Translator's moral code and rules of situational behavior. Translator's moral code according to I.S.

Any profession has its own moral standards and laws of professional behavior that cannot be violated. They do not always take the form of commandments, but, perhaps, they are always based on the foundations of Christian morality.

Translator's moral code

    A translator is a TRANSLATOR who re-expresses an oral or written text created in one language into a text in another language.

    It follows from this that the TEXT is INVOUCHABLE for the translator. The translator does not have the right to change the text during translation at will, to shorten it or expand it, unless the additional task of adaptation, sampling, additions, etc. is not set by the customer.

When translating, the translator, using the professional actions known to him, always strives to convey to the maximum extent the INVARIANT of the source text.

    In some cases, in the context of oral consecutive or simultaneous translation, the translator turns out to be a person vested with DIPLOMATIC powers (for example, when translating statements of major politicians during international contacts). If these diplomatic powers are recognized for the translator, he has the right to sin against the accuracy of the source text, performing the function of an auxiliary person in supporting diplomatic relations, preventing their complications, but is not obliged to protect the interests of any one party.

    In other cases, the translator has no right to interfere in the relations of the parties, as well as to reveal his own position regarding the content of the translated text.

    The translator is obliged to maintain confidentiality in relation to the content of the material being translated and not to disclose it unnecessarily.

    The translator is obliged, by means known to him, to ensure a high level of competence in the areas of the source language, target language, translation technique and subject matter of the text.

    The translator has the right to demand all the necessary conditions to ensure a high level of translation competence, including the corresponding conditions of his work (for oral translation - the reliability of the broadcasting equipment, if necessary - reducing the speaker’s speech rate; for synchronous translation - the provision of speeches of speakers the day before, pauses in work for recreation, etc.; in writing - providing reference and other literature on the topic).

    The translator is responsible for the quality of the translation, and if the translation is literary or journalistic, he has copyright, protected by law, and when publishing the translation, his name must be indicated.

  1. Ethics - the art of behavior

Closely related to the rules of professional ethics of a translator are the rules of situational behavior that require adherence to decency, and the rules of behavior aimed at preserving health.

The rules of situational behavior require the translator to fully adapt to the situation in which he finds himself. A great scientist or movie star may dress provocatively or behave inappropriately. Translator - no. Because, being in the role of a translator (see code, paragraph 1), he must be invisible as a person, not distract attention to himself, his task is act as a transmitter of information. Therefore, he must be dressed neatly and appropriately for the occasion, observing generally accepted rules of decency. He violates them only when they are incompatible with his main professional role in the situation. For example, if he needs to interpret during a formal dinner, he does not have to eat or drink. In behind-the-scenes communication, the translator cannot participate in the conversation as an equal interlocutor, otherwise he will distort the source’s information and lose his reliability as a translator. So his task is to adapt, but to work.

Rules guaranteeing the preservation of professional health for the translator are usually followed unofficially. First of all, they relate to interpretation, and the higher the amount of mental costs, the more severe they are. It is believed that in synchronous mode an interpreter can work without a shift for 20-30 minutes, although in reality circumstances can force him to work without a shift for a long time, to the point of wear and tear. Before intense oral work, he must get a good night's sleep (at least 8 hours). Alcohol is prohibited during oral work.

The rules of professional ethics regulate the behavior of a translator. In addition to what is listed in the code, this includes rules for approaching the composition of the text and rules for design. The ethics of handling the text prescribes (unless the customer has specified special conditions) to translate from a foreign language or into a foreign language all linguistic units of the original text. The translator is not obliged to translate linguistic units in other languages: for example, if in a German scientific text he comes across quotations in Latin, English and French, translating them into Russian is not his task. If the equivalence of the translation of the entire text depends on the content of these fragments in third languages, the translator will have to take professional advice from specialists in the relevant languages. However, there are cases that are fortunate for the customer when the translator has bilingual professional competence, that is, he translates from both English and German - then everything that is formulated in the text in these two languages ​​is included in the translation tasks.

Requirements for the design of written text are discussed in advance with the customer and may be different, but two of them are always observed: the transmission of graphic information that accompanies verbal information (the location of parts of the text that organize it into a global text - headings, subheadings), and indicating the pages of the original. The last requirement helps the user navigate the text and compare the desired place with the original.

