Life is not that Simple
Unfortunately, it is far more complex than the above may suggest. It is often difficult to tell a disagreement from a mistake, principally when people have strong convictions regarding the issue. There is a limit to tolerance, however, and sometimes you really cannot stomach the text and must reject the assignment. The can't-stomach-don't-translate rule is not absolute, however.
But What if it is a Lie? Talking about police and judiciary interpreters and translators, we can say that they teach us another important lesson, this time about lies. The translator is working on a deposition which contains several lies. Even if the translator knows for a fact that the witness is lying, the translation must reflect such lies as accurately as the translator can. The deposition is what the witness said, not what happened. So, it may be a lie that John Doe was pushed downstairs before he hit Jim Roe in the head with a length of pipe; but it is true that the witness, a certain Jack Moe said so. As we see it, translators, regardless of their religion, are not required to identify wrong references. However, if they do find a wrong reference, they are expected to ask themselves a few questions before acting: What sort of wrong reference? Just a slip? If this is the case, just straighten up the reference and go ahead. If there are many of them, inform the publisher and say that someone should check all references. If the publisher says "why not you?" just put a price on it and go ahead. An author who willingly provides wrong references or any other kind of false information is bearing false witness, and thus breaking one of the Ten Commandments. The translator who reads "A" and translates it as "B" is, in his turn, committing the same sin and one error does not justify the other.
LECTURE 4. TRANSLATION RULES AND ETHICS 1. Ethics Is a Professional Concern 2. The Notion of ‘Ours’ and ‘Theirs’ in the Work of a Translator 3. Translation Is Always an Improvement 4. The Sources of Translation Improvement 5. Professional Detachment is an Attachment to a Profession
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