Ethical Dilemmas in Interpreting (NOTIS Conference Sep. 2025)

Author
Devin Gilbert
Published

These are some results from some surveys that were taken by audience members of the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS) annual conference during a presentation I gave about ethical dilemmas in interpreting on Sep. 13, 2025.

I presented several different ethical dilemmas with varying possible responses during the webinar, and this time the event was in person (as opposed to the CCC webinar I had given in January of the same year), so it was really fun to be able to discuss and debate easily with attendees. Because we discussed so much, we only made it through four ethical dilemmas together, but many attendees still finished the survey, so I thought I would publish the results so everyone would be able to see the full results of the survey (including what attendees wrote in when they chose “Other”).

Ethical Dilemmas from Terp Logo (a cartoony green brontosaurus head) Terp

So tempting to talk to interpreter, not parent

This ethical dilemma is from the Terp logo (a cartoony green brontosaurus head) Terp practice dialogue IEP Review

During an IEP review, the school speech pathologist looks directly at you and says “Ask mom if she has any other questions about speech therapy.”

n
23

  1. Redirect by requesting questions be directed to the mother

    5

  2. Ask the mother if she has any questions about speech therapy

    3

  3. Redirect by requesting questions be directed to the mother and include a brief explanation of your role as an interpreter

    14

  4. Other: 

    1

“Other” responses

  • Redirect and explain later, best case is to introduce yourself and your role before the meeting begins

Is this lawyer any good?

This ethical dilemma is from the Terp logo (a cartoony green brontosaurus head) Terp practice dialogue Shelter Hearing

During a shelter hearing for a minor, right after you introduce yourself to the mother and do a pre-session (clearly stating that your are not a lawyer and do not give legal advice), she asks you “Can I trust my lawyer? I'm scared for myself and my children, and I have no idea what's going on.”

n
19

  1. Explain to the mother that she should ask her lawyer any questions she has

    16

  2. Tell the mother what your honest opinion of her lawyer is

    0

  3. Explain to the mother what a shelter hearing is

    2

  4. Other: 

    1

“Other” responses

  • Interpret what the mother said

A Gift

This ethical dilemma is from the Terp logo (a cartoony green brontosaurus head) Terp practice dialogue Resettlement Agency: Housing

After an appointment with a family at a refugee resettlement agency, one of the family members offers you a small gift.

n
16

  1. Politely decline the gift, explaining you can't accept it because you have to maintain impartiality

    11

  2. Politely decline the gift, saying the interpreter agency doesn't allow you to accept gifts

    5

  3. Graciously accept the gift

    0

  4. Other

    0

Looking to be Unintrusive

This ethical dilemma is from the Terp logo (a cartoony green brontosaurus head) Terp practice dialogue Palliative Care Family Conference

During a meeting regarding end-of-life for a newborn, the parents and the chaplain have a side conversation in another language, which the providers are unable to understand.

n
15

  1. Wait quietly and respectfully until they finish their conversation

    5

  2. Use chuchotage to quietly interpret simultaneously for the providers

    5

  3. Remind the parents and chaplain that they need to pause to allow you to interpret for the providers

    5

  4. Other

    0

Ethical Dilemmas from various sources

Family Members Interpreting?

What ethical principle has the biggest impact on conversations with individuals who want to interpret for family members in a healthcare setting?

n
23

  1. respect

    0

  2. advocacy

    1

  3. role boundaries

    8

  4. accuracy

    4

  5. impartiality

    10

  6. other

    0

Exploitative Landlord

Interpreting for a financial counselor and a patient in the hospital, the patient shared some information that seemed suspect to the counselor. After the session, the counselor asked, “From our conversation, it sounds like his landlord is taking advantage of him and his roommates. I think this is extortion. What do you think? Can you go back to talk to him and give him advice?”

n
23

  1. Offer to go with the financial counselor so they can give him advice and you can interpret

    16

  2. Find the patient and give him advice on what to do in his situation

    0

  3. Find the patient and offer him resources to improve his housing situation

    0

  4. Tell the financial counselor that it's not your place

    7

  5. Other

    0

Someone Else, Please

At a follow-up appointment in urology, an elderly patient is accompanied by his adult daughter. The patient speaks an Arabic dialect which is rare. The Arabic interpreter has some familiarity with the dialect although it is not their native dialect. The patient’s daughter recognizes the interpreter’s accent and tells the interpreter that they want someone who is proficient in their family’s dialect.

n
22

  1. Assure the family that, although they are not a native speaker of the dialect, that they can understand enough to interpret for the patient

    2

  2. Fulfill their request and find an interpreter proficient in their dialect

    13

  3. Suggest relay interpreting (interpreter to daughter, daughter to father, and vice versa)

    3

  4. Other: 

    4

“Other” responses

  • Disclose the problem to all present
  • Do the best to fully their request if permitted by medical provider
  • Alert health care provider
  • Depends. Need more context. How easy or hard to get another interpreter? How much proficiency does current interpreter have? What does the patient want?

Questionable Practices

While interpreting for a dental appointment, you notice the dental assistant works on the patient, handles sterile instruments for another room (taking them out of a chemical bath), and then simply dries their gloved hands without following proper PPE protocols before continuing to assist work on the patient.

n
16

  1. Address your concerns discretely with the dentist, without notifying the patient

    7

  2. Address your concerns with the dentist, making sure to let the patient know what you are discussing

    6

  3. Directly confront the dental assistant about their lack of protocol, making sure to let the patient know what you are saying

    2

  4. Other: 

    1

“Other” responses

  • Alert your hiring entity

Xenophobia

During a medical appointment at a hospital, one of the nurses makes a remark to no one in particular, but in the presence of the patient, “All these Mexicans just need to go back to their country.”

n
15

  1. Interpret what the nurse said

    11

  2. Don't interpret what the nurse said

    0

  3. Tell the patient the nurse just made an extremely xenophobic comment that you're not comfortable repeating

    3

  4. Other: 

    1

“Other” responses

  • Report the incident and document it

Cultural Gender Expectations

At a primary care appointment, a female, Arabic-speaking patient was scheduled with a male provider as her primary care physician was not in the clinic that day. The patient was roomed by a female medical assistant as she had arrived a bit early to the appointment. When the female Arabic interpreter arrives, she finds the male provider had just walked into the exam room and is introducing himself to the patient. The interpreter immediately states that the female patient needs to be seen by a female provider, not a male provider, due to cultural beliefs. Is the interpreter acting in alignment with the established codes of ethics?

n
16

  1. Yes

    5

  2. No

    11

  3. Other

    0