Ethical Challenges in Translating Classified Intelligence: Cultural, Psychological, and Financial Dimensions | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Linguistics and Translation | ||
| Volume 16, Issue 1, December 2025, Pages 1-41 PDF (901.73 K) | ||
| Document Type: Translation science | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejlt.2025.393688.1114 | ||
| Author | ||
| Mahmoud Gudra Al Anakrih* | ||
| Department of linguistics, Sohag University | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Translation of secret intelligence reports is a profession with complex and often conflicting moral demands. Far from being a simple linguistic task, it involves national security, the mental welfare of translators, cultural sensitivity, and the integrity of financial and institutional mechanisms. Translators in such high-risk environments must simultaneously navigate emotional stress, cultural nuance, and financial risk while maintaining absolute fidelity to sensitive information. This article examines the ethical challenges faced by translators of classified intelligence using a qualitative methodology, including field interviews, case studies of institutional practices, and critical engagement with ethical, psychological, and linguistic theory. Findings suggest that ethical misconduct in intelligence translation often stems not from individual failings but from structural flaws: systemic underfunding, inadequate psychological support, poor cultural training, and the persistent risk of coercion, such as honey trapping. Psychological accounts—such as Rest's moral behavior theory and Bandura's moral disengagement theory—explain how emotional overload degrades ethical thought. Cultural miscommunication is viewed as a technical and ethical risk, particularly within zones of conflict, where mistranslation could initiate violence or distort diplomatic interactions. The article also discusses how economic insecurity undermines moral judgment, with the focus on the need for compensation structures that recognize the high-stakes nature of the work. The study concludes with cross-disciplinary policy recommendations for intelligence and translation agencies, including ethics training, psychological protection, culturally modified translation processes, and fair labor protections. By positioning translators as ethical actors within precarious systems, the article advances a translator-centered ethical framework that aligns professional integrity with national interests. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Classified intelligence; Translation ethics; Psychological stress; Cultural misinterpretation; Honey trapping | ||
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