Translation Ethics at the workplace from an employed translator's viewpoint
Thread poster: Maha Arara
Maha Arara
Maha Arara  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:22
English to Arabic
+ ...
Oct 15, 2020

Applying the ethics of the translation profession can be less challenging when you are a freelance translator, because you decide what to accept or decline without having to account for it- at least most of the time. However, if you are employed by a firm that engages in an activity other than translation, you are likely to face challenges in applying your ethics as a translator as you have to meet your employer’s expectations and the expectations of the team in general.

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Applying the ethics of the translation profession can be less challenging when you are a freelance translator, because you decide what to accept or decline without having to account for it- at least most of the time. However, if you are employed by a firm that engages in an activity other than translation, you are likely to face challenges in applying your ethics as a translator as you have to meet your employer’s expectations and the expectations of the team in general.

Protecting the confidentiality of a client or job is a simple task for a freelance translator. The situation is different at the workplace- you, as a translator, do not only have to protect the confidentiality of the firm’s clients, you also have to protect the confidentiality of your colleagues’ work, since you get documents for translation from all your colleagues. A translator is regarded by their colleagues as a source of information and past experiences; they will turn to you for “a template”, a “similar letter” or “a similar case”. Do not be surprised if you notice that some of your colleagues like to stop by your desk to peek at your screen or a piece of paper that is left out. It is in the best interest of the firm that you share some information with your colleagues. Confidentiality must not be compromised in this case but protecting it will require some effort. A translator who chooses to share information with colleagues at the workplace must first consult with their counselor, a member or the top management or someone from the HR team. A translator then has to ensure the anonymity of the documents or information shared by deleting name of the author, name of the client and dates.

Another challenge that faces a translator when applying the ethics at the workplace is being asked to do a job that is out of their area of expertise or beyond the reach of their skills. A freelance translator would simply turn down the job, but an employed translator would normally be expected to accomplish all the tasks they are given, especially if he/she is the only translator in the office. To handle this situation without ethical compromise, a translator will have to tell the solicitor that the job will be challenging and that they will need help from a person who is knowledgeable in that area- that could be someone from the office or some external support.

Cherishing your ethical values as a translator is an everyday concern that requires a translator to be on their guard in order to make uncompromising ethical choices that eventually pay off by contributing to your image and name as a translator.
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Emanuele Vacca
 
Sadek_A
Sadek_A  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:22
English to Arabic
+ ...
Let's review! Oct 16, 2020

Maha Arara wrote:
Applying the ethics of the translation profession can be less challenging when you are a freelance translator, because you decide what to accept or decline without having to account for it- at least most of the time. However, if you are employed by a firm that engages in an activity other than translation, you are likely to face challenges in applying your ethics as a translator as you have to meet your employer’s expectations and the expectations of the team in general.
Another challenge that faces a translator when applying the ethics at the workplace is being asked to do a job that is out of their area of expertise or beyond the reach of their skills. A freelance translator would simply turn down the job, but an employed translator would normally be expected to accomplish all the tasks they are given, especially if he/she is the only translator in the office.

No, it's not less challenging; it's rather equally the same. When you get hired (in both instances), you are (supposedly) chosen based on your all-inclusive subject-matter(s) expertise and the test(s) that prove(s) the same. Hence, you ought to be armed for the job either way. Additionally, you get equally "penalized", whether in a freelance or an in-house commitment, for rejecting a project that is evidently within your proven SME(s). If your employer (in both instances) failed to communicate and test for all the SME(s) they will be needing, then it's on them.

Maha Arara wrote:
Protecting the confidentiality of a client or job is a simple task for a freelance translator.

No, it's not; it's way harder, some might say "impossible". See? In freelancing, you're exclsuively using channels, e.g. email service, platform, cloud, etc., over which you have no control, neither legal nor technical.

Maha Arara wrote:
The situation is different at the workplace- you, as a translator, do not only have to protect the confidentiality of the firm’s clients, you also have to protect the confidentiality of your colleagues’ work, since you get documents for translation from all your colleagues.

By "colleagues' work" you mean company's work, not personal stuff (such as translating love messages they have been exchanging with their latest hook-ups, or more importantly, prescriptions for their latest STDs they contracted from those hook-ups)? If yes, then company's work is done inside company's premises on company's computers, and is company's responsibility to protect. Not like said translator has been entrusted with translating the COVID dissemination plans anyway!

Maha Arara wrote:
A translator is regarded by their colleagues as a source of information and past experiences.

No, the translator is not regarded as such; translator is rather regarded as the pitifully-paid hobbit they wish they could do without in their course of milking easy millions from the contract; hence, machine translation.

Maha Arara wrote:
They will turn to you for “a template”, a “similar letter” or “a similar case”.

Wiselator: "I ain't giving no shit up for free, and neither should anyone else".

Maha Arara wrote:
Do not be surprised if you notice that some of your colleagues like to stop by your desk to peek at your screen or a piece of paper that is left out.

By all means, it shouldn't be a surprise, it should be a PROBLEM. Your colleagues are your equals, not your superiors, and must not be doing that (you doing it to them is fine, however); even your superiors must announce their wish to look at your monitor and respectfully wait for your professional permission, otherwise it's called micromanagement which is a negative business concept; and, since the workplace network would be already shielded against porn, streaming and gaming, then the translator would only be googling "how to stub your own toe and make it look like your boss did it, for you to collect injury claims" which is -of course- a harmless workplace leisure activity, and if not shielded then it's on them.

Maha Arara wrote:
It is in the best interest of the firm that you share some information with your colleagues. Confidentiality must not be compromised in this case but protecting it will require some effort. A translator who chooses to share information with colleagues at the workplace must first consult with their counselor, a member or the top management or someone from the HR team. A translator then has to ensure the anonymity of the documents or information shared by deleting name of the author, name of the client and dates.

Again, company's work? Then the company directs you as to how, when and why you will be sharing or not. Unless they tell you a clear NO, then it's a YES. You don't put any effort coming up with plans of your own on something like this.


Liviu-Lee Roth
Asteria Lan
 


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Translation Ethics at the workplace from an employed translator's viewpoint







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