Principle of Profession Conducts
Sample TestQuestion 1 Under the general principle of Professional Conducts, the translators should undertake appropriate preparation for all assignments. It is my responsibility to conduct proper research and check the terminologies before the commencing of the assignment, which would ensure my competence to finish the assignment. And according to the principle of Competence, the acceptance of an assignment is an implicit declaration of the translator’s competence to carry out the assignment. As I have already accepted the assignment, this would imply that I am capable of finishing the task. The principle of Profession Conducts also states that the translators should complete the assignment they have accepted unless they are unable to do so. This is when the assignment is beyond the competence of the translators, they should inform the client(s) immediately and work to resolve the situation, either withdrawing from the assignment or following another acceptable strategy. As my client is in a hurry, I would contact him/her immediately about the difficulties I am experiencing. I would ask my client to extend the deadline or whether I could get another colleague to work together with me by sub-contracting. If the client refuses to extend the time and agrees on sub-contracting, disclosure of the information would require permission from my client. So I could work together with my colleague. In addition, the other translator should also follow the Code of Ethics under the principle of Maintaining Professional Relationships. And the responsibility of the translated text rests with me not the other translator. If the client agrees with one of the courses of action above, I would not need to withdraw from the assignment.
For my future assignment, I should always prepare well and make appropriate research on the document before accepting the assignment and not accept an assignment if I could not finish on time. Question 2This question is related to the principle of Impartiality, which states that the translators should disclose all conflicts of interest, e.g. in assignments for relatives or friends and those affecting their employers. The contacts that I accepted to translate can adversely affects the interest of one of my own family members, so I have a conflict of interest under this situation which I would disclose to my client. The principle also states that when impartiality may be difficult to maintain because of some circumstances, the translators can withdraw from the assignment. To follow the Code, I would inform my client that it is unlikely for me to maintain my impartiality here as one of my close family members is involved and I prefer to withdraw from the assignment. Question 3This question is related to the principle of Accuracy in the Code of Ethics. According to this principle, the translators do not alter, add, or omit anything from the content and intent of the source message. In this case, the translator changed the original date from the source document, which might break the principle for Accuracy, even if the translator though it was the “correct” year. After my proof reading, I would contact my client and inform my client the difference between the original date and the translated date. The client would check relevant sources to confirm the actual date. Then, if the client changes the date as the translated date, the translation would reflect the accurate information from the source text, which has no problem. In the circumstance that I am unable to reach my client, I would make a note of the difference I have found during my proofreading and send it back to my client.