Talking Ethics at NAJIT’s 38th Annual Conference

As a former Ethics professor at the Law School of Universidad de Palermo in Buenos Aires, Paula is always happy to discuss ethics with anyone willing to dig deep into the subject. This year, she was thrilled when the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) gave her the opportunity to facilitate a pre-conference workshop on “Ethics Beyond Plato.”

One of Paula’s main concerns when it comes to professional ethics in translation and interpretation is the lack of formal training in ethics available to translators, as well as the fact that, when such training is available, it is quite often deficient. Following a positivist approach, most courses in professional ethics perpetuate the logical fallacy that if something is not illegal then it must be ethical.

At NAJIT, Paula had the chance to talk ethics with professional translators and interpreters, challenging this fallacy and presenting them with ethical theories that can help guide their practical decisions when neither the law nor existing Codes of Ethics have the answers they need.

Unfortunately, due to Pablo’s health, Paula had to fly back to Buenos Aires before the conference, so she was not able to facilitate the workshop in person. However, NAJIT set up all the necessary technology for the workshop to be conducted remotely, thus proving that when there’s a will, there’s a way!