Ethics in translation practice

The interest in and understanding of ethics among translation scholars has changed dramatically since the publication of Andrew Chesterman’s proposal for a Hieronymic Oath (Chesterman, 2001). Early definitions of ethics based on equivalence (Newmark, 1991), faithfulness, loyalty (Nord, 1997) and trust have been put aside in favour of more recent notions of translator ethics grounded in accountability (Baker & Maier, 2011) and social responsibility (Drugan & Tipton, 2017). Practising translators who abide by codes of ethics/conduct are bound by principles of honesty, integrity, linguistic competence, confidentiality, and trust. This paper begins by presenting a brief literature review of the main developments in translation ethics from the early linguists to contemporary interpretations. There then follows an analysis and comparison of several professional codes of conduct from the main international associations of translators and interpreters with the benchmark, the Association of Translation and Interpreting Professionals (APTRAD). It is one of the more recent translator associations and has a code of conduct adopted in the last six years. The objective of this paper is to determine which theoretical definitions of ethics are reflected in the codes of conduct and to discuss their usefulness for translators in their daily practice. The paper ends with recommendations for changes to codes of conduct to make them more relevant to practising translators.

Analysis of professional secrecy in Ibero-America: Ethical and legal perspectives

Eight Ibero-American political constitutions that include professional secrecy (confidentiality) as a constitutional guarantee are analysed, and their influence as a fundamental right in the professional practice of librarians is examined. The impact of professional secrecy is established in professional codes of ethics, and it is shown that they do not clearly express this principle; its application in trade unions has limited effectiveness. The various difficulties involved in preserving professional secrecy in library practice, which work centres try to violate, are shown.

Mass Media, Social Media and Technological Evolution Today: A Theoretical Approach

This study aims to make a synthetic theoretical presentation of the main challenges currently noticeable in the evolution of the mass media and social media in the context of the accelerated development of new technologies. It is a slow, but decided, visible change, one that profoundly affects human society. In this context we put forward the use of the post-media concept, which defines the transition from classical to new (digital) media, assimilating both the facilities of rapid communication and linking, as well as the tensions arising as a result of the dangers generated and the pressures exerted by various changes. The analysis covers the main types of convergence in communication, the integration of new technologies and equipment, the generalization of interconnection, the extension and diversification of handling arrangements, and the need to rewrite ethical and professional codes for the use of those working on digital platforms.

Translation ethics wikified: How far do professional codes of ethics and practice apply to non-professionally produced translation?

Translation involves ethical decision-making in challenging contexts. Codes of practice help professional translators identify ethical issues and formulate appropriate, justifiable responses. However, new and growing forms of community translation operate outside the professional realm, and substantial differences exist between the two approaches. How relevant, then, are professional codes in the new contexts? What alternative ‘codes’ (stated or implicit) have been developed by the new groups? The content of professional codes is compared here to a broad range of community approaches to identify themes common across both, and areas where the new community might be making an original contribution. This reveals different priorities in the professional and non-professional codes. Community translation initiatives have found novel solutions to some ethical problems and challenges, particularly in self-regulation and community policing, improved interpretation of code content, an emphasis on shared values rather than individual rights, and strong mentoring.

The relationship between workload and adherence to professional codes of ethics among a sample of Iranian nurses

Background Many studies have investigated the adherence to professional codes of ethics by nurses. However, no study has explicitly examined the relationship between workload and adherence to professional codes of ethics among Iranian nurses. Objective This study aimed to explore the relationships between workload and adherence to professional codes of ethics among a sample of Iranian nurses. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 213 nurses who were randomly selected from the different wards of Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Iran. Data collection instruments included a personal characteristics questionnaire, the Nursing Ethics Questionnaire, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index. The Chi-square, the Spearman correlation coefficient, the Kruskal–Wallis, and Mann–Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data. Results A majority of nurses were females (77.5%), married (79.3%), and permanently employed (55.4%). The mean of the overall perceived workload and adherence to professional codes of ethics were 76.36 ± 13.64 and 13.98 ± 2.58, that were at high and moderated level, respectively. Spearman correlation test showed no significant correlation between perceived workload and adherence to professional codes of ethics ( r = 0.03, P = 0.6). A significant difference was found between the mean scores of adherence to professional codes of ethics in nurses working in different departments ( P < 0.001). Conclusion Participating nurses perceived high levels of workload but their mean adherence to professional codes of ethics was at a moderate level. The perceived workload was indirectly correlated with adherence to professional codes of ethics.

Postpartum haemorrhage and synthetic oxytocin dilutions in labour

This study investigated postpartum haemorrhage and historic oxytocin usage, because haemorrhage rates are rising. During the evolution of practice from intravenous bovine post-pituitary extract to synthetic oxytocin, experimental interventions had produced improved outcomes in certain cases and the postpartum haemorrhage rate was low. In this study, current synthetic oxytocin regimes from across the UK were compared with the 1977 (unchanged) licensed instructions for infusion. As a result of the pain-inducing properties of synthetic oxytocin, epidural analgesia prior to infusion is now standard for unlicensed regimes, adding complexity to intrapartum care and greater risks of complex births, as the fetus may be adversely affected by epidural drugs and acidosis. Unlicensed synthetic oxytocin dilutions and increments, the desensitising of oxytocin receptors, and unmeasured error factors in infusion pumps affect labour progress and outcomes. Today's rates of postpartum haemorrhage are associated with these changes to obstetric practice. Failure to inform women of intended unlicensed practices with synthetic oxytocin, or obtain consent for such, or offer licensed practice as standard constitutes neglect of the legal obligations outlined for doctors and midwives by professional Codes of Practice, intended to protect patients from predictable dangers.

Management of Medical Data in Emerging Threats

"Emerging viral or bacterial threats pose significant medical and ethical issues, caused not only by the management of the disease, but also by the uncontrolled dissemination of information, both true and fake. Even the most correct and impartially presented piece of information can be understood by the patients or by the public at large in ways that are opposite to those intended by the communicators. This, associated with the increased prevalence of fake news, may cause havoc and decrease the efficacy of the needed preventive measures that have to be taken to tackle the actual medical problem. Within the context of the coronavirus outbreak, this has been coined as “infodemic”, increasing the difficulty of finding an optimal solution to the actual problem. Medical data about an emerging medical threat is disseminated through mass – and social media, especially by public authorities and physicians. The latter have specific duties, appertaining to their professional codes of morals, toward minimizing the harms generated by diseases, both at a personal and at a populational level. In infodemics, the management of the information they present to the public is extremely important, as each wording can be improperly interpreted and cause opposite effects. In this paper, we will discuss whether and which healthcare professionals should be involved in disseminating information about emerging healthcare threats, and which moral duties should prevail in these instances. "

Insight Series, University of Birmingham

Ethical behaviour from a normative perspective is usually understood as following rules, decisions based on any potential consequences and fostering internal moral qualities for human flourishing. Although the process of codifying professional conduct is in itself deontological (rule-focused), a code of ethical conduct should still depict a balanced orientation towards compliance with rules, consequences or ethical development. The analysis of the examined documents, however, indicates that professional codes seem to emphasise conformity among its own members to the rules of the codes rather than developing their autonomous interest in ethical professional practice.