The case of the interpreter Missandei in the series Game of Thrones approached from different ethical codes

Abstract

In this article, we examine the complex issues interpreters sometimes have to face and solve immediately in the course of their profession. We chose to take Missandei, the interpreter in the famous series Game of Thrones — specifically her interpreting in the third chapter of the third season— as an example. Daenerys wishes to purchase the Unsullied army from Kraznys and they negotiate the price. As she interprets for Kraznys, Missandei encounters numerous challenges including his insulting way of speaking to the other party, his rudeness, his sexual comments towards Daenerys, etc. Although his behaviour may be somewhat exaggerated, it is not altogether untypical. Therefore, some ethical codes, such as that of the UK Institution of Translation and Interpreting, the code of the UK’s National Register of the Public Service Interpreters, the ethical code of the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, the Aragonese Association of Translators and Interpreters (ASATI), the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) and the Spanish Association of Translators, Proofreaders and Interpreters (Asetrad) will be examined in order to understand what help professional interpreters can expect to obtain from them and how they guide interpreters to act in difficult situations.