FOR INTERPRETERS: Have you ever 'broke' your ethical boundaries?

[Synner]

As a training interpreter myself, I interested in this area regarding 'professional judgements'.

Im interested in knowing other interpreters expience in specialist settings, such as mental health, social work and medical etc.

Have there been times when you were MORE than an interpreter?
Have you ever breached confidentiality to avoid harm?
What situations have you been in and how have they been resolved?

Look forward to hear from some of you!

Synner

 

[ayala920]

Given the setting I work in, I break the code of ethics on a daily basis, but such is the nature of my job. I work in a residential treatment facility for "at-risk" youth dealing with psychological disorders, drug and alcohol problems, abusive families- the list goes on and on. Basically, everything I learned about confidentiality and being "just an interpreter" was thrown out the window.

I'm now an interpreter, a one-on-one, a youth worker, a TA, a psychologist, a friend, a tutor- I do it all. If the students are goofing off, the teachers are more than willing to let me step in, and I often do. They come to me for help more than they go to the teachers. When they're having emotional problems, I'm the one who goes for a walk with them to talk about it.

Honestly though, I love it. I want to do more than just "interpret," and this job is allowing me to do it without breaking any rules. When our new interpreter started one of the students told her something (nothing big, but still) and she didn't immediately inform anyone else. I had to sit down with her and basically tell her to forget everything she'd been taught, because these kids don't get to have "secrets" in our facility.

Hope this helps!

 

[Interpretrator]

It would probably be foolish to say "No, I never made an ethical breach." There are probably times when I did but I wasn't aware of it. I'm pretty sure, though, that I can say I've never intentionally broken my ethical boundaries. It's one of my foremost concerns, especially since I have worked with other interpreters who tend more towards the "helping" mode and I'm not comfortable with that at all.

One area I find constantly grey is in making the judgment whether to step in personally when I believe there is a miscommunication that is making the situation worse. I rarely do this but sometimes it appears necessary.

Here's an example not taken from any actual experience but is similar enough to make my point. A hearing teacher comes over to help a deaf student in a computer class (so this is a one-to-one interaction now). The teacher needs to point out something on the student's screen. The teacher asks the student to watch the screen while she does something, but at the same time she is speaking, and so the student also needs to watch me. The teacher doesn't quite make this connection (a lot of them don't!) and the student is obviously frustrated. At this point, do I step in as the interpreter and explain the conflict, and suggest the teacher give her explanations after she has done the on-screen demonstration? Or do I leave it up to the student to ask for this?

Different people have strong feelings about the answer to this. I really think it depends on the case. I don't like jumping in but there are times when the situation just keeps getting worse and both participants are frustrated. There are times when the interpreter really is the only one who can see where the roadblock is -- just because we can see both sides of the conversation. (This tends to happen mostly with teachers with little or no experience with deaf people and interpreters.) Some people argue that any time I've done this, I've breached professional ethics. Others say this is just one of those judgments that interpreters are frequently called upon to make while working.

In any case, it's a good question and a good reminder that it takes more than just language skills to be an interpreter. I remember a client once telling me that he or she preferred Terp A over Terp B, because even though B was a better signer, she thought A was more professional. I'm sure not everyone feels that way but it was interesting to hear.

 

[Reba]

My response is pretty much the same as Interpretrator's. Most of my assignments are in educational settings. So far, I haven't been confronted with any threatening situations that would require a breach of confidentiality.

Many of my assignments are long term with specific clients so we do develope friendships. We also run into each other at other "outside" social events. I have to be mindful of which "hat" I am wearing at the time, and keep my roles clearly defined.

 

[Tousi]

It would probably be foolish to say "No, I never made an ethical breach." There are probably times when I did but I wasn't aware of it. I'm pretty sure, though, that I can say I've never intentionally broken my ethical boundaries. It's one of my foremost concerns, especially since I have worked with other interpreters who tend more towards the "helping" mode and I'm not comfortable with that at all.

Nice posts by you three. Ummm, this "helping" mode of which you speak is also known as "mothering", isn't it? That is something that irks me to no end. I don't recall experiencing this but I have seen it lots over the years.

