ITI Ethical Standards & Professional Conduct 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A translator working on a highly sensitive legal document is approached by a journalist asking for details. Under ITI guidelines, the translator should:
- Share general information that is already publicly known
- Decline to discuss any aspect of the document due to confidentiality obligations (Correct answer)
- Consult the client before speaking to the journalist
- Share information only if the journalist agrees not to publish it
Correct answer: Decline to discuss any aspect of the document due to confidentiality obligations
Confidentiality is an absolute professional duty that cannot be waived unilaterally, even for seemingly harmless information.
Question 2: Which scenario represents a potential conflict of interest a translator must disclose?
- Translating for a company where a family member is a senior manager (Correct answer)
- Translating a document in a language pair they frequently work with
- Working with a new client for the first time
- Translating subject matter they studied at university
Correct answer: Translating for a company where a family member is a senior manager
Personal relationships with parties involved in a translation create potential bias that must be disclosed to allow clients to make informed decisions.
Question 3: When using machine translation (MT) as part of a workflow, professional ethical standards require that the translator:
- Disclose MT use only if the client specifically asks
- Never use MT under any circumstances
- Ensure the final output meets the same quality standards as human translation and disclose MT use as agreed (Correct answer)
- Use MT only for documents under 500 words
Correct answer: Ensure the final output meets the same quality standards as human translation and disclose MT use as agreed
Transparency about tools used and responsibility for the final quality are both required regardless of which tools assist in production.
Question 4: A translator receives a source document containing personally identifiable information (PII). From a professional ethics standpoint, they must:
- Store the document indefinitely for portfolio purposes
- Handle PII in accordance with data protection obligations and client agreements (Correct answer)
- Redact all PII before translating
- Request a version without PII before accepting the job
Correct answer: Handle PII in accordance with data protection obligations and client agreements
Professional conduct requires compliance with applicable data protection law and the specific handling instructions agreed with the client.
Question 5: When a client insists on a delivery deadline that the translator knows is insufficient to produce quality work, the ethical response is to:
- Accept and deliver regardless of quality to please the client
- Refuse all deadlines and require unrestricted time
- Communicate the risk clearly and negotiate a realistic timeline or scope (Correct answer)
- Deliver on time but include a disclaimer about quality
Correct answer: Communicate the risk clearly and negotiate a realistic timeline or scope
Honest communication about realistic quality timelines protects clients from harm and upholds professional standards.
Question 6: The ITI's approach to continuing professional development (CPD) reflects which ethical principle?
- Maximizing billable hours
- Maintaining and improving competence throughout one's career (Correct answer)
- Earning formal qualifications to increase rates
- Networking to gain more clients
Correct answer: Maintaining and improving competence throughout one's career
CPD is an ongoing obligation because languages, subject fields, and technology evolve and competence must keep pace.
Question 7: A fellow translator contacts you saying they plan to undercut market rates significantly to win a contract you are also bidding on. The ethical response is to:
- Match their low rate to stay competitive
- Report them to the ITI for price dumping
- Compete on the merits of your own offer without colluding on pricing (Correct answer)
- Withdraw your bid in protest
Correct answer: Compete on the merits of your own offer without colluding on pricing
Professional competition should be on quality and value, and translators must avoid anti-competitive collusion while still competing fairly.
ITI Ethical Standards & Professional Conduct 3
A translator working on a highly sensitive legal document is approached by a journalist asking for details.
Under ITI guidelines, the translator should: