Ethics, identity and ideology: A study of the interpreters in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937–1945)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v15i.390Keywords:
CWRJA, interpreters, professional ethics, situation ethics, identity, ideologyAbstract
In this article we explore interpreter ethics in China’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937–1945). Interpreter ethics in conflict zones may be divided into professional and situation ethics, and situation ethics is the focus of this study. Apart from professional identity and ideology, interpreters have other identities and ideologies such as national identity and political ideology, especially when they belong to either of the conflicting parties. The concepts of ethics, identity and ideology remain unchanged when they are related to interpreting as a profession. However, they have different connotations when they are associated with a nation, a group or a community. As mediators across languages and cultures, interpreters are more likely to face moral crises in wartime than in peacetime. Therefore, in many cases, they have to violate professional ethics in order to follow situation ethics, and situation ethics varies with their identities and ideologies. The research findings show that during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, interpreters’ national identity remained the same but their moral attitude changed.
References
Angelelli, C. V. (2006). Validating professional standards and codes: Challenges and opportunities. Interpreting, 8(2), 175–193.
Camayd-Freixas, E. (2013). Court interpreter ethics and the role of professional organizations. In C. Schäffner, K. Kredens, & Y. Fowler (Eds.), Interpreting in a changing landscape (pp. 15–30). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Chesterman, A. (1997). Ethics of translation. In M. Snell-Hornby, Jettmarova, Z., & Kaindl, K. (Eds.), Translation as intercultural communication: Selected papers from the EST Congress, Prague 1995 (pp. 147–160). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Chesterman, A. (2001). Proposal for a hieronymic oath. The Translator, 7(2), 139–154.
Cooke, M. S. (2009). Interpreter ethics versus customary law. In S. Hale, U. Ozolins, & L. Stern (Eds.), The critical link 5: Quality in interpreting—a shared responsibility (pp. 85–97). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Cui, W., Li, W., & Xin, C. (2005). The warrior Ima Hirono in the anti-Japanese war alliance. In S. L.Wang (Ed.), Rizhao fenghuolu: Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937–1945) (Vol. 3) (pp. 526–544). Rizhao: Rizhao Newspaper
Delisle, J., & Woodsworth, J. (Eds.). (1995). Translators through history. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Giles, D. (1998). Conference and simultaneous interpreting. In M. Baker (Ed.), Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (pp. 40–45). New York: Routledge.
Gouadec, D. (2007). Translation as a profession. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Fletcher, J. (1966). Situation ethics: The new morality. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox.
Inghilleri, M. (2009). Ethics. In M. Baker & G. Saldanha (Eds.), Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (pp. 100–103). London: Routledge.
Inghilleri, M. (2012). Interpreting justice: Ethics, politics and language. New York: Routledge.
Kagawo, T., & Maeda, G. (1985). J. Cai (trans.). The Japanese soldiers in the Eighth Route Army. Beijing: Beijing News.
Koskinen, K. (2000). Beyond ambivalence: Postmodernity and the ethics of translation (Doctoral dissertation). University of Tampere, Tampere.
Lefevere, A. (1998). Translation practice(s) and the circulation of cultural capital: Some Aeneids in English. In S. Bassnett & A. Lefevere (Eds.), Constructing cultures: Essays on literary translation (pp. 41–56). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Nord, C. (1997). Translating as a purposeful activity. Manchester: St Jerome.
Pym, A. (1995). Translation as a transaction cost. Meta, 40(4), 594–605.
Pym, A. (1997). Pour une ethique du traducteur. Artois/Ottawa: Artois Presses Université/Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa.
Pym, A. (Ed.). (2001). Introduction: The return to ethics in translation studies. Special issue of The Translator, 7(2), 129–138.
Pym, A. (2012). On translator ethics: Principles for mediation between cultures. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Robinson, D. (1997). Becoming a translator: An accelerated course. London: Routledge.
Schleiermacher, F. (1813/2004). On the difference methods of translating. S. Bernofsky (trans.). In L. Venuti (Ed.), The translation studies reader (pp. 43–63). London: Routledge.
Simon, S. (1996). Gender in translation. London: Routledge.
Venuti, L. (1995). The translator’s invisibility. London: Routledge.
Wadensjö, C., Englund Dimitrova, B., & Nilsson, A.-L. (Eds.). (2007). The critical link 4: Professionalisation of interpreting in the community. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Wang, D. (2005). On the ethics of translation. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 27(12), 44–47.
Wang, K., & Ma, F. (1991). Interviewing with a Japanese interpreter. In Y. Wang (Ed.), Linqu events (pp. 198–205). Linqu: Linqu.
Warnock, W. E. (1979). Situation ethics. Truth Magazine, 20(3), 327–330.
Wen, J., & Yu, Y. (August 15, 2005). The legend of an ‘imperial’ senior interpreter. Guizhou National Newspaper, A3.
Williams, J., & Chesterman, A. (2004). The map: A beginner’s guide to doing research in translation studies. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education.
Zhang, X., & Qiang, Z. (1995). The flesh and blood building the Great Wall. Beijing: The History of the Communist Party of China.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. The material cannot be used for commercial purposes.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
