CODE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
COURT INTERPRETERS OF
THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT JUDICIAL BRANCH
Court interpreters are appointed to serve the court. As officers of the court, all court interpreters are bound by the following professional code of ethics:
Canon 1
Court interpreters shall act strictly in the interest of the court they serve.
Canon 2
Court interpreters shall reflect proper court decorum and behave with dignity and respect towards the court officers and personnel.
Canon 3
Court interpreters shall avoid professional or personal conduct which could discredit the court.
Canon 4
Court interpreters shall not disclose any information of a confidential nature about court cases obtained while performing interpreting duties.
Canon 5
Court interpreters shall respect the restraints imposed upon them by the need for confidentiality and secrecy as protected under applicable state and federal law. Interpreters shall disclose to the court and parties any prior involvement with a case, or involvement with parties or others significantly involved in a case.
Canon 6
Court interpreters shall work unobtrusively with full awareness of the nature of the proceedings.
Canon 7
Court interpreters shall interpret accurately and faithfully without indicating any partiality, or even the appearance thereof.
State of Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter Services Code of Ethics
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Canon 8
Court interpreters shall maintain impartiality by avoiding undue contact with witnesses, attorneys, defendants and their families, and by avoiding any contact with jurors. This should not limit, however, those appropriate contacts necessary to prepare adequately for their assignment.
Canon 9
Court interpreters shall refrain from giving advice of any kind to any party or individual concerning court procedures and legal matters, and shall not express personal opinions concerning any matter before the court.
Canon 10
Court interpreters shall perform to the best of their ability to assure due process for the parties, accurately state their professional qualifications, and refuse any assignment for which they are not qualified or assignments in which conditions substantially impair their effectiveness.
They shall preserve the level of language used by, and the ambiguities and nuances expressed by the speaker, without any editing. They have a duty to correct any error of interpretation, by requesting clarification of ambiguous statements or unfamiliar vocabulary. They also have a duty to analyze objectively any challenge to their performance.
Interpreters shall call to the attention of the court any factors or conditions which adversely affect their ability to perform adequately.
Canon 11
Court interpreters shall accept no remuneration, gifts, gratuities, or valuable consideration in excess of their authorized compensation in the performance of their official
interpreting duties. Additionally, they shall avoid any conflict of interest or even the appearance thereof.
Canon 12
Court interpreters shall maintain accurate and detailed time records of services rendered.
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Canon 13
Court interpreters shall support other court interpreters by sharing knowledge and expertise with them to the extent practicable in the interest of the court .
They shall never take advantage of knowledge obtained in the performance of official duties or through access to court records, facilities, or privileges, for their own personal gain or the personal gain of any one else.
Canon 14
Court interpreters shall inform the court of any impediment to adherence to this code, or of any effort by anyone else to cause this code to be violated
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