Steering ethics toward social justice in interpreting

In an attempt to steer ethics towards social justice, I adopt a meta-ethical stance on interpreting. By difference from normative and applied ethics, meta-ethics explores the epistemological and theoretical foundations of ethical thought and language. From this standpoint, I revisit the interpreting field and the ways in which social justice has been empowered and constrained by professionalization, pedagogy and research. Given the circularity of ethical discussions in interpreting over impartiality versus engagement, I put forward a meta-ethical model for a tridimensional exploration of the practice (micro), the organization (macro) and the theorization of interpreting (meso), within a dialectic of agency and constraints. Applying this model to interpreting in the so-called global justice movement yields powerful insights onto the epistemologies, the politics and the praxis which may well empower us to steer ethics towards social justice in interpreting.  

Julie Boéri is Associate Professor in Translation and Interpreting Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Her work focuses on the translational nature of contemporary social movements and civil society, and on the ethics and the politics of translation and interpreting. She is the Vice-President of IATIS (International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies).