ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the various and overlapping ethical questions facing the professional translator and considers how the literature to date has accounted for and informed (or failed to inform) these considerations. Research on the ethics of the professional translator is marked by distinct gaps, and there is often a lack of unity between the sparse contributions. Discussions here include questions of professionalisation, professional and personal ethics, and a textual ethics, engaging with the few sustained voices in the domain. Beyond this academic focus, this chapter also utilises a range of material produced by the translators themselves, including blog entries, translation forum posts, and social media discussions, to provide a window into the profession and illustrate the tensions that exist between theoretical literature, industry documentation, and actual professional practice. Looking to the future, ideas such as social responsibility are explored as potential drivers of change in the area. The chapter concludes by outlining a translation professional’s ethics as potentially incorporating both internal and external resources – being idiosyncratic and context-dependent while also considering elements including institutional documentation and interactions with peers and colleagues. Final unanswered questions include client education, professional visibility, and the overall feasibility of universal guidelines.