1. The translator must provide a complete and accurate translation.

2. The translator is PROHIBITED:

carry on unrelated conversations ( or not to the point)

correct the speaker's mistakes

not being able to correctly correct your translation errors

translate in third person if possible

delete or omit information

add information that was not in the original

add or remove courtesy markers

behave unethically

3. The translator must remain impartial.

3.1. The translator is prohibited from taking sides in a conversation, regardless of personal and moral considerations.

3.2. The translator is obliged to provide only accurate translated information without the use of body language, negative or positive intonation or expression of personal opinion.

4. The translator must maintain the confidentiality of all assignments.

5. The translator should only perform the role of a translator, acting as an intermediary and accurately conveying information translated from one language to another.

5. The Interpreter shall maintain professional conduct at all times.

The translator must behave professionally at all times.

5.1 The Interpreter shall speak in a clear voice, while maintaining professional decorum and objectivity.

The interpreter must speak clearly, follow professional etiquette and be objective.

5.2The Interpreter shall remain alert and mentally agile prior to and during interpretations. To this end, the Interpreter should take breaks after handling difficult or long periods of interpretation.

The translator must be attentive and (have a lively mindJ) quick-witted before and during the translation. After a long and complex translation, you need to take a break.

6. The Interpreter shall be culturally sensitive.

The translator must be culturally aware.

6.1Members of certain cultures may require or prefer one gender to another for interpretation. As professionals, Interpreters cannot take issue in these choices, or let personal opinions be reflected in the interpretation process. The Interpreter must respect and adhere to these choices to the best of the Interpreter's ability.

Members of certain cultures may require or prefer an interpreter of a certain gender. As a professional, the translator cannot make a decision in such matters or express his opinion on this matter during the translation process. The translator must respect and adhere to this opinion to the best of his ability.

6.2 The Interpreter shall bridge the cultural gap to the satisfaction of both parties.

The translator needs to help both parties bridge the cultural gap.

7. The Interpreter shall, at all times, assess his/her ability to maintain the highest standards for professional interpretation. The Interpreter shall convey any reservations about his/her ability to successfully complete the assignment for the customer. The Interpreter shall decline any assignment he/she believes to be beyond his/her technical knowledge or linguistic ability.

The translator must translate according to high standards. The translator also needs to express any doubts about the successful completion of the task set by the client. The translator must refuse to translate if he lacks any technical or linguistic knowledge.

8. The Interpreter shall continually improve his/her skills and knowledge through activities such as professional training or education and interaction with colleagues and specialists in related fields.

A translator must constantly improve his professional skills and knowledge through professional training, training, communication with colleagues and specialists in areas of knowledge related to translation.

9. The Interpreter shall not accept any job or situation which might detract from the dignity of the profession. The Interpreter shall refrain from any act which might bring the profession into disrepute.

A translator should not take on work that could ruin his reputation and bring him into disrepute.

The translator should not translate literally. When translating, the translator should not react to what was said, or show his personal attitude to it. If the translator did not understand a phrase, then it is better to ask again than to translate incorrectly. If the listener misunderstands the interpreter or understands incorrectly, the interpreter can explain. The translator speaks in the 1st person, except for the following cases: a) when the translator introduces the speaker (when introducing you cannot say “he”, “she”); b) the speaker introduces the translator (you cannot say “he”, “she”). The translator must know obscene expressions and if they are used in a conversation, he can react in different ways: a) swearing is an insult to the translator, stop working; b) translate as is; c) translate in softer terms, while mentioning the obscenity of the expression.

Behavior

The translator is a serving person, he must be invisible (“nobody notices a good translator”), modest, calm, calm and dispassionate. His face is familiar, but not boring. He should not tell anyone what he heard (“mute as the grave”), or attract attention to himself. Gesticulation is minimal. The translator must be careful; he is always under the supervision of security services and must treat this normally.

Translator's position: for private translation - between people, for official translation - behind the client's back on the left. The interpreter must choose a position so that he can clearly hear the speaker, and the latter can hear the interpreter, taking into account specific circumstances, for example, if the interpretation is on the go or if one participant in the conversation is very tall and the other is very short, etc. . At receptions, the interpreter is located behind the back on the left - between representatives and guests. In such cases, the translator may or may not eat - this is stipulated in advance in the contract.

Qualities

A translator must have a sense of humor. The translator's voice is well-trained and he speaks clearly without stuttering. The translator must be tolerant and physically resilient. The translator must be punctual (if the translation is at a reception, then the translator arrives in advance, along with the organizer, in order to know the list of names, to whom to translate, etc.). A translator must be able to admit his mistakes. Must be a highly cultured person, i.e. knowledge should not be limited to any one area; just a good knowledge of the language is not enough. The translator must be a psychologist, sociologist, and predict events on the go. A translator must take care of his professional growth and help his colleagues.

Appearance, attributes

The translator should have a notepad for notes. For official translations, be sure to make notes in a notebook. The translator's appearance is neat and tidy. Clothing in soft colors - blue, black, gray.

Any profession has its own moral standards and laws of professional behavior that cannot be violated. They do not always take the form of commandments, but, perhaps, they are always based on the foundations of Christian morality. There are such ethical standards in the professional activities of a translator. They were gradually developed and established in world practice and are the moral code of a modern representative of the profession that we are talking about. It will be useful for us to get acquainted with some of these rules:

A translator is a TRANSLATOR who “re-expresses” an oral or written text created in one language into a text in another language.

The TEXT is UNTOUCHABLE for the translator. The translator does not have the right to change the text during translation at will (shorten, expand), unless additional conditions were set by the customer.

When translating, the translator always strives to convey as much as possible the INVARIANT of the source text, i.e. translate from a foreign language all linguistic units of the original text.

The translator is not obliged to translate language units into other languages. (If, for example, in a German scientific text there are quotations in Latin, English, French, etc..). This is not the task of a translator if he does not speak other languages.

The translator is obliged to maintain confidentiality (secrecy) in relation to the content of the material being translated and not to disclose it unnecessarily.

The translator is obliged to ensure a high level of proficiency in the source language, target language, and translation technique as much as possible.

Requirements for the design of written text are discussed in advance with the customer. The following is always observed: the transfer of graphic information (location of parts of the text, headings, subheadings) and indication of the original pages.

The translator has the right to demand all the necessary conditions to ensure high-quality translation (providing reference and other literature on the topic).

The translator is responsible for the quality of the translation, and if the translation is literary or journalistic, he has copyright on it, protected by law, and when publishing the translation, his name must be indicated.

Questions for self-control:

Why can’t we name the exact number of languages ​​that exist on the globe?

How does an interpreter differ from a written translator?

Explain the expression “translation as an activity.”

What is the basis for the success of the translator profession?

What is background knowledge and what is its role for a translator?

Formulate at least a few basic rules of translation ethics.

Why do you think a TRANSLATOR'S MORAL CODE is necessary?

Generally speaking, professional codes of ethics continue to emphasize concepts such as impartiality, neutrality, accuracy and fidelity...

Moira Inghilleri, "Ethics"

In the previous article devoted to the ethical aspects of translation activity, we analyzed the consideration of this topic in the works of post-Soviet and foreign specialists, focusing on the discussion of the latest theoretical concepts. In this article we will look at one important aspect of the practical solution of ethical issues by the translation community itself - the ethical codes (codes of professional conduct) created by international and national professional organizations of translators.

It is probably fair to count the history of “ethical codification” by the international translation community from the IV World Congress of the International Federation of Translators ( Federationinternationaledestraducteurs,IFT/FIT) 1963, at which the “Translator's Charter” was adopted, the preamble of which, among other priority ethical tasks, directly states the task of creating an ethical (moral) code:

International Federation of Translators,

wanting

set out in the form of an official document some general principles inextricably linked with the profession of translator, so that, in particular,

emphasize the social function of translation;

clarify the rights and obligations of the translator;

lay the foundations of a translator’s moral code;

improve the economic conditions and social atmosphere in which the work of a translator takes place;

and thus contribute to the establishment of translation as a defined and independent profession, –

publishes the text of the charter, intended to serve as a guide for the translator in the implementation of his activities.

In the accepted FIT in the 1994 updated version of the Charter, these provisions remained unchanged. And although its own code of ethics (EC) FIT, which today unites 77 organizations from 52 countries on all continents, has not developed such codes; such codes are developed by the regional office FIT in Europe and many member organizations FIT.

An interesting analysis of a number of ECs of national and international organizations was carried out by Canadian researcher Julia McDonagh in 2011 in her work “Moral Ambiguity: Some Disadvantages of Professional Codes of Ethics for Translators.” The work examined 16 ECs published by member organizations FIT, plus "Translator's Charter" FIT– a total of 17 documents (see table 1).

