Ethics Terms

Time Investment: 45-60 minutes of research and reflection

Learning Objectives

By the end of this activity, you will be able to:

Define key ethical terminology used in business contexts
Apply ethical concepts to professional situations
Communicate about ethics using precise vocabulary

Activity: Building Your Ethics Vocabulary

Step 1: Explore the Ethics Defined Resource

Visit the McCombs School of Business Ethics Defined glossary, which features 2-minute videos that define over 50 terms related to ethics.

Step 2: Select Your Terms

Choose 2-3 terms that you find interesting or relevant to translation, localization, and interpretation work. Consider terms that might apply to situations you could encounter as a professional in the international language industry.

Suggested categories to explore:

Decision-making concepts: Virtue Ethics, Bounded Ethicality, Consequentialism
Professional responsibility: Cognitive Bias, Fiduciary Duty, Technological Somnambulism
Business practices: Conflict of Interest, Self-Serving Bias, Ethical Fading
Cultural considerations: Moral Relativism, Framing, Conformity Bias

Step 3: Watch and Analyze

For each term you select:

Watch the video and take notes on the definition
Consider the application: How might this concept apply to language professionals?
Think of examples: What situations in translation/localization might involve this ethical concept?

Post to Teams Ethics Discussion Channel:

For each term you studied, provide:

Term and definition in your own words (not copied from the video)
Professional application: How this concept relates to translation, localization, or interpretation work
Example scenario: A brief, hypothetical situation where this ethical concept might be relevant

Note: If a classmate has already posted about a term, choose a different one to ensure we cover a wide range of concepts.

Reflection Questions

As you work through the terms, consider:

Which ethical concepts seem most relevant to your future career in language services?
How do these formal ethical terms relate to informal ideas about “right and wrong” that you already hold?
What ethical challenges might be unique to professionals who work across languages and cultures?

Building Connections

Ethics in the language industry often involves:

Accuracy and fidelity: Balancing literal translation with cultural appropriateness
Confidentiality: Managing sensitive information across multiple parties
Professional competence: Knowing when to accept or decline work based on your skills
Cultural sensitivity: Navigating different ethical standards across cultures
Technology integration: Considering the ethical implications of AI and machine translation

As you learn these formal terms, think about how they apply to these real-world professional contexts.

📥 Download This Activity

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🤖 AI Study Prompts

After completing your ethics vocabulary work, deepen your understanding with these prompts:

“Based on the ethical terms I studied, what are additional ethical frameworks that apply specifically to translation and localization work?”
“How do these formal ethical concepts relate to real dilemmas that language professionals face?”
“What ethical terminology should I know when discussing professional standards with clients or colleagues?”

Next Activity: Corporate Ethics where we’ll examine business ethics in practice.