the translation market as a whole, and preparing the relevant regulatory documents in the format of recommendations.

Now the group includes heads of translation companies that are on the first lines of the rating of Russian translation companies (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), and outside their ranks, lawyers.

Among the primary needs of the Russian translation industry, the development of a code of ethics stands apart, which would become a guideline in solving a large number of problems arising in the course of the daily activities of participants in this industry. The current situation is that every company and every freelancer is guided by their own corporate code or their own notions of what is good and what is bad in interactions between freelancers, translation companies and translation service customers. How different these concepts are can be judged from the lively discussions in social networks and in online forums. Of course, developing common positions on ethical issues will be an important step towards consolidating 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 great work on developing consensus decisions and taking into account the balance of interests of different groups, is still only a recommendation. For the code to work, it needs industry actors to support it as a 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 wider translation community. The group intends to listen extremely closely 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.

For this purpose, 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.
purpose
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 in the event that the translator notifies the customer about this before concluding the agreement.
Lecture hall
The document is addressed to all participants in translation activities: translation companies, their managers and employees, freelance translators of various profiles (translators and interpreters, guides-translators, sign language interpreters, simultaneous translators, audiovisual translators, etc.), in-house translators of organizations, editors, etc. proofreaders of translated texts, including employees of organizations that order translation services. Hereinafter, the participants in the translation activity listed above are referred to as the “Translator” or “Translation Company”.
Translators / Translation Companies are encouraged to inform clients 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 observance by all persons and organizations involved in the process of creating the result of translation activities, including as a customer.
1. Professional principles of work
1.1. Work within competence
Translator / Translation company performs translation within its competence - linguistic, subject, cultural and technological. This also means that the translator strives to translate exclusively into his native language, the language of his everyday communication, or into 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. Failure to accept conditions that prevent the order from being executed properly
If the existing knowledge, competence, production capabilities or order conditions (for example, terms) do not allow the translation to be performed in accordance with the agreed requirements, the Translator / Translation Company will immediately notify the customer and either negotiate acceptable terms and conditions with him or refuse the order. If the relevant circumstances become clear after accepting the order, then you should immediately notify the customer and try to adjust the conditions of the order; if the customer insists on fulfilling the order on the same terms, it is necessary to do everything possible for the highest quality translation.
1.3. Objectivity and independence
In the process of interpretation, the Translator does not make personal judgments into 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 in a raised tone, the interpreter remains slightly more neutral than his interlocutors ("half a tone lower") and tries to smooth out the possible conflict, creating an atmosphere conducive to negotiations. A translator should not agree to possible requests from one or another party 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. Respect for copyright
The translator / translation company respects the legal rights of the original authors. The translator has the right to demand that customers and other persons comply with his legal copyright. When receiving orders for changing and / or editing previously performed translations, including using translation memory databases, the Translator has the right to assume that copyright transfer issues have been duly resolved between the authors of the previously performed translations and the customer of the translation.
1.6. Avoiding conflicts of interest
If at the stage of ordering the Translator / Translation Company understands that he has a personal commercial interest that is contrary to the interests of the customer, the only correct solution would 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 with Legislation
A translator / translation company knows and applies in its work the norms and principles of the best world practice in the field of translation activities to the extent that they do not contradict the legislation of the Russian Federation.
1.8. Right to opt out
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 have priority, 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
A translator / translation company constantly improves their qualifications and improves their skills through training, communication with colleagues, reading professional literature, mastering related specialties, deepening subject and technical knowledge, mastering new technologies, as well as any other available means.
1.10. Confidentiality
The translator / translation company guarantees the confidentiality of information that has become known during the discussion or translation, and which is confidential by law or in accordance with the terms of an agreement between the parties. The exception is information that is not confidential or does not constitute a commercial secret by virtue of the direct indication of the law.
2. Payment and responsibility
2.1. Competent pricing
A translator / translation company approaches tariffs responsibly and consciously, realizing that an incorrectly set (overpriced or understated) tariff destabilizes the industry. Responsible pricing involves researching market conditions, as well as translation association regulations and other relevant material. The translator / translation company maintains tariffs at a level that allows them to provide services of an acceptable quality on an ongoing basis. Competent pricing is aimed at shaping the customer's correct understanding of the relationship between price and quality of the service provided.
In the process of concluding a contract, the parties should take into account a reasonable balance of interests when determining the final price.
Deliberately underestimating the cost of a project by the Translator / Translation Company in order to outweigh a competitor at a price is recognized as unethical and unacceptable in terms 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 negotiated by the parties at the time of the conclusion of the contract and should not exceed the amount of payment for the order to which the claims relate. To this extent, the fine is a disciplinary measure. Higher fines can only be imposed by a court order.
3. Competition
3.1. Fair competition
