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ETHICS IN TRANSLATION 

 

Zaur MIRZAZADE 

QafqazUniversity 

[e-mail] 

Baki/AZERBAIJAN 

 

A professional translator or interpreter does not simply translate words from one language to another. His duty is to 

interpret and connect ideas from one culture to another. Nation, Language, and the Ethics of Translation enter the heart of 

this debate. Before starting my discussion about ethics in translation studies, the reason for me to touch on some previous 

and recent approaches and concepts is that, I assume they will facilitate our understanding of translation since they enlighten 

translation and herewith ethical understanding in translation. 

What is a translator to do? 

The translator’s special responsibility results from the fact that very often, the commissioner, the source-text author and 

the target-text receiver are not able to check whether the translation is compatible with the author’s intentions; they have to 

trust the translator. Interpreter translates oral language back and forth so that it can be understood by parties who speak 

different languages. 

General ethics principles: 

Ethics is one of the most significant matters which translation studies has been interested in recently. Ethical conflict 

concerns the revisers’ uncertainty as to how to assess what exactly is expected from them. In real-life translation revision, 

revisers very often get the same brief as the original translator.  

The general principles contained in the different codes of ethics require translators and interpreters to:  

· respect their clients’ right to privacy and confidentiality  

· disclose any real or perceived conflicts of interest  

· decline to undertake work beyond their competence or accreditation levels  

· relay information accurately and impartially between parties  

· maintain professional detachment and refrain from inappropriate self-promotion  

·guard against misuse of inside information for personal gain. 

When does a translation become unethical? 

I admit that factors could also play a role in producing an unethical translation, but they can also serve an ethical 

translation work. Here are some of the situations when it becomes unethical. An unethical translation may emerge when the 

translator, misrepresented or misinterprets the source text  has a biased, prejudiced or ideologically suspect version ; causes 

the source text to lose its value because of misinformation on purpose or by mistake;  evokes scandals by aggravating 

ethnocentric thoughts or ideologies. What does the target language mean? 

I try to write a plan and I don't understand what target language is. Let’s describe a situation: a translator meets 

foreigner. He has to translate in his or her understanding language however not in other. Interpreter should translate side 

conversation: 

Do we know anything about side conversation? It means when an interpreter makes a translation and suddenly guest 

speaker changes the official theme to his personal talk. Now arises a question: does a translator have to translate his 

personal conversation? It depends on situations. We have to identify that situation because persons differ one-another. Each 

one has own culture. All are various countries. For instance when you help old man for taking his cudgel this is politeness in 

Europe but when you do the same thing in Japan this is called impoliteness. That is why I say we can not order that we have 

to or not. We have to decide at that situation.