ITI is working with Dr Joseph Lambert of the University of Cardiff to explore the potential of creating a Code of Ethics for ITI – and we’d like to hear your ideas. Join us for our ‘kick-off’ event to share your views on a range of vital questions about professional ethics.

“Ethics. It’s a word we’re all familiar with. We all strive to be ethical professionals and to uphold the values that we deem appropriate for a professional in our industry. But what exactly is, or can be, expected of us in the current industry context? What areas matter the most to a translator or interpreter? What ethical guidance is most useful in practice? And what of the documents that enshrine these values and purport to guide us in our ethical decision-making?”

The topics that we will ask members to address in the kick-off meeting are:

Discussion session 1:

  • What does it mean to be a PROFESSIONAL translator or interpreter?
  • How well do you feel existing ethical codes currently support you as a professional?

Discussion session 2:

  • What values does/should the languages services industry (and the ITI?) stand for?
  • What are the big ethical questions that we face today as translators and interpreters?
  • What drives your decision-making when a client approaches you with a task that gives rise to ethical questions?

Discussion session 3:

  • How useful do you find the expectations of ethical codes in translation and interpreting?
  • What should an ITI Code of Ethics include/exclude?
  • What positive difference could be achieved through the creation of an ITI Code of Ethics?


To get you thinking we asked Dr Lambert to write a provocation. The article is designed to whet your appetite by setting the scene and introducing the questions that we hope we can answer together.