The Ethics, Rules And Standards, An Arabic Interpreter Has To Abide By
An Arabic Court Certified Interpreter, his or her work is marred by issues of social conflict, ethnic prejudice, and human rights. The ethical duties of an interpreter, keeping in mind, that an interpreter is considered as an officer of the court, which was seldom problematical before—and therefore have remained unaddressed by the ethical codes of most courts and professional organizations—now all too often come into conflict. Many interpreters are sometimes faced with conflicts, it doesn’t have to be a conflict of interest, but it can be a conflict of principles, a conflict of belief, a conflict of human rights, a conflict of humanity, a conflict of social injustice, and the list goes on. The million-dollar question, what does an Arabic Linguist do when confronted with such unexpected issues during an assignment?
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Regardless of how the interpreter feels deep down inside, regardless of how he was raised, his own personal principles he or she holds-close to their heart. An Arabic Linguist or Arabic Interpreter has to always stay on the track, that track is the standard of impartiality required of an interpreter. Impartiality, as defined in the judicial codes, requires the interpreter in avoiding any situation that might give even the slight appearance of bias. It applies to all officers of the court, interpreters included, and with no exceptions, even if the court or jury are conflicted. A professional Arabic Interpreter and as hard as it may be has to stay neutral and not get his emotions or personal feelings to takeover or steer his opinion one way or another.
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An Arabic Translator has taken an oath of accuracy and impartiality and shouldn't be conflicted with his or her ethical reporting duties as an officer of the court. Also, the confidentiality of an interpreter is not absolute, even though in most cases it is not part of the interpreter’s oath, unless this is a National Security Case, and involves an Arabic Interpreter with an S (Secret), TS (Top Secret), TS/SCI (Top Secret Sensitive Compartmentalized Information) or TS/SCI/SAP (Top Secret Sensitive Compartmentalized Information, Special Access Program). In such cases, an Arabic Interpreter, Linguist, or Translator is obligated by law, and by the MOU’s he signed-on with the U.S. government and is sworn to secrecy, otherwise, he or she can be fully prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law. This can reach levels of treason, so it is no joking manner. For that reason, an Arabic Interpreter has to sign a confidentiality agreement, and an (NDA) non-disclosure agreements if asked, to protect PI or PII (Personal Identifiable Information) information as well as the sensitive case material, and for that reason at Arabic Dialects we protect our systems and technology for clients and cases protection. An Interpreter or an Arabic Translator, is supposed to convey the meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately, and impartially and is not supposed to interject his or her own opinion in subject discussion regardless of how he passionately feels about the issue. In some situations, Arabic language-specific terms, such as judicial proceedings that do not exist in the target country cannot be expanded to include a long-winded explanation of it; nor can they be omitted altogether. The translator or interpreter must come up with an appropriate term given the nature and purpose of the document, hearing, or proceedings he or she is working on.
In certain situations where conflicts arise, like issues with human or legal rights may be in doubt, translators’ ethical and political judgments become as central to their task as cultural or linguistic competence. An Arabic Interpreter cannot escape the burden of their moral proximity to others. The term (a priori) or preexisting rules point towards ethical tenets that predate the particular situation to which the rules are supposed to be implemented. For that reason, the term (CI) categorical imperatives in preexisting rules and codes is used in certain cases. An interpreter’s impartiality is challenged daily when preexisting rules are tested against the new social fabric, political events or situations, and legal realities. Inherent limitations in ethical codes belong to a few categories - grey areas in reality which fall in the middle of ethical tenets, obscuring their interpretation and applicability - situations where different tenets collide or lead to divergent conclusions - bias in the way the code has originated. Regarding bias, consider that interpreter codes originated with the Court Interpreters Act issued in 1978, at a time when ad hoc interpreters were the norm.
An Arabic Interpreter or Translator is usually unseen, tend to be invisible, and that is the role of a good interpreter, not to have the attention or the spotlight on him, he is there as a tool, a language facilitator, a conduit and he or she needs to stay as such, that is the definition of a good interpreter. A good Arabic Interpreter is not supposed to deflect the spotlight over to him or her. He or she should not think that they are the center of attention, no matter how good of an interpreter he or she is.
On-location or in-person Arabic medical interpreters perform lifesaving and essential work, in direct contact with patients and other health care providers. The Bureau of the Census indicates that more than 72 million Americans and residents speak a language other than English, and more than 18 million have limited Proficiency in the English language, or barely speak any. Under U.S. laws, individuals who do not speak English are entitled to language access services when receiving medical care. Medical interpreters save lives and improve medical outcomes for some of the most vulnerable sick patients.
For all the above reasons, you need to think twice when hiring an Arabic Interpreter, regardless of what you require the interpreter for. That being a court case, a trial, an arraignment, a case requiring an Arabic Interpreter, or Translator with a High-Level Security Clearance. Always remember we are here to help. Arabic Interpreters and Translators are just a phone call away.
TAGS: ARABIC INTERPRETER, ARABIC LINGUIST, ARABIC TRANSLATOR, CERTIFIED ARABIC INTERPRETER, ARABIC INTERPRETER WITH A SECURITY CLEARANCE, CLEARED ARABIC LINGUIST
