The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) Code of Ethics provides a set of ethical principles to guide the professional conduct of medical interpreters. This code ensures effective, accurate, and impartial communication between healthcare providers and patients, promoting patient safety and high-quality care in medical settings.

Key Ethical Principles:

• Confidentiality:

  • Maintain strict confidentiality of all information obtained during interpreting assignments.

  • Protect patient privacy in accordance with legal and ethical standards.

• Accuracy:

  • Deliver messages with complete accuracy, preserving the meaning, tone, and intent without adding, omitting, or altering information.

• Impartiality:

  • Remain neutral in all interactions, avoiding personal opinions, biases, or conflicts of interest.

  • Disclose any potential conflicts that could affect impartiality.

• Professionalism:

  • Accept assignments within the interpreter’s level of competence and language proficiency.

  • Maintain professional boundaries with clients and healthcare providers.

• Cultural Competence:

  • Recognize and address potential cultural barriers that may impact communication, without compromising neutrality.

• Role Boundaries:

  • Limit the role to facilitating communication; do not provide medical advice, counseling, or personal opinions.

• Advocacy (When Necessary):

  • In rare cases, act as an advocate if patient safety is at risk due to a communication barrier, while maintaining professional ethics.

• Continuous Professional Development:

  • Engage in ongoing education to maintain and improve interpreting skills, including language proficiency and knowledge of medical terminology.

Why It’s Important:

The IMIA Code of Ethics helps interpreters maintain integrity, trust, and accountability in healthcare environments. By adhering to these ethical guidelines, interpreters support patient-centered care and ensure that language barriers do not compromise health outcomes.

🔗 IMIA Code of Ethics