Case Analysis: Professional Interpreter

Once again, I fully agree with Ms. Cynthia’s decision on this scenario, mainly because I have been in a similar situation personally, not as a professional interpreter and not even as a client of a professional situation, but as the member of a worried congregation. So, first hand I know that even when good church members of your congregation mean well by wanting to know or share your personal medical business/information, it can get messy, fast. Just like in the Deaf community when you live in a small-town, information no matter how well the intentions, can get miscued very easily and cause confusion and hurt emotions of an undeserving family. In this scenario the tenets I feel the interpreter was addressing number one, Interpreters

adhere to standards of confidential communication, number three, Interpreters conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the specific interpreting situation, number four Interpreters demonstrate respect for consumers, and number six interpreters maintain ethical business practices.
All the tenets the interpreter addressed are above and beyond important, but the one that stands out the most to me in this situation is number one, that as interpreters we always adhere to standards of confidential communication for our clients.

As Ms. Cynthia stated, this is not a professional social situation, this is a professional medical situation and as interpreters we are there for-communication purposes only, to make sure the woman and the medical staff understand each other clearly so the medical procedure can go smoothly with the best health results for the woman and her baby. The most important value to me in this scenario is privacy for the client, in this situation I would have made the same decision as Ms. Cynthia, because you want the Deaf community to know if you work for them in the future you will not share their confidential information with others in the

community.
This scenario made me think deeply about our power and privilege as professional interpreters and reminded me of a chapter from one of my favorite books, “So You Want to be An Interpreter?” Professionals enter into a trust relationship with their clients. Because of that relationship, we disrobe in front of our physician, we bare our souls to our psychiatrist, say confession to our priest, and otherwise make ourselves vulnerable. We do that knowing our physical, emotional, or spiritual problems will not be the topic of someone’s dinner conversation. Further, we know that if we encounter our physician, psychiatrist, or priest at a social function, there won’t even be a facial expression that will “give us away” to others in the room.
If that relationship is violated, professional ethical standards are violated. As professionals, we realize that the failure to guard all interpreting and quasi-interpreting information closely will rob our clients of the power to control personal and professional information.
Writing this paper has made me understand how much trust the Deaf community puts into us as professional interpreters and how privileged I feel to learn their language and be a part of their lives, it also made me realize how important it is to work together with and respect our colleagues.

Just as Ms. Cynthia and Mrs. Kathrine have so kindly given me guidance, wisdom, patience, and shared their own life lessons daily, I hope one day to be able to do the same for others interested in this rewarding career choice, notice I did not say easy. There is a lot of work that must be put in to this career choice and this paper shows that many ethical decisions have to be made daily and many of them on the spot, in the moment decisions. However, I did say rewarding, why? In the past sixteen months I have seen the difference that interpreters that follow and also live by their professional code of ethics can make in the lives of their clients. Often times during this educational journey I have thought about throwing in the towel and walking away, but if I can make a difference in one Deaf clients life it has all been worth it. In this profession you never stop growing, learning, or trying to reach new goals, we can always give a little more and push are own ambitions as professional interpreters just a little further, every day. One of the things Ms. Cynthia said in her response was, we must advocate for the interpreting profession because it is still considered a young

profession, and many people still don’t understand what we do. So, in closing, I could have not asked for better mentors, teachers, and advisors during this journey, I promise to work hard every day to follow the professional code of ethics as I embark on my journey as a professional interpreter, along with my own everyday moral standards and principles.