How can we improve the codes of ethics for translators?
As early as 1963, the FIT adopted the Translator’s Charter during the Congress at Dubrovnik, stipulating the rights,
obligations, and social responsibilities of translators. The document inspired many professional translator associations to draft their own
codes. These codes share a common goal: to inform the ethical decision-making of translators. However, some practitioners as well as
scholars have questioned their value, pointing to the inconsistencies within or between codes and the difficulty of applying them to
real-life situations. They view the codes as declarative documents that lay down the most basic ethical principles. Why does this gap exist
between codes and practice? What should be addressed first to answer this question? We believe that these codes tend to overlook a
fundamental aspect of translation. Their focus is on the relationship between translators and clients. In other words, gaining the
confidence and meeting the expectations of clients are often treated as the most important elements of a code. However, the act of
translation, like any human act, is a social one that impacts the community the translator belongs to. Therefore, a translator is a social
agent who supports the ethical goal of living better together in a community. How can these codes be improved? To explore this question, we
review the discussions of authors who have emphasized the social role of translators and interpreters, including Chesterman, Baker, and
Inghilleri. We finally suggest community-related ethical principles and virtues for translator codes of ethics.
Article outline
- 1.Are codes of ethics useful for translators?
- 2.From value to virtue: Chesterman’s Hieronymic Oath
- 3.Can understanding be the ultimate aim of translation?
- 4.Equal communication as the telos of translation
- 5.Conclusion
- Notes
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References
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Websites
References (24)
References
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Baker, Mona; and Chesterman, Andrew. 2008. “Ethics of renarration: Mona Baker is interviewed by Andrew Chesterman”. Cultus 1 (1): 10–33.
Berman, Antoine. 1984. L’épreuve de l’étranger: Culture et traduction dans l’Allemagne romantique. Paris: Gallimard.
Berman, Antoine. 1992. The Experience of the Foreign: Culture and Translation in Romantic Germany, transl. by Heyvaert, Stefan. New York (NY): State University of New York Press.
Berman, Antoine. 1999. La Traduction et La Lettre ou L’Auberge du Lointain. Paris: Seuil.
Chesterman, Andrew. 2001. “Proposal for a Hieronymic Oath”. The Translator 7 (2): 139–154. 

Chesterman, Andrew. 2018. “Translation ethics”. In A History of Modern Translation Knowledge: Sources, concepts, effects, ed. by D’hulst, Lieven; and Yves Gambier, 443–448. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 

Dolmaya, Julie McDonough. 2011. “Moral ambiguity: Some shortcomings of professional codes of ethics for translators”. The Journal of Specialised Translation 151: 28–49.
Drugan, Joanna. 2017. “Ethics and social responsibility in practice: interpreters and translators engaging with and beyond the professions”. The Translator 23 (2): 126–142. 

Drugan, Joanna; and Tipton, Rebecca. 2017. “Translation, ethics and social responsibility”. The Translator 23 (2): 119–125. 

Goodwin, Phil. 2010. “Ethical Problems in Translation Why We Might Need Steiner After All”. The Translator 16 (1): 19–42. 

Inghilleri, Moira. 2008. “The ethical task of the translator in the geo-political arena: From Iraq to Guantánamo Bay”. Translation Studies 1 (2): 212–223. 

Lambert, Joseph. 2018. “How ethical are codes of ethics? Using illusions of neutrality to sell translations”. The Journal of Specialised Translation 301: 269–290.
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Steiner, George. 1975. After Babel: aspects of language and translation. Oxford: OUP.
Wood, Greg; and Rimmer, Malcolm. 2003. “Codes of Ethics: What Are They Really and What Should They Be”. International Journal of Value-Based Management 16 (2): 181–195. 

Yun, Seong woo; and Lee, Hyang. 2013. “Hermeneutic Turn in Antoine Berman’s Philosophy of Translation: The Influence of Heidegger and Ricoeur”. Filozofia 68 (3): 205–219.
Websites
Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT). 2011. “Translator’s Charter”. [URL]
Korean Society of Translators [URL]
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