The Principle of Confidentiality for Professional Interpreters
Statement by the Executive Committee of AIIC
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The International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), in reaction to the suggestion that the interpreter present at the recent meeting between President Trump and President Putin may be required to give testimony, wishes to recall the principle enshrined in Article 2a of AIIC’s Code of Professional Ethics:
AIIC Code of Professional Ethics
Art. 2 a) Members of the Association shall be bound by the strictest secrecy, which must be observed towards all persons and with regards to all information disclosed in the course of the practice of the profession at any gathering not open to the public.
If statesmen are to speak freely, they must be able to trust interpreters unreservedly not to reveal confidential information. Hence the importance of upholding the cardinal principle applied worldwide since WWII, that interpreters should never be obliged to give testimony.
Signed, 19 July 2018
Uroš PETERC, AIIC President
Christopher THIÉRY, AIIC President 1963-1965 & Honorary President
Gisela SIEBOURG, AIIC President 1985-1990
Monique DUCROUX, AIIC President 1991-1993
Malick SY, AIIC President 1994-1999
Jean-Pierre ALLAIN, AIIC President 2000-2002
Jennifer MACKINTOSH, AIIC President 2003-2005
Benoît KREMER, AIIC President 2006-2011
Linda FITCHETT, AIIC President 2012-2014
Angela KEIL, AIIC President 2015-2017
About AIIC
The International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), established in 1953, is the only global association of conference interpreters, and brings together over 3,000 professional interpreters from every continent.
AIIC, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is an association composed of individual members who are professional conference interpreters, including many permanent staff interpreters working for government institutions, including the US Government, the EU institutions, the UN, international courts, NATO and others.
Further information
Visit https://aiic.net
Email Martin Field: communications@fvtwp2fje.aiic.net