Every professional group has a code of ethics.
Developing an agreed-upon set of guidelines is essential to the professionalization of any new field. Thus, as medical interpretation has grown around the country so too have ethical guidelines. Although codes for medical interpreters have often emerged independently in various institutions and locales, they have much in common and express similar core values. In addition, most codes give interpreters the responsibility and right to turn down or leave assignments they feel unable to handle in a professional manner, including interpreting for close friends or relatives, interpreting in situations which pose a conflict with the interpreter's own internal values, and interpreting in situations for which they feel untrained or unqualified. Elements that do vary among different codes of ethics usually result from the definition of the interpreter's role.