Table 1. Ethical codes reviewed by D. McDonagh in .

McDonagh explained the selection of documents for research by her linguistic competence (proficiency in French, English and Spanish) and the organization’s website. She formulates the purpose and methodology of the research as follows:

The purpose of this article is not to define all the values ​​that bind members of professionally oriented translation communities, but to highlight the values ​​that are common to members of such communities. Since fifteen countries are located in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, the paper offers a fairly representative sample of the ethical standards of a professional translator.

Upon receipt of the seventeen codes of ethics, they were carefully compared and the most frequently occurring principles were identified. These comparative data have been put into a table to better see what values ​​are considered most important by professionally oriented translation communities.

Unfortunately, in the article the author does not provide any tables from which one could clearly see the complete list of “ethical principles” by which ECs were compared, and indicators of such a comparison in relation to each of these principles. The method chosen by the author for verbal commenting on a large array of data seriously complicates the process of their analysis, so we will limit ourselves only to the conclusions proposed by the author of the study himself:

  • Only two provisions are common to all 17 ECs: the requirement for translators to maintain confidentiality and the requirement not to undertake work for which the translator does not have the necessary competence.
  • More than half of the ECs require the translator to demonstrate good behavior and not damage the image of the profession.
  • 7 out of 17 ECs require translators to be objective.
  • Half of the ECs recommend that translators improve their professional qualifications and skills.
  • Half of the ECs set requirements for ethical advertising activities.
  • Almost three-quarters of ECs indicate that community members should support their colleagues.
  • Slightly more than half of the ECs include provisions on the prices at which translators should take on work.

We decided to carry out a similar study in order to get a clear “picture” of the state of EC in the world today. In the sample, we included English-language ECs from the McDonagh list, ECs of some other national associations that have English-language versions on their websites, and also, which we believe is important for readers in the post-Soviet space, ECs developed in Ukraine and Russia. In total – 20 documents (see table 2).

Table 2. Ethical codes discussed in the article.

In general, the considered ECs can be divided into two categories:

  1. Short documents in which all provisions are presented in the form of a simple, unstructured list. Such documents include: ITA ; SAPT ; SATI, , ; STIBC; UTA .
  2. All other more voluminous documents of varying degrees of structure.

Table 2 presents two ECs from the countries of the former USSR: the Russian “Translator’s Code of Ethics” ( TFR) and the Ukrainian “Code of Professional Ethics” ( UTA) . The first document has been developed since 2013 by a group of Russian translation industry professionals united in the community TranslationForumRussia. You can also find earlier versions of it on various resources, incl. on the websites of the Union of Translators of Russia and the National League of Translators (see, for example, , , ).

A curious case is the documents of the “South African Institute of Translators” ( SATI). The Institute has developed three separate ECs for individual members and corporate members: translation agencies and translation departments of non-linguistic companies (, , , respectively).

The current edition of the EC "New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters" ( NZSTI) is an accurate reproduction of the latest edition of the EC "Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators" ( AUSIT) .

The structure of the Russian EC was taken as a starting point for comparing ECs TFR. Taking into account the content of the reviewed ECs, the following list of principles was formed:

  • Professional principles of work, responsibility, quality, relationships with customers.
  • Professional and linguistic competence, fidelity and accuracy of translation.
  • Payment issues.
  • Confidentiality.
  • Relationships with colleagues.
  • Unprofessional behavior, conflicts of interest, discrimination, unfair competition.
  • Advertising, publicity, public relations.
  • Professional training, advanced training.
  • Dispute resolution.

The results of a comparative analysis of EC content are shown in Table 3.

As can be seen from the table, our results are generally consistent with the data obtained by McDonagh in , but now it is clear what exactly individual ECs contain, and the reader can make independent comparisons.

Table 3. Comparative analysis of the ethical codes discussed in the article.

And in our sample, all 20 ECs have provisions that implement only two general principles: “confidentiality” and “professional principles of work” (ours), “competence” ( competence) (at McDonagh). The difference in terminology should not confuse us, since by “competence” a Canadian specialist essentially means what we have classified as “professional principles of work”. What she classifies as "precision" ( accuracy), we include it in the category “professional and language competence”. We will return to discuss this aspect of EC later.

