Professional Ethics and Standards
This domain tests applied ethics through scenarios rather than slogans. Expect short cases about confidentiality, competence, conflicts of interest, fees, dual roles and data handling, plus questions asking which published standard or code governs a situation.
Core duties
Confidentiality survives the assignment and covers notes, termbases and cloud backups. Competence means declining work you cannot do to standard, or disclosing limited expertise before acceptance. Accuracy means fidelity to meaning and register, including omissions and hedging. Impartiality forbids advocacy for either party; it does not forbid cultural clarification, which must be offered to both sides. Conflicts of interest - prior relationships, financial interest, family ties - must be declared before work begins.
Standards worth citing
ISO 17100 specifies requirements for translation services, including translator competence, revision and project registers. ISO 13611 covers community interpreting. ISO 18587 covers machine translation post-editing. ISO 20771 addresses legal translation. Professional bodies' codes and court oaths add jurisdiction-specific duties, and data protection law governs client files and recordings.
Worked example
A lawyer asks the interpreter to “just summarise the helpful parts” of a witness statement for the client. Reasoning: this changes the evidence and creates a dual role. The interpreter declines the summary, offers a complete interpretation, and states the limit in front of both parties so the refusal is not mistaken for unhelpfulness. The refusal is recorded.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing impartiality with indifference to error.
- Discussing an assignment in a lift or on social media.
- Accepting gifts that create obligation.
- Failing to declare a prior relationship with a party.