‘A sea of troubles’: ethical dilemmas from war zones to the classroom

Abstract

Research in public service interpreting shows that practitioners have traditionally developed decision-making skills on the job in a trial-and-error manner and without formal supporting guidance. Studying the behaviour of professionals in the workplace through case studies, however, can serve to support interpreter training in relation to decision-making in situ. The literature in applied ethics is rich in examples of situations outside of interpreting in which individuals face seemingly unsolvable conflicts; discerning between a true ethical dilemma and a difficult challenge requires a structured approach regardless of profession. Although interpreters benefit from knowing the rules, laws or codes that apply to their profession at local and international levels, like other professionals who work in war zones, they may find themselves in situations where they may disagree with the rules of war (jus in bello) or the reasons behind the conflict (jus ad bellum). The professional translator/interpreter may be freelance, or work for a government or institution participating in the conflict from a biased viewpoint, he/she may have not been informed of the ethical stakes concerning the assignment. That is why the ethical quandaries that may ensue from the acceptance of the assignment may vary in obligations and responsibilities, and thus in the perceived justice, neutrality and/or ethical awareness of the actors involved. In this article I briefly explain some of the main concepts and paradigms used in the disciplines of applied ethics, ethics of the professions, the study of morality in psychology, among other philosophical concepts that can be applied to the study of translation and interpreting in conflict situations. I first explore the notion of moral development and the ethics of war by drawing on findings from other academic disciplines and professions, including medicine, law and education. I then apply these insights in theorising what constitutes an ‘ethical dilemma’ as a starting point for the study of ethics in the interpreting lab. Finally, I explore the meta-ethical consequences of what could be called the “absent curriculum” in translation and interpreting; I conclude that there are many ways to include ethical education in a lecture, and we may be in need of importing concepts from a variety of other disciplines.