Transparency International has recently published the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2016. This index ranks countries by their perceived levels of corruption. According to the recent report, more countries increased in corruption levels, rather than decreased, showing the urgent need for committed action to thwart corruption. With FCPA anti-bribery and corruption requirements increasing, the need for legal translation services is evident.
**** Large portions copied directly, need to fix.
The Vicious Circle of Global Corruption
Transparency International is a non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany, and founded in 1933. Its nonprofit purpose is to track corrupt practices worldwide and to take action to combat them. The organization releases annually the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. This ranking is based on expert assessments and opinion surveys.
This year’s results highlight the connection between corruption and inequality, which feed off each other creating a vicious circle between corruption, unequal distribution of power in society, and unequal distribution of wealth. The continuous cycle of corruption fueling social inequality has led to disenchanted citizens across the globe that then turn to populist politicians, leaders that are likely to worsen the issue of corruption.
The lower-ranked countries in the index are full of poorly functioning public institutions like the police and judiciary systems. Anti-corruption laws are often ignored and people frequently face situations of bribery and extortion.
Higher-ranked countries tend to have higher degrees of press freedom, access to information about public expenditure, independent judicial systems and stronger standards of integrity for public officials. This being said, they are still not immune to the less obvious forms of corruption like conflicts of interest, illicit finance or closed-door deals.
Global Corruption Perceptions Index 2016
Over two-thirds of the 176 countries analyzed in the 2016 index fall below the midpoint on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Actually, no country gets close to a perfect score. The global corruption average is a poor 43, indicating endemic corruption in the overall public sector. Top-scoring countries are far outnumbered by the countries with a high index of corruption, where citizens face the tangible impact of this crime on a daily basis.
Here are the top 10 countries from the index with the most corruption and the top 10 with the least corruption (with their perceived level of corruption score in parenthesis).
Top 10 Countries with the Least Corruption
Top 10 Countries With The Most Corruption
The Relationship Between Translation and Global Corruption
It’s not surprising that the first month of 2017 was the busiest January ever for FCPA corporate resolutions after a year of increased global corruption. This January six companies paid a combined total of more than $250 million to settle FCPA-related offenses. But companies are not the only ones involved; seven individuals were also part of this enforcement blowout. Two pleaded guilty, three were indicted by the DOJ, and two were charged by the SEC – all for various acts of corruption abroad.
Complying with FCPA anti-bribery and corruption requirements is critical to protect your business in this era of global corruption. U.S companies with offices or employees located overseas must provide those workers with compliance training programs that explain FCPA rules and obligations in their native language. Accurate translation for FCPA related materials and a commitment to compliance are key parts of maintaining a corruption-free global workforce.
Distributing English-only polices instead of professional translation services can seriously backfire if any bribery or corrupt behavior takes place abroad. Non-compliance with the FCPA can be dreadful to any business, so if you’re doing business in any of the countries categorized as high risk by the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index you should provide appropriate FCPA compliance training. Hence, to ensure employees’ full comprehension, the best is to provide this information in a legally binding document in their native language through legal translation services.
Legal offices will often face the need for FCPA translation services, as they see more and more international cases. Often in order to find evidence for (or against) a corruption case, multilingual documents will need to be processed. In this case global compliance services, such as eDiscovery translation solutions, will be necessary to efficiently sort large volumes of potential evidence.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com