Code of Ethics
Translator's Code of Ethics
CHAPTER I
Article 1 – The translator has the following fundamental duties
1° to respect the texts or other materials whose translation is entrusted to him, not using his knowledge to disfigure or alter them;
2° To exercise his activity with conscience and dignity, so as to elevate the concept of his professional category;
3° to use all linguistic, technical, scientific or other knowledge within his reach for the best performance of his function;
4° To strive to participate in the decision-taking of his class organ, and to see that they are complied with, particularly with regard to fair remuneration, working conditions and respect for the rights of the translator
5° To show solidarity with the initiatives in favor of the interests of his professional category, even if they are not of direct benefit to him.
CHAPTER II
Relations with Colleagues
Art. 2 – The translator must treat his colleagues with loyalty, respect and solidarity.
Art. 3 – The translator must abstain from any act that signifies unfair competition with other translators or exploitation of the work of colleagues, whether in a commercial sense or otherwise.
CHAPTER III
Relations with the Service Contractor
The translator must serve loyally the interest of the person who contracted his service.
Art. 5. – The translator shall endeavor to agree in advance, in writing, with the service contracting party, the reciprocal obligations concerning the work in question.
CHAPTER IV
Of Professional Secrecy
The translator is bound to keep secret any facts of which he may have become aware, having seen, heard, or deduced them in the course of his professional activity, unless they imply an offence provided for by law, or may generate serious illicit consequences for third parties.
CHAPTER V
Professional Responsibility
The translator is civilly and criminally liable for professional acts harmful to the interests of the contracting party of his services, committed through lack of skill, imprudence, negligence, or ethical infractions.
CHAPTER VI
Application of this Code
Art. 8 – It is the responsibility of the National Translators Union – SINTRA to investigate the faults committed against this Code of Ethics, to apply the penalties provided in the SINTRA Bylaws and, when applicable, to forward the case to the competent bodies.
Art. 9 – With discretion and grounds, the translator shall make known to SINTRA the facts constituting infraction of the norms of this Code.
Characteristics of a good translator
1ST QUALITY
– Pre-eminent and indispensable factor.
The translations requested may be texts used in
– meetings,
– public presentations
– lectures,
– graduations,
– informative documents
– medication package inserts/recipes,
– technical manuals,
– courses,
– books, etc.
These are texts that, if not interpreted correctly, can bring embarrassment, setbacks, and losses to the client.
This is why a translator and a proofreader are needed for each job.
A translator can proofread his/her own text, but it is not recommended, because after hours of work focused on between the lines and on the interpretation of a text, it is normal to make translation mistakes (words that are “eaten” or misspelled, nonsense sentences, typos, etc).
ADVICE: Good networking is fundamental! Find another translator and make a partnership!
2º FAST
Two factors to take into account:
– The deadline negotiated with the client
– Daily translation capacity
You should never accept deadlines that are too short, because meeting deadlines is part of the profession and defines our reputation in the industry.
CAT tools help a lot to make the work more efficient.
ADVICE: Most clients want everything done quickly, so accept jobs you know you can handle.
3º MASTER LANGUAGES
Mastering the mother tongue is essential, vital to a translator’s success. Clients expect only excellence when translating into their native language.
Continuous training: Mastering languages does not qualify anyone for translation, knowing the structure of the language does.
4TH EFFICIENCY
Efficiency, Quality, and Speed go hand in hand.
Work with the right tools, at the right time, with rigorous quality control.
Happy customer; good reputation; good pay; and career sustainability.
5º BEING CULT
Reading a lot, on varied subjects, consulting encyclopedias, using a good dictionary, having a good personal library with varied subjects and languages, mastering grammars, knowing how to listen more than to speak… characteristics that make a translator more apt for his or her work.
Finding reliable sources is important, so information from digital media is not always the most appropriate.
6º BEING A RESEARCHER
Translating is the process of adapting from one language to another, where the translated text conveys the original idea.
The best possible translation, the most appropriate terms for each context, are researches that take time, hence the importance of realistic deadlines in a project when you have no experience.
– Technical texts.
These involve very specific vocabulary.
The translator must obtain etymological, morphological, and regionalist knowledge, have access to reliable sources of research, and rely on good partners.
Ideally, the translator should be a specialist in the area he or she wishes to translate, i.e. it is recommended that the translator of medical texts have some background in medicine, mechanics, law, management, etc.
7TH PROFESSIONALISM
– Know how to be polite to all clients.
– Perform all projects competently, using CAT tools.
– Be formal, when the context and the project require it.
– Being entrepreneurial, searching for clients on the available platforms. Do personal marketing to attract new clients.
– Be organized with time, resources, projects, deadlines, files, books, dictionaries, emails, etc.
– Check with brokers on projects before handing over to the client.
– Always review the work:
– Always translate the entirety of the project.
– Know the rules of translation and what not to translate.
– Keep accents in all words.
