Does it pay to be good? Quality and Ethics in Interpreter Education

Abstract

[EN]Impartiality and fairness are different concepts; confusing them could lead to significant damage in critical approaches to research in interpreting studies. Whereas the former has traditionally implied that the interpreter should not take a stance (especially in the context of conference interpreting), the latter focuses on understanding different perspectives before making informed and critical choices in a changing intercultural context where the interpreter is aware that, at times, there are no right-or-wrong solutions to ethical dilemmas. It is important, however, to make ethical decisions based on knowledge and competence in interpreting, so as not to have to choose between Quality and Ethics, which are part of each other’s definitions; an excellent interpreter will act ethically and, in turn, an ethical professional will have to offer quality; they are interdependent factors in interpreter excellence. Quality and ethics feed each other inextricably, and ethics is an essential component cutting across all levels of quality.