This Code recognizes unethical methods of competition that are contrary to generally accepted international practice and business ethics, even if they are not prohibited by applicable law, for example, Internet attacks, defamation and trolling campaigns on social networks, explicit enticement of personnel, including by contacting headhunters either providing deliberately false information about a potential employer or the conditions of cooperation, as well as provoking employees of a competing company to disclose secrets during negotiations, provoking the transferred personnel to disclose the commercial and production secrets of the previous employer, negative feedback about competitors in communicating with the customer, using accidentally obtained confidential information, deliberate understatement of prices, etc.
3.2. End customer connections
The Translator does not, on his own initiative, establish contact with the end customer, bypassing his direct customer (the Translation Company) during the translation and within a reasonable time after its completion, which in world practice is one year, unless otherwise stipulated by an 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 goods in kind), collusion with state and municipal employees or employees the customer damaging the state or the customer company, collusion with competitors - participants in tenders, auctions, tenders for the provision of translation and related services, as well as participation in tenders, auctions and tenders of several affiliated legal entities.
4. Relationship 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 agreement where all essential conditions are agreed (type of service, scope of services, term of provision, price per unit of measurement, total price, due date, penalties, etc.), the Translator / Translation Company also complies with oral agreements agreed upon before starting work. It is considered unethical to change the terms of the agreement after the execution of interpretation or translation, or the addition of clauses containing conditions unfavorable for the other party. Realizing that stable partnerships and cooperation within the industry are impossible without mutual respect of counterparties and maintaining a balance of interests of all participants in the translation market, translation companies, translators and translation service customers strive to take mutual interests into account when concluding agreements.
In order to avoid disagreements when concluding an oral contract, it is recommended to define 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 translation service customers about the basic principles, techniques and rules for their provision.
4.3. Offer the customer optimal solutions
If the customer offers a non-optimal solution to the problem during the preparation or discussion of the project, the Translator / Translation Company is encouraged to take the initiative and offer the customer an improved algorithm of actions in order to achieve the best final result, indicating the benefits received by the customer.
4.4. Pointing out errors in the original
In the event that the source material or the work progress proposed by the customer contains obvious, gross factual errors, the Translator / Translation Company is recommended to take the initiative and point them to the customer.
4.5. Difficulties and circumstances of force majeure
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
It is recommended that disputes concerning translation activities be resolved through negotiations directly between the parties to the dispute. In difficult cases, it is possible to create a special commission of independent experts; the composition of the commission is formed by agreement of the parties. The legislation also allows the practice of an arbitration court. It is recognized as unethical to bring controversial cases to the public court (for example, to discuss them on social networks, in professional forums, etc.), since in such situations the consideration cannot be objective, and there is also no competent body authorized to consider disputes and accept them solutions.
4.7. Constructive communication at all levels
The culture of communication directly affects the accuracy of the transmission of thoughts and the quality of interaction between the parties involved in the translation activity. Communication is carried out correctly, without becoming personal, with understanding and respect for the rights and obligations of the parties, observing the rules of courtesy, professional, corporate and network ethics.
5. Relationships in a professional environment
5.1. Translation companies and their employees
Translation companies that subscribe to this Code of Ethics ensure that their staff and non-staff members are aware of and adhere to the Code, and will, all other things being equal, work with freelancers who have declared their acceptance of this Code.
5.2. Refusal from unfounded criticism of colleagues
A translator / translation company is advised to avoid harsh statements addressed to colleagues, especially in the face of the client, as this damages the industry as a whole and creates a negative image of the participant in the translation activity. In any situation, mutual help and support is more productive. In all cases, the assessment of other individuals and organizations must be objective and directed towards concrete actions and results.
5.3. Mutual help, transfer of experience, friendly relationship
Kindness is an unconditional and all-encompassing recommendation to a Translator / Translation Company. Moreover, it is advisable not to view industry peers solely as competitors, even if they are, by virtue of the circumstances. Mutual assistance, exchange of useful experience, training of colleagues bring additional dividends and add positive emotions.
5.4. Inadmissibility of discrimination on the basis of age, sex, external data, 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. Networking culture
When communicating via electronic means of communication, it is recommended to observe netiquette - the etiquette of communication on the Internet.
6. Social relations
6.1. Striving to increase the prestige of the profession
In 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 encouraged to make reasonable efforts to introduce the public to the everyday life of the industry (for example, by sharing interesting episodes related to translation, on social media, in personal blogs, articles and media interviews, 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 the success of an event, it is recommended that where appropriate, mention the work of the translator.
6.2. Promotion and support of legislative initiatives
A 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 authorities and structures.
6.3. Volunteering, charity work
Participation or refusal to participate in volunteering (rendering translation services free of charge) and other forms of charity are the personal choice of the Translator / Translation Company. Coercion into unpaid work or the use of the results of volunteer work for commercial purposes is not allowed. When performing a translation at no cost, the Translator / Translation Company is guided by the same professional standards responsibility, quality and confidentiality as in the execution of paid orders.
6.4. Preventing intercultural discord
By definition, the profession of a translator unites. The translator / translation company does not allow messages that contribute to inciting ethnic hatred, does not use offensive epithets in relation to other peoples, does not participate in online flames and forums associated or not related to translation activities, with the goal or result of inciting hatred or ethnic hatred, even if such actions do not formally contradict the legislation, except for cases when offensive epithets are contained in the translated materials.

