Introduction

The end of the 1970s was marked by one particularly important event for Norwegian Sign Language interpreters. The Norwegian Deaf Association obtained public funding for the first interpreter training courses. The establishment of formal education is one key factor that contributes to sparking a succession of important events. In terms of education, salary and working conditions, interpreters could compare themselves with Norwegian nurses, teachers, physiotherapists or social workers at the end of the 1990s. Many of the professionalised interpreters had work experience dating back to the pre-professionalised era. The code of ethics that was orientated towards the conduit model was not only about restricting and limiting the interpreters’ professional responsibilities. The idea that the difference between right and wrong actions can be specified in general rules is age-old. There are several interesting connections between the theoretical ideas about deontological ethics and the development of professionalism and ethical codes of conduct among Norwegian Sign Language interpreters in the 1980s and 1990s.