Professional Standards of the American Translators Association
I. Personal Oath of Professional Translators:
As a translator/interpreter, I am responsible for assisting customers in communication across language and cultural differences, committed to pursuing the highest standard of service quality, adhering to the highest standards of professional ethics, and adhering to known professional and good practices. I am willing to:
A. Fulfill faithful translation, fully meet customer needs and solve problems for customers. I understand that such professional translation work must meet the following conditions:
1. Proficient in translating into Chinese, with expressive abilities equivalent to those who speak the language as their mother tongue and receive higher education; 2. Learn new knowledge in the field of translation topic at any time and be familiar with specialized vocabulary in both languages;
3. Establish and access rich sources of information and reference materials, familiar with various tools required for professional work;
4. Continuously improving and strengthening the knowledge and skills required for work.
B. Sincerely report professional qualifications and experience, and do not undertake work that is beyond one's qualifications.
C. Make every effort to protect the rights and interests of customers and refrain from disclosing or abusing their confidential information and intellectual property.
D. Truthfully inform customers of the difficulties encountered in translation/interpretation work and work together with them to resolve them.
E. Do not abuse customer recommendations without their consent.
F. Respect the business relationship between customers and their clients or business partners, without damaging or seeking profit.
II. Self regulatory norms for professional translation agencies:
Our company is a translation agency that employs translators/interpreters. We are willing to abide by the aforementioned professional ethics standards and promise to abide by the following industry good practices:
A.Both parties should agree on their expectations and conditions with the translator/interpreter before the translation/interpretation work begins, and enter into a written contract.
B.We should abide by the agreed conditions and any changes in conditions agreed upon by both parties, and never request changes in the work content or payment conditions after the start of the work.
C.If there are any work-related disputes, they should be directly negotiated with the translator/interpreter. Disputes that cannot be resolved shall be submitted to arbitration.
D.Translators/interpreters shall not be required to engage in or engage in discounted work in order to win over customer translation cases.
E.Without the consent of the translator/interpreter, it is not allowed to use the reputation of the translator/interpreter as a means of receiving quotations or marketing assistance; If used with consent, it should be used in good faith for the agreed purpose.
F.Entrusting translators/interpreters to translate publications or performance activities, our company shall grant the copyright owner the recognition that the translator/interpreter should receive as usual within the scope of authority.
Professional Service Standards for Conference Interpretation and Translation
1.To ensure that the service quality meets professional standards, our company's personnel should observe the venue environment before the meeting and eliminate any factors that may affect the quality of work. The interpreter's sight and hearing must not be interfered with in any way. A synchronized interpretation venue must be equipped with an aquarium, otherwise poor sound quality and noise may interfere with interpreters and venue guests.
2.The arrangement of interpretation groups should avoid relay translation.
3.A written contract should be signed with the client, specifying fees, commission hours (days), language, working hours, designated chief interpreter, number of days for preview research/training, transportation time/expenses, accommodation, etc.
4.The contract terms should specify that if there is a recording, an additional copyright fee will be charged.
5.The interpreter shall not undertake any other cases during the agreed period, therefore the contract should include a cancellation clause to specify the compensation method for canceling the service
Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for Translators (TAC)
I. Scope
This standard stipulates the professional ethics and behavioral norms that professional translators practicing within China should follow when engaging in translation work, including basic behavioral norms, as well as pre translation, mid translation, and post translation behavioral norms.
This standard can be used by translators, interpreters, and sign language interpreters to demonstrate that their professional behavior complies with the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct. The translation task commissioning party or client determines that the behavior of the translator providing translation services complies with the Code of Ethics for Translation. It can also be used as a reference for translator training units to provide professional ethics education for translators.
II. Normative reference documents
The following documents are essential for the application of this document. For all referenced documents with dates, only the version with dates applies to this document. For all referenced documents without a date, the latest version (including all amendments) is applicable to this document.
T/TAC 1-2016 Translation Service Translation Service Requirements
T/TAC 2-2017 Basic Skills Requirements for Interpreters and Translators
T/TAC 3-2018 Translation Service Interpretation Service Requirements