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

Moira Ingilleri, Ethics

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

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 priority tasks of an ethical orientation, the task of creating an ethical (moral) code is directly posed:

International Federation of Translators,

wishing

state in the form of a formal document some general principles that are inextricably linked to the profession of translator, so that, in particular,

emphasize the social function of translation;

clarify the rights and obligations of the translator;

to lay the foundations of the moral code of the translator;

improve the economic conditions and the social atmosphere in which the translator's activity takes place;

and thus contribute to the establishment of translation as a definite and independent profession, -

publishes the text of a charter intended to guide the translator in carrying out his work.

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

An interesting analysis of a number of ECs from national and international organizations was carried out by Canadian researcher Julia McDonagh in 2011 in Moral Ambiguity: Some Inadequacies of Professional Codes of Ethics for Translators. The paper reviewed 16 ECs published by member organizations FIT, plus the "Translator's Charter" FIT - 17 documents in total (see Table 1).

Table 1. Codes of ethics reviewed by D. McDonagh v.

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

The purpose of this article is not to define all the values \u200b\u200bthat bind members of professional translation communities, but to highlight the values \u200b\u200bthat are common to members of such communities. Since fifteen countries are located in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, the paper offers a fairly representative sample of the ethical standards of a professional translator.

After receiving seventeen codes of ethics, they were carefully compared, and then the most common principles were identified. These comparisons have been placed in a table to better see which values \u200b\u200bare considered most important to the professional translation community.

Unfortunately, in the article the author does not provide any tables from which one could clearly see the full list of "ethical principles" by 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 array 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:

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 ECs require a 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 EC recommends that translators improve their professional qualifications and skills.
Half of ECs set requirements for ethical advertising.
Nearly three quarters of ECs indicate that community members should support their peers.
Slightly more than half of ECs include a clause on the rates at which translators should take on work.

We decided to carry out a similar study in order to get a visual "picture" of the state of EC in the world today. We included in the sample English-language ECs from the McDonnay list, ECs of some other national associations that have English-language versions on their websites, as well as - 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:

Short documents in which all provisions are set out in a simple, unstructured, list. These documents include: ITA ; SAPT ; SATI, , ; STIBC; UTA .
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 of Professional Ethics" ( UTA). The first document has been developed since 2013 by a group of Russian translation industry professionals united in a community TranslationForumRussia... Earlier versions of it can be found on various resources, incl. on the websites of the Union of Translators of Russia and the National League of Translators (see, for example,,,).

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

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

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

Professional principles of work, responsibility, quality, relationships with customers.
Professional and linguistic competence, fidelity and accuracy of translation.
Payment issues.
Confidentiality.
Relationship with colleagues.
Unprofessional behavior, conflicts of interest, discrimination, unfair competition.
Advertising, publicity, public relations.
Professional training, professional development.
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 are generally consistent with the data obtained by McDonagh, but now it is clear what exactly individual ECs contain, and the reader can make independent comparisons.

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

And in our sample, all 20 EC have provisions in which only two general principles are implemented: "confidentiality" and "professional principles of work" (with us), "competence" ( competence) (at McDonagh). The difference in terminology should not confuse us, since by “competence” a Canadian specialist, in fact, means what we have referred to as “professional principles of work”. What she classifies as "precision" ( accuracy), we are 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 CIs, as a rule, fewer principles are implemented than in structured ones. So, in ITA implemented only 5 principles, in SAPT - 4, and in STIBC – 3.