Three ECs implement all 9 principles: this (goes without saying) TFR, and FITEurope And ITI. Short ECs, as a rule, implement fewer principles than structured ones. So, in ITA Only 5 principles have been implemented, in SAPT– 4, and in STIBC – 3.

As we have already noted, two principles are implemented in all ECs: “professional principles of work” and “confidentiality”. Then, in descending order of popularity, there are: “unprofessional behavior” (18 EC), “relationships with colleagues” (14 EC), “vocational training” (13 EC), “professional and language competence” and “payment issues” (12 EC), “dispute resolution” (11 EC), “advertising, publicity, public relations” (10 EC).

Of course, when comparing documents, you cannot limit yourself to just arithmetic calculations of the number of “realizations” of certain ethical principles. The depth and nature of consideration of certain provisions in different ECs varies significantly. For example, in the Australian and New Zealand EC the principle of “unprofessional conduct” is implemented in only two short provisions in the section “Professional conduct” ( AUSIT, NZSTI); in the British EC ( ITI) a total of 15 provisions regarding unprofessional conduct can be found, which are included in the sections “Conflict of Interest” (2), “Honesty” (4), “Corruption and Bribery” (2), “Contractual Relationships” (2), “ Competition" (4), "Relations with other members" (1). Issues of translator remuneration in the Russian EC ( TFR) a whole section “Payment and Responsibility” is dedicated, and in the EC of the European branch FIT (FITEurope) payment is mentioned only in passing in the section “Relations with fellow translators” as an example of unfair competition – “predatory pricing” ( predatory pricing).

The task of collating all 20 documents in detail for each of the 9 ethical principles is beyond the scope of this short article. As McDonagh rightly notes, despite the importance of many of these principles, “their study is not so interesting because they do not relate exclusively (or almost exclusively) to the translation profession,” it is much more interesting to consider those of them that “relate specifically to translation (or linguistic profession as a whole). Therefore, in her article she examines in more detail the implementation in EC of such principles as “accuracy” ( accuracy), "working languages" ( workinglanguages) and “illegal/immoral/unethical texts” ( illegal/immoral/unethical texts).

We dare to say that a “model” implementation of this principle is proposed in the oldest of the documents reviewed - the “Translator’s Charter” as amended in 1994:

Section 1. General duties of the translator

  1. Any translation must be faithful and accurately convey the form of the original - maintaining such fidelity is the moral and legal responsibility of the translator.
  2. A faithful translation, however, should not be confused with a literal translation, since faithful translation does not exclude adaptation, which aims to make one feel the form, atmosphere and inner meaning of the work in another language and in another country.
  3. The translator must have a good knowledge of the language from which he is translating, and, more importantly, be fluent in the language into which he is translating.

These provisions are fully consistent with the traditional linguistic paradigm, which places paramount importance on equivalence and fidelity of translation, which we discussed in and about which Anthony Pym spoke, in particular:

Traditional translation ethics is based on the concept of fidelity. The translator, we are told, must be faithful to the source text, the author of the source text, the intentions of the text or the author, or something along these lines...

In this vein, the relevant provisions are formulated in the EC of such organizations as:

  • ATA(USA):

1. convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately and impartially;

  • ATIO(Canada):

2.2 Fidelity and accuracy

2.2.1 Members must faithfully and accurately reproduce in the target language the nearest natural equivalent of the message in the original source language without embellishment, omission or explanation.

  • AUSIT(Australia), NZSTI(N. Zealand):

5. Accuracy

Interpreters and translators, drawing on their professional knowledge and experience, strive to always remain true to the meaning of texts and messages. ,

  • SATI(SOUTH AFRICA):

Continuously strive to achieve the highest possible quality in terms of accuracy of presentation, terminological correctness, language and style.

  • TFR(Russia):

1.1. Work within competence

The translator/translation company performs translation within the limits of its competencies - language, subject, cultural and technological.

1.3. Objectivity and independence

When performing translation (primarily oral translation), it is not allowed to introduce personal judgments into the translation or express an attitude towards the message. The translator maintains a neutral position and strives to convey the parties’ messages as accurately as possible.

As for the Russian “Translator’s Code of Ethics,” having earlier versions of this document, one can trace the curious evolution of the implementation of the principle in question. So in, apparently, the earliest available version in paragraph 1.1 we read:

The translator performs translation within the limits of his competence - language, subject, cultural and technological. This also means that the translator strives to translate exclusively into his native language or into a language that he speaks at the native level. Otherwise, the Translator warns the customer that there may be shortcomings in the translation.