 

[Etoile]

I can recall one specific experience where I broke the CoE and felt bad about it, but I had to do it for my own sanity. I used to work in a hospital a lot, and one time I had to interpret a doctor telling a patient "you have cancer." That was one of the hardest things I remember interpreting, ever. When I got home I had to tell my wife about it because I just felt so awful and I was worrying if I had used appropriate facial expressions, the right signs, etc. So my wife couldn't help with that stuff, but I was feeling worried and sick over the experience, and I had to tell somebody about it.

Another time I had to communicate back to my agency the content of a job. I had been told it was "a social worker going on a home visit." The requestor was deaf herself and refused to provide any further information - not even if I would be interpreting for a child or an adult. Well, it turned out I was interpreting for a teenager who had witnessed sexual abuse. Fortunately the social worker told me on the way in, so I wasn't shocked when she started asking questions, but I couldn't believe that information was left out of the request. What if I had rape or sexual abuse in my own past? I could not have interpreted that assignment and I would be outraged at having been sent there. Afterward I talked to the social worker, and she said the content was supposed to have been conveyed to the agency. So when I got back to the agency office I sat down privately with the coordinator and told him what it had been about, because he is the one responsible for choosing who to send to that assignment next time.

And then there's the guy in the hospital who flashed his genitals at me repeatedly...you better believe I told somebody about that one!

 

[Interpretrator]

We also run into each other at other "outside" social events. I have to be mindful of which "hat" I am wearing at the time, and keep my roles clearly defined.

I always remember something one of my teachers said. She had interpreted a doctor's appointment for a client, and then the next day or so ran into that client at a party. So she used her standard greeting: "Hi, how are you! I haven't seen you in a while, what's up?" Basically letting the person know that it was as if the interpreter was "gone" and nothing regarding what had taken place privately at the appointment would be referred to. I do that all the time now but then my clients bring it up themselves.

Ummm, this "helping" mode of which you speak is also known as "mothering", isn't it?

In the history of interpreting, you learn it as the time period when the "helping mode" was in vogue. (To be fair, this was in the 60s when the interpreter profession was brand new, and most interpreters were family or friends of deaf people, so those professional boundaries hadn't been established yet.) But I'm sure people who still encounter interpreters like this call it "mothering," and I wouldn't stand for it either.

I can recall one specific experience where I broke the CoE and felt bad about it, but I had to do it for my own sanity...So my wife couldn't help with that stuff, but I was feeling worried and sick over the experience, and I had to tell somebody about it.

I've talked to experienced interpreters about this and it came up in the ITP. I believe there is a feeling that interpreters do have to deal with so much upsetting stuff that they do need ONE person they can fully unload on without worrying about confidentiality. It's not considered a breach of ethics; it's considered mental health for interpreters. It certainly helps if that person is not involved in the deaf community so they won't encounter any of the people discussed, and of course they MUST understand confidentiality themselves.

For example, I unload on my boyfriend all the time, but he will never meet any of the people I talk about, and he also knows I am rabid about confidentiality and he knows that he is the exception that saves my sanity. As you say, there are times when you do HAVE to tell someone about it and the confidentiality issue will come up if you go to another interpreter or a supervisor. I wouldn't worry about that one unless you mentioned first and last names, addresses, social security numbers, etc.

 

[amccann05]

broken boundaries

yes i have... i had a decision to make.. and i am pretty sure that i made the right decision. i was interpreteing in a hospital setting and early in the assignment the nurse was asking the patient if there were any known drug allergies... it was confirmed that yes there were... a severe one... so later on after the patient has been sedated.. the nurse came in and was about to administer this drug... the patient had no idea what was going on bec of the sedation.. and i knew from the previous conversation that this could end up bad.. so i had to make a decision.. do i a) stand back and not say anything.. and possibly watch this person die or whatever.. or do I b) polietly tell the nurse that earlier the patient said they were alergic to this drug and to check the medical band... i chose b. was i unethical and wrong? maybe maybe not... but i did what i felt was right..

 

[Interpretrator]

i chose b. was i unethical and wrong? maybe maybe not... but i did what i felt was right..

From what you said in your post, I agree that it might have been technically unethical strictly according to the RID Code..but definitely not wrong. I bet you would have felt a lot worse if that person had died! (And what was that nurse doing not checking a medical band anyway?) What a tough position to be in...good for you.