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

Of course, when comparing documents only arithmetic calculations of the number of "realizations" of certain ethical principles cannot be limited. The depth and nature of consideration of certain provisions in different ECs differ significantly. For example, in the Australian and New Zealand EC, the principle of "unprofessional behavior" is implemented in just two short provisions in the section "Professional behavior" ( AUSIT, NZSTI); in the British EC ( ITI ) you can find a total of 15 provisions concerning unprofessional behavior, which are included in the sections Conflict of Interest (2), Integrity (4), Corruption and Bribery (2), Contractual Relationship (2), Competition "(4)," Relations with other members "(1). Remuneration for translators in the Russian EC ( TFR) is devoted to a whole section "Payment and responsibility", and in the EC of the European department FIT (FITEurope ) payment is mentioned only in passing in the section “Relations with fellow translators” as an example of unfair competition - “predatory pricing” ( predatory pricing).

The task of comparing in detail all 20 documents on each of the 9 ethical principles is beyond the scope of this short article. As McDonagh rightly notes, despite the importance of many of the listed principles, “their study is not so interesting, since they do not relate exclusively (or almost exclusively) to the translation profession,” it is much more interesting to consider those of them that “relate specifically to translation (or linguistic profession in general) ". Therefore, in her article, she examines 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 reviewed documents - the "Translator's Charter" in the 1994 edition:

Section 1. General obligations of the translator

Any translation must be correct and accurately convey the form of the original - compliance with such fidelity is the moral and legal obligation of the translator.

A correct translation should not, however, be confused with a literal translation, since the fidelity of the translation does not exclude adaptation aimed at making the form, atmosphere and inner meaning of the work feel in another language and in another country.

The translator must have a good knowledge of the language from which he is translating, and, more importantly, perfectly master the language into which he is translating.

These provisions fully fit into the traditional linguistic paradigm, which prioritizes the equivalence and fidelity of translation, which we discussed in and which Anthony Pym spoke about, in particular:

Traditional translation ethics are based on the concept of fidelity. The translator, we are told, must be true to the original text, the author of the original text, the intentions of the text or the author, or something along those lines ...

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

ATA (USA):

1.Transfer meaning between people and cultures correctly, accurately and impartially;

ATIO (Canada):

2.2 Loyalty and accuracy

2.2.1 Members must faithfully and accurately reproduce, in the target language, the closest natural equivalent of the message in the original source language, 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 transmission accuracy, terminological correctness, language and style.

TFR (Russia):

1.1. Work within competence

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 to the message. The translator maintains a neutral position and strives to convey the messages of the parties as accurately as possible.

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

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

In the presumably the next most recent version, item 1.1 is formulated as follows:

Translator / Translation company performs translation within its competence - linguistic, subject, cultural and technological. This also means that the translator strives to translate exclusively into his own language, the language of his everyday communication, or into 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.

What are we seeing? At first, the EC project insistently urged the (translator) translator to “translate exclusively into his own language or into a language that he speaks at a native speaker level,” later this requirement was somewhat “eroded” 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 make demands on the translator to translate exclusively or primarily into their native language, the language of everyday communication, or a language for which they have a confirmed level of competence.

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

FITEurope (international organization) :

2.1 Competencies

Interpreters and translators should only work in languages \u200b\u200band subject areas in which they are qualified and have the necessary skills. Written translators must only translate into their own language, the language of their everyday communication, or into a language in which they have a demonstrated level of equivalent competence.

ITA(Israel):

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

and. 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 must act in accordance with the following professional values:

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

3. Written translation

3.1… members should only translate into a language that is either (i) their native language or the language of their everyday communication, or (ii) a language for which they have convinced the Institute that they have equivalent competence. They should only translate from languages \u200b\u200bin which they can demonstrate that they have the necessary skills.

3.2… members should always ensure the highest standards of work in accordance with their abilities, 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 must make every effort to ensure that the original text is transmitted correctly, which must be completely free from their personal interpretation, opinion or influence;

5. Working conditions

5.1. Transfer

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

SFT (France):

1. General principles

b. Fidelity

Translators should strive to reproduce the transmitted message as faithfully as possible.

3. Obligations to clients

from. 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 the translator are not specially stipulated. There are a lot of such ECs in our sample: AIIC ; BDÜ ; IAPTI; SAPT; SATI , ; STIBC ; UTA ... The corresponding wording in these ECs stipulates only the general high professional level and / or responsibility of the translator. For example:

BDÜ(Germany):

1 General professional responsibilities

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

1.2 BDÜ members must have appropriate professional qualifications and ensure quality requirements acceptable to 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 such orders for which they are able to guarantee their customers an appropriate level of quality.

