Ethics

An exploration of ethics

Last autumn we launched an initiative to consider the potential to create an ethical framework for ITI members. Our first event was an open discussion meeting hosted by Dr Joseph Lambert which helped us to identify the range of topic areas that we want to explore in more detail. We have now fashioned these ideas into a programme and invited a range of experts and other stakeholders to help us to host this series of open discussions.

ITI Coffee House - an online space for conversations about ethics

We now invite members and others with an interest in ethics to join the debates, with the aim of generating the core principles that will form our ethical framework.

We have called this space for conversations about ethics the ITI Coffee House following the spirit of the coffee houses of the eighteenth century where the Enlightenment was born. The aim is for conversations to be informal and free-flowing and for participants to contribute rather than just to listen. The sessions will generally run at lunchtime and each session will last a maximum of 90 minutes.

If you are interested in shaping the debate about translation and interpreting ethics then come along and contribute to our work. We really want to hear from the professionals who are making ethical decisions in their daily working lives to ensure that we create an ethical framework that meets your needs.

Forthcoming Coffee House discussions

Scroll through to see the current programme.

Catch up on previous discussions

Financial sustainability and ethical payment practices

Key themes emerging from the group discussions

Changing industry landscape

The discussion highlighted significant concerns about the evolving nature of the translation and interpreting industry:

  • A perceived trend of diminishing freelance work and low / lower rates
  • A shift from human translation to machine translation post-editing (MTPE)
  • The impact of AI and machine translation on traditional workflows
  • Concerns about the long-term viability of freelance translation as a career.
Industry structure and power dynamics

Participants noted several structural issues within the industry:

  • Complexity of the supply chain and its impact on pricing and transparency
  • Perceived power imbalance between freelancers, agencies, and clients
  • Challenge of long payment terms, often exceeding 30 days
  • Lack of transparency about pricing and rates
  • Absence of common benchmarks for pricing across the industry.
Pricing and value

Several groups touched on issues related to pricing and demonstrating value:

  • Concerns about the commoditisation of professional translation
  • The need to move away from per-word rates towards hourly or project-based pricing
  • The importance of value-based pricing and articulating to clients the added value of using professional translators
  • Suggestions for itemising work in quotes to show the full scope of services.
Client education and awareness

A recurring theme was the need to educate clients about the value of professional translation:

  • Educate clients about the limitations of machine translation, especially for creative content
  • Inform clients about the risks of unedited machine translation output
  • Demonstrate the impact of high-quality translation through case studies
  • Explain the differences between post-editing, proofreading, and full translation.
Industry representation and advocacy

Participants discussed ways to strengthen the position of translators and interpreters:

  • Be more proactive in lobbying for the profession at industry events
  • Suggestions for inviting non-linguists to translation events to increase their understanding of the value of professional translators
  • Potential for regulation of the language professions?
  • Ideas for increasing translator visibility, such as including translator credits in work.
Professional development and adaptation

Several points were raised about how translators can adapt to the changing landscape:

  • The importance of specialisation, particularly in areas less susceptible to AI replacement
  • Suggestions for adding additional skills to your CV, such as in post-editing or creative translation
  • The need for business skills workshops covering topics like client outreach and lead generation
  • The potential for collaborating with other translators to offer higher quality services.
Ethical considerations

Several ethical considerations emerged:

  • The need for sustainable work practices and fair compensation
  • Discussions around what constitutes “ethical pricing” and “well-paid work”
  • Suggestions for ITI to establish ethical criteria for Corporate members
  • The potential for translation agencies to pursue B-Corp certification.
Recommendations and next steps:
  1. Work with agencies and stakeholders to increase transparency in the industry, particularly around pricing and the supply chain.
  2. Consider developing an industry-wide initiative to promote ethical sourcing and fair working conditions throughout the supply chain (while recognising that the Competitions and Markets Authority places restrictions on what professional bodies in the UK are allowed to say about rates).
  3. Create resources to help translators and interpreters articulate their value to clients, including case studies demonstrating the impact of high-quality language services.
  4. Explore ways to increase client-facing advocacy, including participating in business events and inviting key stakeholders to language-sector events.
  5. Provide more support for business skills development, potentially through training or mentoring programmes.
  6. Support members to adapt to new technologies and changing market conditions, including providing advice on specialisation and diversification strategies.

The next steps might involve further consultation with members, research into best practices from other industries, and the drafting of specific ethical guidelines based on the themes identified in this discussion.

Articles about ethics