In the supposedly next version, clause 1.1 is formulated as follows:

The translator/translation company performs translation within the limits of its competencies - language, subject, cultural and technological. This also means that the translator strives to translate exclusively into his native language, the language of his everyday communication, or into a language whose level of proficiency is documented as corresponding to the level of the native speaker. Otherwise, the Translator/Translation Company warns the end customer that there may be certain shortcomings in the translation.

What are we observing? At first, the EC draft insistently called on the (written) translator to “translate exclusively into his native language or into a language in which he has a native level of knowledge,” later this requirement was somewhat “blurred” by the addition of new alternatives. And, starting from the 2nd edition, this part of the requirements has been completely removed. Thus EC TFR on this issue reached the level of the “Charter” and other above-mentioned ECs, which Not require the translator to translate exclusively or predominantly into their native language, the language of everyday communication, or a language in which they have a proven level of competence.

However, the “conservative” nature of the implementation of this principle in early versions of EC TFR has parallels in the wording of some of the foreign ECs operating today:

  • FITEurope(international organization) :

2.1 Competencies

Interpreters and translators should work only in languages ​​and subject areas in which they are qualified and have the necessary skills. Translators must translate only into their native language, the language of their daily communication, or a language in which they have a demonstrated level of equivalent competence.

  • ITA(Israel):

1. I will try to translate the original message correctly in writing and/or orally. I recognize that ideally this level of skill requires:

A. mastering the target language at a level corresponding to that of an educated native speaker;

  • ITI(Great Britain):

4. Professional values

4.1 Members must act in accordance with the following professional values:

(a) convey meaning between people and cultures faithfully, accurately and impartially

3. Written translation

3.1 ...members shall translate only into a language that is either (i) their mother tongue or the language of their daily communication, or (ii) a language for which they have satisfied the Institute that they have equivalent competence. They should only translate from languages ​​for which they can demonstrate that they have the necessary skills.

3.2 ...members shall at all times provide the highest standards of work consistent with their abilities, ensuring accuracy of meaning and register, unless specifically instructed by their clients, preferably in writing, to recreate the text in the cultural context of the target language.

  • ITIA(Ireland):

4. Impartiality

4.1. Members of the Association shall make every effort to ensure that the original text is guaranteed to be faithful to the text, which must be completely free from their personal interpretation, opinion or influence;

5. Working conditions

5.1. Translation

5.1.1. Members of the Association must, in principle, translate into their native language;

  • S.F.T.(France):

1. General principles

b. Loyalty

Translators should strive to reproduce the message being conveyed as faithfully as possible.

3. Responsibilities to clients

With. Translators should always strive to provide an appropriate standard of work for their clients. To achieve this they must:

i. translate exclusively into their native language or a language in which they are fluent;

If we take the level of linguistic requirements of the “Charter” as a starting point, then on the other side of it, obviously, there are those ECs in which such linguistic requirements for the translator are not specifically stipulated. There are quite a lot of such ECs in our sample: AIIC ; BDÜ ; IAPTI; SAPT; SATI , ; STIBC ; UTA. The corresponding wording in these ECs stipulates only the general high professional level and/or responsibility of the translator. For example:

  • BDÜ(Germany):

1 General professional responsibilities

1.1 BDÜ members must perform their professional duties without bias and to the best of their knowledge. ...

1.2 Members of BDÜ must have appropriate professional qualifications and ensure quality requirements acceptable to BDÜ.

  • IAPTI(international organization):

2. Responsibilities related to the implementation of professional activities

All IAPTI members must:

2.1. Perform translation or interpretation tasks carefully and responsibly.

2.2. Accept only orders for which they are able to guarantee their customers the appropriate level of quality.

  • UTA(Ukraine):

1. Ensure a professional level of written and oral translations.

Thus, the implementation of the principle of “Professional and linguistic competence” in the third group of EC can be considered as located on the other side of the linguistic divide, which we define by the provisions of the current edition of the “Translator’s Charter”. We think this position is more modern and more “progressive”, since in these ECs an attempt is made to move away from the traditional “link” to the requirement of “fidelity” of translation: let the client and the professional community determine the appropriate level of quality, and the translator (member of the professional community) guarantees responsible and high-quality execution of a specific translation task.