ETHICS, PROFESSIONAL DEONTOLOGY AND TEAM WORKING

The course Ethics, Professional Deontology and Team Working is a core course in Translation and Interpreting, aimed at students of the English-Spanish, English-Italian Sign Language (LIS), and Spanish-Italian Sign Language (LIS) curricula, with a focus on professional ethics and teamwork. The course aims to equip students with the necessary methodological and practical tools to prepare them for the ethical and collaborative aspects of the professions of translation, interpretation, and language and cultural mediation. It examines various codes of ethics developed and adopted by national and international professional associations representing translators, mediators, and interpreters. However, the course also aims to go beyond these codes and encourage critical thinking about the ethical choices and dilemmas that translators and interpreters often face in daily routines. In addition, the course aims to promote best practice and collaborative skills, providing tools for managing complex projects. The workshop approach and the implementation of group project work aim to strengthen the teamwork skills of individual students, who will also learn how best to deal with conflict issues.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired critical thinking skills that will enable them to make ethical decisions in their professional careers and be responsible for them. They will be able not only to comply with professional codes of ethics provided by their employers or professional associations, but also to chose among the ones that are available, while also being aware of the principles of accountability and responsibility for their choices. This competence is crucial for translators and interpreters to handle unforeseen situations that may arise during their professional practice. That is particularly important in today's world. Any code of ethics, no matter how advanced, cannot anticipate all possible scenarios. By engaging in group work and simulations of work contexts, students will gain experience in collaborative translation practices. They will also develop a better understanding of the responsibilities involved in project management and improve their conflict management skills. This will enable them to approach these aspects with greater confidence in their future working environments. More generally, this course is based on the principle that it is in the interest of any society for individuals to be accountable for the choices they make in both their professional and personal lives.

Students are expected to have English language skills at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), particularly in oral communication. All students must also have an excellent command of Italian (at least level B2 for international students), particularly in oral communication. Any differences in language level will be dealt with as necessary.

The course covers fundamental concepts of ethics and morality, with an emphasis on the ethical implications of language choices in relation to specific cultural contexts. It examines different interpretations of terms such as professionalism, code of ethics and law. The course compares different models of codes of practice and explores the differences between deontological and teleological approaches. In addition, the course will consider the concepts of flexibility, integrity, honesty, independence and pride in one's work. It will also explore the ideas of accountability for decisions and individual responsibility. Copyright and translation rights are also covered. Teamwork and collaboration skills will be demonstrated through practical exercises as skills that promote a positive working culture and environment, enabling teams to achieve goals through effective collaboration and motivation. Students will have the opportunity to test these skills through the practical experience of team project work.

Mandatory readings:

Slides of the lectures, academic papers and book extracts which will be provided by the professor and uploaded on the course moodle page

Recommended reading:

Baker, Mona (2018) In Other Words. London and New York: Routledge, Chapter 9 p. 307-331.

Koskinen, K. and N. K. Pokorn (eds.) (2021) The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Ethics. London and New York: Routledge.

The final exam will consist of two parts, a project work and an oral test, assessing students’ competence on course topics.
As for the written part, students will be required to complete a group project work within two weeks time and upload it to the course Moodle page following shared guidelines and instructions. An individual project will be available for those students who prefer this option.
The oral test will assess, through individual interviews, students' understanding of the course material and contents and their ability to use the metalanguage to discuss their project work. To successfully pass the exam, it is strongly recommended that students have a C1 level of English according to the QCER. The final exam result will be calculated based on the marks of the written project and the oral test. Any differences in language level will be dealt with as necessary.

written and oral

The grade for the group project work and the grade for the oral interview will be awarded up to a maximum of 30 points. More specifically, the translation activities of the project work will be awarded up to a maximum of 10 points, the argumentation skills discussed in the project work report will be awarded up to a maximum of 10 points, and the collaboration and problem-solving skills emerging from the project report will be awarded up to a maximum of 10 points. The oral interview will also be marked out of thirty according to the following criteria: mastery of the theoretical concepts covered during the course (out of a maximum of 15 points), ability to argue and rework theoretical content (out of a maximum of 10 points), fluency in English and appropriate use of metalanguage and specialist terminology (out of a maximum of 5 points). The grades for the written project and the oral interview will be combined to give the final mark, using a mathematical average.

Lectures, practical exercises, workshop activities, group work, project work, self-assessment activities.

Lectures will be held in English. Most translation examples will deal with the English-Italian language combination.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development