Is it ethical to post about our interpreting jobs on social media? Thread poster: Mohammad Ghaffari
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Hey there,
I have recently noticed a famous colleague of mine in my country who seems to be a well-known interpreter, but he constantly posts about the jobs he's assigned on his social media accounts. By following his social media accounts, one will know not only the names of his clients, but also the exact events he has interpreted for. It boosts his career, of course (with all those hashtags he uses), but I was wondering if it is ethical (/professional)? To what boundaries interpr... See more Hey there,
I have recently noticed a famous colleague of mine in my country who seems to be a well-known interpreter, but he constantly posts about the jobs he's assigned on his social media accounts. By following his social media accounts, one will know not only the names of his clients, but also the exact events he has interpreted for. It boosts his career, of course (with all those hashtags he uses), but I was wondering if it is ethical (/professional)? To what boundaries interpreters can post about their jobs on social media, after all? I'm not an interpreter myself, but I minored in Interpreting and I remember my professor once advised us not to post about our jobs on social media. I'm asking the question out of my curiosity. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jan Rausch 
Germany
Local time: 12:52
German to English
+ ...
Interesting question.
In a nutshell, it's not unethical to post about your assignments if you keep it general. So for instance a picture of your booth or the venue etc, or a comment like "interesting medical assignment today" etc.
But as soon as those posts include names or pictures that identify the client or other individuals or brands or companies that is a no-go, unless of course you have asked for their permission. I, too, have seen many posts on Twitter on LinkedI... See more Interesting question.
In a nutshell, it's not unethical to post about your assignments if you keep it general. So for instance a picture of your booth or the venue etc, or a comment like "interesting medical assignment today" etc.
But as soon as those posts include names or pictures that identify the client or other individuals or brands or companies that is a no-go, unless of course you have asked for their permission. I, too, have seen many posts on Twitter on LinkedIn where colleagues randomly post pictures of the stage or products or the agenda or even use the client or product name in a hashtag, and I do wonder whether they always have permission to do that. You can get yourself into trouble otherwise. So if in doubt, leave it out.
You can watch this as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvzv8dgXcWc), although I personally find some of the don'ts are too strict. Why would you not be allowed to share a picture of a venue or your booth if is doesn't identify the event or client? But that can be debated.
Or you can listen to this: https://www.troubleterps.com/16 ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I find general posts okay, too | Oct 31, 2018 |
Jan Rausch wrote: Interesting question. In a nutshell, it's not unethical to post about your assignments if you keep it general. So for instance a picture of your booth or the venue etc, or a comment like "interesting medical assignment today" etc. But as soon as those posts include names or pictures that identify the client or other individuals or brands or companies that is a no-go, unless of course you have asked for their permission. I, too, have seen many posts on Twitter on LinkedIn where colleagues randomly post pictures of the stage or products or the agenda or even use the client or product name in a hashtag, and I do wonder whether they always have permission to do that. You can get yourself into trouble otherwise. So if in doubt, leave it out. You can watch this as well ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvzv8dgXcWc), although I personally find some of the don'ts are too strict. Why would you not be allowed to share a picture of a venue or your booth if is doesn't identify the event or client? But that can be debated. Or you can listen to this: https://www.troubleterps.com/16
Thanks, Jan (esp. for the useful links). General posts seem okay to me, too, as I see many translator colleagues posting about their jobs like that.
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:52
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| When? Start with "Never" | Oct 31, 2018 |
Mohammad Ghaffari wrote:
To what boundaries interpreters can post about their jobs on social media, after all?
Legally? Whatever is permitted by your contract. In terms of business ethics? I no longer do much interpreting, but whatever the service offered, I would never provide information that allows the client or other parties involved to be identified. I would not work with an interpreter such as you describe if I were a client. Confidentiality is important.
Regards,
Dan
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Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:52
Serbian to English
+ ...
| shortest version ... | Nov 2, 2018 |
"interpreting + logorrhoea on social media"?
Try "a can of petrol + a lighter" for comparison ...
Or "shooting yourself in the foot" ... on automatic fire.
[Edited at 2018-11-04 16:51 GMT]
| | | | Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:52
Serbian to English
+ ...
| shortest version ... slightly longer | Nov 5, 2018 |
You may gain some short term notoriety, but the more or less guaranteed long term result will be that any client serious about confidently (as the best clients tend to be) wouldn't touch you with a barge-pole.
[Edited at 2018-11-05 16:06 GMT]
| | | | | Does the characteristics of the job make a difference? | Nov 6, 2018 |
Do you think the type of job should make a difference here or not? I guess it seems logical, even for those who don't practice interpreting, that an interpreter should not divulge any information about a meeting between a lawyer and their potential client. But what about community interpreting, for example? Would it be unprofessional to post a photo of yourself when you're in off time?
| | | | Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:52
Serbian to English
+ ...
| "helpful" auto-correct ... | Nov 9, 2018 |
Daryo wrote:
You may gain some short term notoriety, but the more or less guaranteed long term result will be that any client serious about confidently (as the best clients tend to be) wouldn't touch you with a barge-pole.
[Edited at 2018-11-05 16:06 GMT]
... any client serious about confidentiality ... obviously.
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