Coffee House Summary - Code of Professional Conduct
This copy of the summary has been annotated to explain what has been changed as a result of the Coffee House discussion, and also indicates the themes that are being consulted on through the Voxiberation being held in August 2025.
Key themes emerging from the group discussions
Current use of the Code of Professional Conduct
Participants discussed various ways in which they currently use the Code of Professional Conduct:
- As a reference point to support professional decisions and check compliance
- As a tool to advocate with clients, particularly when setting boundaries
- For interpreters, to reinforce professional boundaries with clients (such as maintaining impartiality when clients ask for opinions)
- As a teaching resource to introduce ethical principles to students
- As protection against unreasonable client requests that go beyond professional scope or competence
Format and structure
There was broad agreement about the revised format and structural changes:
- Strong support for making the code more concise and easier to read
- Appreciation for clearer presentation of core principles at a glance
- Support for the removal of numbered sections
- Preference for positive phrasing rather than prohibitive “do not” language
- Consensus on using the term “Code of Professional Conduct” rather than “Code of Conduct”
- Suggestions to ensure language is accessible for all members, including those with English as a second or third language
New elements
Discussion on the new elements focused on several key areas:
- Technology: Support for transparency about use of technology, including third-party resources and AI translation, while leaving specific implementation to members’ professional judgment
- Self-care: Mixed views on including self-care provisions, with suggestions either to remove this from the code or to ensure it doesn't place undue burden on individuals
- Professional judgment: Concern about potential issues with placing too much emphasis on individual judgment, including the Dunning-Kruger effect (overestimating abilities) or imposter syndrome (underestimating abilities)
- Clarity of language: Identification of some vague terminology (e.g. “appropriate”, “reasonable”) that may need further definition
Missing elements
Participants suggested several elements that could be added to the code:
- Sustainability: Including environmental considerations following previous discussions
- Fair pay considerations: Guidance on what constitutes fair payment, although recognising competition law limitations
- Multilingual accessibility: Suggestions to make the code available in multiple languages (currently only available in English, unlike some other professional codes)
Supporting resources
Various suggestions were made for resources to support the effective use of the revised code:
- Case studies and scenarios showing how the code applies in practice
- Sessions on how to use the code effectively in different contexts
- A condensed visual version that could be displayed or shared with clients
- Links to relevant resources such as rate surveys (where permitted)
- Guidance for students and new translators
Recommendations and next steps
- Maintain the concise format while ensuring clarity of language, avoiding vague terms that rely too heavily on individual interpretation. We will create a glossary to help to define and clarify the words used in the Code.
- Consider renaming to “Code of Professional Conduct”. This change has been implemented. Review how the term “ethics” is used throughout the document. The Code does not refer to “ethics” but we are in the process of developing a potential Code of Ethics to sit alongside the Code of Professional Conduct.
- Revisit how self-care is addressed, potentially moving detailed guidance to supporting materials rather than including it as a requirement in the code itself. This topic forms one of the three elements of the Voxiberation.
- Develop comprehensive supporting resources, including case studies, scenarios and practical guidance on implementing the code. This work will be tackled in the next phase of the project, after the AGM.
- Explore the possibility of making the code available in multiple languages to increase accessibility. We will ask the ITI language networks if this is something that they would be willing to help us deliver.
- Consider whether and how to address fair payment and sustainability issues within the constraints of competition law. Payment is a commercial matter that falls outside the realm of professional conduct. Publishing any collective guidance on rates would risk breaching competition law prohibitions on price-fixing between practitioners. However, the principles of fair payment and satisfactory working conditions can be considered further as part of the ongoing project to develop a Code of Ethics. The topic of environmental sustainability forms one of the three elements of the Voxiberation.
- Develop specific guidance on technology use and transparency, balancing clarity with flexibility for professional judgment. This topic forms one of the three elements of the Voxiberation.
- Create a condensed, visual version that members can display and share with clients. An example of how this might look is included in the background materials.
- Involve teaching institutions and students in the consultation process to ensure the code meets educational needs for newcomers to the profession. The working group included several academic staff and students and the Coffee House discussion was open to all to attend.
