Statutes

Satutes of association
Czech Chamber of Sign Language Interpreters

The name of association:
Czech Chamber of Sign Language Interpreters

Headquarters/Seat:
Za Černým Mostem 1522/B
190 00 PRAHA 9

Preamble

The top-priority of a sign language interpreter is to facilitate high-quality transfer of full information coming from a Deaf client to a hearing person and back. The intention of Czech Chamber of  Sign Language Interpreters (further on Czech Chamber) is to increase the professional career of its members in order to fill up the right of the Deaf to have communication in their mother language, sign language and to provide quality service that corresponds with level usual in countries of EU. Czech Chamber wants to support progressive specialization of interpreters in various subjects. Another task of Czech Chamber is to protect professional and law interests of its members. Czech Chamber represents their members in negotiation with organizations that provide interpreting services and with organizations and clients who use the interpreter services. Czech Chamber also protects its member’s interests in public.

Article 1
Targets of association   

a)  To protect its members interests (interests of sign language interpreters)

b) To increase level of professional interpreting from and to sign language in The Czech Republic through own certification programme

c) Educating in area of sign language interpreting through various courses, special seminars and other training

d) To establish and keep contacts with organizations that concentrate on similar subjects at national and international level

e) To propagate information about interpreting sign language and other topics connected to it

Article2

Czech Chamber is an independent and open organization. The membership is conditional on taking effort to fill statutes as much as possible. The membership is optional.

Article 3

Czech Chamber joins together persons who provide the interpreter services and also persons who support the interpreter services.

Article 4

To become a member of Czech Chamber a person must respect the right of the Deaf to have their own identity, language a culture and a person must accept sign language as a primary resource of communication of the Deaf.

I. Regular member

Regular member of Czech Chamber is a person who provides interpreter services and fully identifies with the statutes, Code of Ethics and general aiming of Czech Chamber. A member is obligated to participate in all process and development of Czech Chamber according to his possibilities. 

II. Affiliated member

Affiliated member is a person who fully identifies with the statutes, Code of Ethics and general aiming of Czech Chamber, who doesn’t provide interpreter services and who is obligated to participate in all process and development of Czech Chamber according to his possibilities.

III. Member of honour

Member of honour of Czech Chamber is a person who contributed or contributes to good development and progress of sign language interpreting in our country.

Article 5

Czech Chamber supports the development of relations and cooperation of national an international interpreter organization.

Article 6
Member’s rights and obligations

I. Member’s rights

Czech Chamber member has the right to use the member card that confirms his/her membership in Czech Chamber. He/she has the right to actively participate in Czech Chamber activities, make suggestions and remarks. Further on he/she has the right to be entitled to vote and to be voted into all parts of Chamber.

II. Member's obligations

The basic member obligation is to meet entrance requirements of Chamber (see below establishing and cancelling of membership) and to actively work on his/her professional increase. The member also supports other members in their professional increase.

The member pays membership dues.

The member strictly observes the Chamber statutes including ethical interpreter codex that is inseparable part of it.

Member defends interests of Czech Chamber with his/her behaviour and activity.

Article 7
Establishing and cancelling of membership

Negotiation about acceptance to Chamber starts with written application of candidate. Within the entrance examination the Board takes decision about acceptance or nonacceptance and this decision is based on objective evaluating of the person’s professional level.

Membership is cancelled by written announcement of a member about his cancellation or by his death. Czech Chamber is allowed to cancel the membership through voting at members meeting and that in case when the person doesn’t keep the Chamber statutes or he/she is not participating on the Chamber activity. On the member meeting, there must be present at least two-thirds out of amount of all members and the cancellation of membership must be agreed by absolute majority.

Article 8
Membership dues

The amount of regular annual membership due is determinated by the Board. This due is paid by all members. Except the members of honour are exempt.

Article 9

Organization Structure

Executive authority of Czech Chamber is Board that is voted by members every second year in secret election.

Board consists of five members and meets at least every sixth month. During the first Board session president and vice-president are elected. Board takes decision about all the matters happening in association. (I.e. change of statutes).

Article 10
Statutory Authority

Statutory representative of Czech Chamber is its president and vice-president. Board is allowed to choose other representative and spokesman out of members and they will have the right to act on Chamber’s behalf in given affairs.

Article 11
Information for Members

Czech Chamber keeps its members informed about its activity.

Article 12
Source of Income

Source of income are:

• membership dues

• incomes from  economic, edition, advisory activity

• presents, grants, interests and other sources

Article 13
Management with Incomes

Board uses incomes coming from the sources announced above for organization, educational and other activity for the benefit of members.

At the end of the year Czech Chamber publishes annual report that is at everyone’s disposal - at all members, at contributors and also at public.

Article 14
Cancellation of Czech chamber

Cancellation occurs after Board suggests it and this suggestion is accepted by members in exceptional meeting that is convoked on purpose to cancel Czech Chamber. During this exceptional meeting, at least two-thirds must be present and the cancellation of Czech Chamber must be agreed by absolute majority.

Article 15
Validity of Statutes

Statutes accepted by members establishing the association gain their validity on the day it is registrated by Ministry of Internal Things of the Czech Republic.    

Code of Ethics

This Code of Ethics determines the basic rules and rights of sign language interpreter. The sign language Code of Ethics is created with a view to fill up the Deaf right to fully valuable communication. 

Czech Chamber of Sign Language Interpreters has defined these basic ethical behaviour principals to protect the sign language interpreters and their clients, Deaf and hearing:

• Professional interpreter is a person who converts fully the message from initial language to target language. He/she is a bridge between a hearing and a Deaf person, between their languages and their cultures. He/she explaines, adds not even restricts nothing himself. He/she interprets truly the way of expressing; he/she doesn’t change the meaning and content of message. Interpreter doesn’t aim at being active during communication.

• Interpreter follows exactly the way of communication the Deaf client prefers

• Interpreter accepts only orders that correspond with his abilities and qualification. He/she is fully responsible for the quality of his work. In case interpreter finds out that communication with a certain client is too difficult for him, he/she refuses the order.

• Interpreter adapts his/her behaviour and the way of being dressed suitably to the situation

• Interpreter is under obligation of discretion that refers to everything that interpreter gets to know during non-public interpreting.

• Interpreter never refuses his client by reason of his nationality, race, religious denomination, political (party) affiliation, social status, sexual orientation, age, intellectual ability and reputation

• Interpreter has the right to refuse the practice of his profession by the reason of unsuitable conditions for him/her or in that case he/she is not able to stay neutral towards the message and so he could corrupt the client, himself/herself (interpreter) or his profession.

• Interpreter follows his profession development here in our country and also abroad, he/she studies and learns of Deaf culture, he/she complements his/her knowledge of this issue (hearing impaired) and he/she constantly rises his professional level.

• Interpreter respects his profession; he/she seeks to cooperate with other interpreters on assertivity and defence of their common professional interests.

• Czech Chamber of Sign Language Interpreters and its members respect each other.

• Interpreter has the knowledge of this Code of Ethics and he/she complies with it.   

Česká komora tlumočníků znakového jazyka
Ocelářská 35/1354
190 00 PRAHA 9
Czech Republic
Tel./fax: +420 281918747
email: cktzj@cktzj.com