UTA (Ukraine):

1. Provide a professional level of translation and interpretation.

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 watershed, determined by us by the provisions of the current edition of the "Translator's Charter". We think this position is more modern and more “progressive”, since these ECs attempt to move away from the traditional “binding” to the requirement of “fidelity” of translation: let the client and the professional community determine the appropriate level of quality, and the translator (a member of the professional community) guarantees a responsible and high-quality execution of a specific translation task.

A code of ethics exists in various professions. It must be followed by doctors, lawyers and other professionals, whose mistakes can cost their clients dearly. Codes of honor are stricter in certain areas than others. There is also a code of ethics in translation, however, there is no fixed list of standards of conduct for translators.

The article was prepared by an interpreting agency http://ustno-perevod.ru/

We can say that the code of ethics in the field of translation is a set of moral principles and rules that should be followed by translators in their professional conduct. Different organizations in need of translation services, or translation agencies or associations, often develop their own code of ethics for translators. In some cases, translators sign such a document when hiring or hiring.

Although there is no single code, all rules for translators are fundamentally similar. The most common fundamental principles are as follows.

Accuracy... The translator or interpreter is obliged to accurately and completely convey the original messages, without omitting or adding anything to what has been said, taking into account the linguistic characteristics of both the original language and the target language, while maintaining the tone and character of the original message.
Courtesy (sensitivity to another culture).The translator must be culturally competent, receptive to foreign culture, and must also respect the people for whom or for whom he is translating.
Confidentiality... The translator must not disclose any information that is revealed in the course of translation, including, but not limited to, data obtained through access to documents and other written materials.
Disclosure... A translator must not publicly discuss, communicate or express his own opinion on the subject of translation that he or she has done or has done in the past, even if such information is not considered confidential by law.
Non-discrimination... The translator is obliged to behave in a neutral, impartial and impartial manner in any situation. A translator must not support a policy of discrimination based on gender, disability, race, color, nationality, age, socioeconomic or educational status, religious or political beliefs.
Providing data on your qualifications... The translator is obliged to provide complete and accurate data regarding his qualifications, vocational training and work experience.
Impartiality (conflict of interest)... The translator is obliged to disclose any actual or possible conflict of interest that may affect the objectivity of his actions in the course of rendering translation services. Providing interpretation or translation services for family or friends may involve a violation of privacy rights or a conflict of interest.
Professional conduct... The translator must be punctual, properly trained, and wear suitable clothing appropriate to the work situation.
Compliance with the scope of authority... A translator must not give advice, recommendations or express his own opinion to people for whom or for whom he is translating, as well as participate in other activities that could be regarded as services not related to translation activities.
Informing about the obstacle to the transfer... In each situation, the translator is obliged to assess his / her ability to perform a specific translation. In case of doubts about his competence, he must immediately inform the parties about this and refuse to participate in the translation. In such a situation, the translator can continue translating until a more competent translator is found.
Development of professional skills... The translator must develop his skills and expand his knowledge, namely, gain experience, continue learning and interact with colleagues and specialists from related fields.

If the organization has its own code of ethics signed by translators, then in case of violation of the code, the contract with the employee may be terminated.

Every profession has its own moral standards and laws of professional behavior that must not be violated. They do not always have the form of commandments, but, perhaps, they are always based on the foundations of Christian morality. There are such ethical standards in the professional activity of a translator. They have gradually developed and developed in world practice and are the moral code of the modern representative of the profession that we are talking about. It will be useful for us to get acquainted with some of these rules:

Translator is a TRANSLATOR that "re-expresses" an oral or written text created in one language into a text in another language.

The TEXT for the translator is IMPACTABLE. The translator does not have the right to change the text (shorten, expand) at his will during translation, if additional conditions were not supplied by the customer.

When translating, the translator always strives to convey to the maximum extent the INVARIANT of the source text, i.e. translate all language units of the original text from a foreign language.

The translator is not obliged to translate language units in other languages. (If, for example, in a German scientific text there are quotations in Latin, English, French, etc.). This is not the task of a translator if he does not speak other languages.

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

The translator is obliged to maximally ensure a high level of proficiency in the original language, the target language, and the translation technique.

Requirements for the design of the written text are discussed in advance with the customer. Always respected: transfer of graphic information (arrangement of parts of the text, headings, subheadings) and indication of original pages.

The translator has the right to demand all the necessary conditions to ensure a high-quality translation (providing reference and other literature on the topic).

Questions for self-control:

Why is it impossible to name the exact number of languages \u200b\u200bexisting on the globe?

How does an interpreter differ from a written translator?

Explain the expression “translation as an activity”.

What is the basis for the success of the translation profession?

What is background knowledge and what is its role for a translator?

Formulate at least a few basic rules of translation ethics.

Why do you think a MORAL TRANSLATOR CODE is needed?