The Danish Association of Certified Translators and Interpreters (DACTI) is an interest organization for translators and interpreters. Membership is open to individuals who meet DACTI’s membership requirements as to proof of qualifications in interpreting and translation as set out in our Bylaws.
Our Code of Professional Conduct has been drafted by the Board of Directors which has the power to amend it at any time.
Purpose of the Code of Professional Conduct
The purpose of the Code of Professional Conduct is to define and maintain high professional and ethical standards among DACTI members to ensure confidence in their work as translators and interpreters. All members are required to adhere to and uphold our Code of Professional Conduct.
The Code of Professional Conduct further aims to promote the reputation of DACTI and its members in the Danish business community, in society in general and in relation to businesses and organizations abroad.
The Code of Professional Conduct include requirements for skills, confidentiality, incorruptibility and prompt performance of work required by DACTI members in line with the rules for government officials.
The Board of Directors of DACTI reviews adherence to the Code of Professional Conduct or complaints about members’ work, either by itself or through an ethics committee. In case of breach, a unanimous Board of Directors may decide to reprimand or expel a member in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws.
Principles and professional values
Members are committed to the following principles:
A. Honesty and integrity
Members must act independently, honestly and in compliance with the general moral principles applicable in Danish society.
The marketing of services by the individual member must not be misleading or untruthful, including information about completed education and training as well as other qualifications and experience. Members are required to comply with the provisions of the Danish Marketing Practices Act and other legislation at all times.
Members must perform their work with integrity and must not allow themselves to be influenced by self-interest or the interests of others, so as to maintain full confidence in the translation or interpreting services provided.
To certify a translation, the translator must ensure that the translation reflects the content and format of the source text without any changes, so that the recipient of the translation can trust that the content of the translation matches the source text precisely.
Members must comply with good business practices, including paying debts related to their business when they fall due. To ensure independence in relation to assignments carried out for public authorities, members must not have significant debts to the public sector.
Members must refrain from acting in a manner that may bring themselves, other members or third parties into disrepute. No member may have been convicted of a criminal offence giving rise to an obvious risk of abuse of their position or duties as a translator and an interpreter.
B. Professional qualifications
Members should not translate or interpret between language combinations or within subjects they do not master sufficiently.
This does not prevent members from making arrangements for the performance of assignments outside their own area of expertise.
Members may not certify translations between language combinations other than those forming the basis for their licence as a translator or membership of DACTI.
Members undertake to keep up to date in their fields and to maintain and develop their professional skills. Reference is made to the continuing professional development standards and skills maintenance and development applicable to DACTI members from time to time. This obligation is a prerequisite for continued membership and is confirmed every other year in the form of a declaration of relevant employment and fulfilment of the continuing professional development (CPD) requirement during the past two-year period.
C. Confidentiality
Members are obliged to keep confidential all information obtained during the performance of their work.
As a result, members may not act or refrain from acting to the benefit of themselves or others based on information obtained in the course of their work, including in connection with assignment requests.
All information about the customer, the assignment and the situation must be treated confidentially and may not be disclosed to third parties.
If members use task performance assistance, including technical solutions, they must ensure that the persons providing the assistance are similarly bound by the duty of confidentiality so that their breach of confidentiality is comparable to a breach of the member’s duty of confidentiality.
The duty of confidentiality also applies to confidential information about other members.
D. Incorruptibility
Members may never accept gifts or services (real or symbolic) that could in any way be considered to be given with an ulterior motive to promote their activities.
E. Impartiality
Members are required to avoid mixing professional and private interests, irrespective of whether such interests are of a political, economic, religious or other nature. Members should therefore refrain from doing anything, including making private financial transactions, that may call into question their impartiality. If a conflict of interest arises, the customer must be informed and the assignment must be cancelled unless the conflict of interest is resolved or accepted by the customer.
The provisions of the Danish Public Administration Act on disqualification apply mutatis mutandis to the members. Members must not have connections to organizations or foreign representations, etc., which may give rise to doubts as to whether the member will be able to carry out their work as a translator or interpreter in an impartial manner.
F. Impunity
Any member who has been convicted of a criminal offence may be excluded from the association if the offence constitutes an imminent risk of abuse of their position, office or occupation. Furthermore, membership may be denied if in any position, office or occupation, the person in question has behaved in such a way that there is reason to believe that the member will not conduct business as a translator or interpreter in a responsible manner, or it may harm the reputation of the association or the profession.
G. Loyalty to the customer
Members must act in accordance with good business practices towards the customer.
In most cases, a written agreement should be entered into with the customer about the nature and scope of the assignment, delivery method, price and date of delivery. The agreement may, for example, be made by email.
The customer must be able to have confidence that the agreed price and date of delivery of the assignment will be met.
When interpreting, members must turn up and carry out the interpreting as agreed. If an interpreting assignment is to be carried out under unsuitable or unreasonable conditions, including in relation to preparation, security or other conditions that may affect the communication situation, the customer should be made aware of this in order to ensure the best possible communication.
If the text to be translated contains significant errors, omissions or ambiguities/imprecise wording, the customer should generally be made aware of this.
If an assignment cannot be completed as agreed, the customer should be notified as soon as possible and the member should help the customer find an alternative solution.
If members carry out assignments as subcontractors, the end customer may not be contacted without the customer’s prior approval.
H. Loyalty to fellow members
Members must act loyally and in good faith towards other members of DACTI.
Members must help each other and DACTI in all practical respects and act respectfully towards each other.
Copenhagen, 15 March 2020
The Board of Directors of the Danish Association of Certified Translators and Interpreters