An Interpreter Speaks
Friday, July 11th, 2008Today’s edition of the New York Times has an interesting story that could become a topic for discussion among interpreters, although I have a pretty good idea of what the answer should be.
According to the article, “An Interpreter Speaking Up for Migrants,” a legal interpreter has produced an essay about the conditions prevailing when he was working for Spanish-speaking migrants who were brought to justice for staying and working illegally in the United States.
Beyond the validity of the interpreter’s feelings and arguments, it raises an ethical issue for the interpreters and translators’ community at large.
For reasons of confidentiality, we are not allowed to disclose any information pertaining to the organizations and people we work for.
From a personal point of view, I can understand the reasons why this interpreter chose to make public some of the events that he was part of. However, this is a very dangerous game that could mean for us losing a lot of, if not all, our credibility.
