And who posted Toyota’s secrets on the Internet.
Toyota Motor Corp. has subpoenaed a former translator-turned-whistleblower, hoping to discover how she secured access to hundreds of confidential documents that she posted on an online blog, including information relating to computer code it considers its “crown jewels.”
The translator, a former subcontractor named Betsy Benjaminson, is a self-proclaimed whistleblower, providing internal Toyota documents to news organizations including CNN and Corporate Counsel, an affiliate of The National Law Journal, involving alleged defects that caused Toyota’s cars and trucks to suddenly accelerate out of control.
Benjaminson, who was forced to flee her home in Sderot, Israel, to avoid Hamas rocket attacks this month, confirmed she had received the subpoena via email on June 28. “I’m retaining counsel and will defend myself from the subpoena,” she said.
Toyota, which recalled more than 10 million models for the faulty accelerator pedals and floor mats it blamed for the problems, has paid billions of dollars to resolve hundreds of consumer lawsuits, regulatory fines and a criminal investigation. It also is attempting to settle lawsuits brought on behalf of people injured or killed due to sudden acceleration, many of whom blame the accidents on glitches in Toyota’s electronic throttle control systems. Toyota has rejected those assertions. More.
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Comments about this article
Australia
Local time: 09:46
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Thanks, I published it on: scoop.it/t/what-would-you-loose-if-nobody-would-translate
(Imagine a world where you would have no access to worldwide culture, politics, business, supplies, etc., if you only speak your own language´)
Germany
Local time: 01:46
German to English
you mean "what would you lose?"
Loose is the opposite of tight, lose is the opposite of win.
Spain
Local time: 01:46
Spanish to English
+ ...
IMHO, this "self-proclaimed whistleblower" does the translation profession no favours by breaching client-translator confidentiality.
Portugal
Local time: 00:46
I believe that translators should not give opinions within the ambit of the work they are contracted to do. For example, I can do a great job of a translation promoting a food product, but privately may not even consider that product... See more
I believe that translators should not give opinions within the ambit of the work they are contracted to do. For example, I can do a great job of a translation promoting a food product, but privately may not even consider that product as "real food" at all, and may even consider one of its ingredients to be harmful to human health. Translating material to do with this product does not give me the right to talk about it though - even among my closest friends. ▲ Collapse
France
Local time: 01:46
English to Dutch
+ ...
...
I believe that translators should not give opinions within the ambit of the work they are contracted to do. For example, I can do a great job of a translation promoting a food product, but privately may not even consider that product as "real food" at all, and may even consider one of its ingredients to be harmful to human health. Translating material to do with this product does not give me the right to talk about it though - even among my closest friends.
...because I too believe in confidentiality as one of the lynch pins (if not the lynch pin) of the translation industry. Nothing prevents me, however, to have pillow talk with my wife about a certain project that troubles me, or discussing a certain project over drinks with close friends, when the subject arises. As long as I don't divulge specifics or reveal names, there is no issue there.
United States
Local time: 19:46
Russian to English
+ ...
It is absolutely illegal. If she felt the materials she was about to translate were immoral--hiding some dangers that the cars posed from the general public, she should have declined the jobs, or try talking to the company that they should disclose certain things.
It is a violation of the confidentiality agreement.
[Edited at 2014-07-22 09:29 GMT]
Cameroon
Local time: 00:46
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
Very interesting!
Spain
Local time: 01:46
Spanish to English
+ ...
you mean "what would you lose?"
Loose is the opposite of tight, lose is the opposite of win.
Exactly! I didn't want to mention it, but this widespread misspelling makes me see red and can even turn me against whoever perpetrates it, although I might otherwise have been likely to agree with the point they were originally making.
Spain
Local time: 01:46
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
If this person had real concerns about the safety of her customer's products, she should have clearly written to the appropriate person in the company, after informing/asking permission from her contact person, instead of divulging data in the public sphere.
... See more
If this person had real concerns about the safety of her customer's products, she should have clearly written to the appropriate person in the company, after informing/asking permission from her contact person, instead of divulging data in the public sphere.
Bad, bad decision, for her and for the translation community. ▲ Collapse
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:46
Member (2008)
Italian to English
you mean "what would you lose?"
Loose is the opposite of tight, lose is the opposite of win.
Exactly! I didn't want to mention it, but this widespread misspelling makes me see red and can even turn me against whoever perpetrates it, although I might otherwise have been likely to agree with the point they were originally making.
The misuse of "loose" and "lose" trumps whatever it is this thread was supposed to be about.
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:46
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
I was wondering why some recent NDAs included a clause that I must not make any public statements about any end clients, even if not directly related to a specific translation assignment. These clauses appeared to have been added in a rush and needed careful rephrasing before I was able to sign them. Now I know why this issue cropped up in the first place...
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:46
Member (2010)
English to French
+ ...
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:46
Member (2008)
Italian to English
If through no fault of my own I inadvertently come into possession of confidential documents apparently relating to the intention of keeping the lid on an issue of major public concern, I wonder what I'd have done. Just forget about it?
On the other hand, if the client commissioning the translation was so ina... See more
If through no fault of my own I inadvertently come into possession of confidential documents apparently relating to the intention of keeping the lid on an issue of major public concern, I wonder what I'd have done. Just forget about it?
On the other hand, if the client commissioning the translation was so inattentive as to release sensitive documents to third parties, I don't think Betsy Benjaminson's head should necessarily be the one on the chopping block.
Ask yourself: if you get an email today asking you to translate a document that says "Gentlemen: please do not tell anyone that eating our food product causes cancer" what would you do?
[Edited at 2014-07-23 10:05 GMT] ▲ Collapse
Japan
Local time: 08:46
Japanese to English
+ ...
Normally, I would say that all my translations are strictly confidential, and should remain so in perpetuity. But Betsy Benjaminson's experience makes me think again.
If through no fault of my own I inadvertently come into possession of confidential documents apparently relating to the intention of keeping the lid on an issue of major public concern, I wonder what I'd have done. Just forget about it?
On the other hand, if the client commissioning the translation was so inattentive as to release sensitive documents to third parties, I don't think Betsy Benjaminson's head should necessarily be the one on the chopping block.
Ask yourself: if you get an email today asking you to translate a document that says "Gentlemen: please do not tell anyone that eating our food product causes cancer" what would you do?
[Edited at 2014-07-23 10:05 GMT]
Yes, I was thinking the same thing when I read this article and everyone's comments.
It seems to me that saying that you would never, ever break confidentiality is a fairly sweeping statement. If a translator, through the course of regular duties, accidentally stumbled upon or was inadvertently exposed to information describing an imminent terrorist attack, would silence be the right course of action? What if breaking a client's confidence in a particular instance was guaranteed to save dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of lives?
It is certainly up for debate whether this Toyota incident is such a life-saving example; I know very little about the whole defect at issue, though from what I gather Toyota has already recalled millions of supposedly affected vehicles, so it seems unlikely that blowing the whistle in this case will actually save lives. But it doesn't take that much effort for me to imagine this happening in a much more dangerous environment where, say, a biological agent was released and some government or agency was attempting to cover it up, at the peril of a great number of people.
Surely there is some kind of personal "moral threshold" when it comes to this type of thing, no?
Cameroon
Local time: 00:46
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
With regard to Orrin Cummins' comments, surely there IS some kind of personal "moral threshold" when it comes to that type of thing, yes!
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