| דפים בנושא: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you accept jobs that are offensive in nature? מפרסם התגובה: ProZ.com Staff
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Mario Chavez (X) 
Local time: 23:34
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| A common sense approach | Sep 30, 2015 |
Kirsten Bodart wrote:
There are lots of things I don't believe in and things which sit bad with me, but it is the role of a translator to render these things as well as possible in another language. As long as my name is not on it, it is an enjoyable experience to me.
If tomorrow a mighty 'religion' in the US (which I will not mention here) came to ask me to translate a book, pamphlets or whatever with their nonsense, even ridiculing the evolution theory, I would not say no. I would render it as well as possible and as persuasive as I could, in keeping with the original text. I would have a great time laughing my head off as well.
If we couldn't translate anything because it was against our beliefs, there would not be much work left.
However, there would be other concerns like political ones that would move me to reject things that came my way. Let's say I was living in a country where porn was forbidden, carried a prison sentence and the law was not inclined to make a difference between watching it for work (research) and personal pleasure, I would rather be inclined to reject such work, as that could affect my personal freedom/quality of life.
Thank you, Kirsten, for the voice of reason.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 23:34
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| We are translators, not mullahs or the thought police | Sep 30, 2015 |
Once, only once I was offered to translate pornographic material. That was back in the mid 1990s. I don't recall what happened to the project or whether I said yes or no.
Thinking about this poll, I find inspiration in a seminar on court interpreting I attended in 1991: if a defendant curses or says awful things, it's the interpreter's job to render those words faithfully, without changing their meaning or sanitizing t... See more Once, only once I was offered to translate pornographic material. That was back in the mid 1990s. I don't recall what happened to the project or whether I said yes or no.
Thinking about this poll, I find inspiration in a seminar on court interpreting I attended in 1991: if a defendant curses or says awful things, it's the interpreter's job to render those words faithfully, without changing their meaning or sanitizing the content.
Further on, if an interpreter is at court doing his job between, say, a rapist or violent murderer, and the jury or the judge, the interpreter should put his personal feelings or beliefs aside and do his job for the defendant.
Likewise, as neilmac and Chris (is Chris a he or a she?) have pointed out, what is offensive? In what context? One thing is to self-censor your own expressions or whatever it is that you read or learn from the news. To extend that censorship on text that you are asked and paid to translate is quite another. Unless you are an in-house translator for sex sites like Ashley Madison, nobody is imposing a job with “offensive content” on you. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | What's wrong with sex? | Sep 30, 2015 |
We all born as a result of a successful intercourse.
I translated and still translate a lot of porn, mainly soft but sometimes openly erotic material. I am fine with it and sometimes I find it very funny ( I am visual type
I was found by an agency here and they asked me would I do that and I said ok.
It is a large and sectioned website so i have to use wide vocabulary, for example, there is a dating for disabled ... See more We all born as a result of a successful intercourse.
I translated and still translate a lot of porn, mainly soft but sometimes openly erotic material. I am fine with it and sometimes I find it very funny ( I am visual type
I was found by an agency here and they asked me would I do that and I said ok.
It is a large and sectioned website so i have to use wide vocabulary, for example, there is a dating for disabled - one style and a Christian dating - totally another, with a lot of citates from the Bible, then an another part was for the one-night-stand-seekers, with pretty "strong" expressions. So it was not just a work but my English vocabulary was developed
The only case I refused the translation: a man from Ukraine appeared in the office and asked to translate a text from Russian to Hungarian ASAP. He handed over a handwritten paper
"If you will not pay me back the outstanding amount, I will force you to dig a hole in the end of Vecsés (village nearby Budapest) and put you naked into"
...in this moment I stopped reading and told him: "Sir, there is no such amount in the world you can offer/pay for it." He offered USD100 but I told him: "If I would do this, I think I would participate in a criminal act. My freedom means for me a lot more."
He grabbed the banknote and left.
[Módosítva: 2015-09-30 15:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 23:34
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| Enriching opinion | Sep 30, 2015 |
Erzsébet Czopyk wrote:
We all born as a result of a successful intercourse.
I translated and still translate a lot of porn, mainly soft but sometimes openly erotic material. I am fine with it and sometimes I find it very funny ( I am visual type
I was found by an agency here and they asked me would I do that and I said ok.
It is a large and sectioned website so i have to use wide vocabulary, for example, there is a dating for disabled - one style and a Christian dating - totally another, with a lot of citates from the Bible, then an another part was for the one-night-stand-seekers, with pretty "strong" expressions. So it was not just a work but my English vocabulary was developed
The only case I refused the translation: a man from Ukraine appeared in the office and asked to translate a text from Russian to Hungarian ASAP. He handed over a handwritten paper
"If you will not pay me back the outstanding amount, I will force you to dig a hole in the end of Vecsés (village nearby Budapest) and put you naked into"
...in this moment I stopped reading and told him: "Sir, there is no such amount in the world you can offer/pay for it." He offered USD100 but I told him: "If I would do this, I think I would participate in a criminal act. My freedom means for me a lot more."
He grabbed the banknote and left. [Módosítva: 2015-09-30 15:41 GMT]
Erzsébet, that's quite a reasonable and mature position (I mean, opinion or argument, nothing else!). As for the anecdote about the man from Ukraine, now that's a very concrete case in which any professional translator would draw the line and say no.
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Chié_JP
יפן
Local time: 12:34
חבר (2013)
מאנגלית ליפנית
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| legal conformity and Compliance is mandatory for all citizens (and translators) | Sep 30, 2015 |
I encountered and was assigned an obviously net phishing text and false advertisement last year.
The company was quite large and they insisted on my doing their work because they did not want to spare time to investigate the nature of that small client (I had quite a few quarrels over that matter but I finally found a block button).
We are citizens, and under NO circumstances we are criminals.
Not socially offensive but I still stay away from things that... See more I encountered and was assigned an obviously net phishing text and false advertisement last year.
The company was quite large and they insisted on my doing their work because they did not want to spare time to investigate the nature of that small client (I had quite a few quarrels over that matter but I finally found a block button).
We are citizens, and under NO circumstances we are criminals.
Not socially offensive but I still stay away from things that try to arise speculative desire or that (based on what I believe) does not have a positive effect on lives even if they are supposedly adequate businesses. Just issue of taste but it (refusing what does not become of me) certainly gave me secure feeling, peaceful mind, increased motivation and sense of belief.
The fact that porn may include a lot of ideas offensive to both/all genders all the time is enough to decline (and they are related to many virus embedded website so dangerous in this regard in the first place. I do not think it is appropriate to bring these under the sun in any occasion).
Do any of you want to translate for a company that sold cars below environmental standards by not showing it on tests by false making software until very recently?
Not for me. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 23:34
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Chie. I wrote:
I encountered and was assigned an obviously net phishing text and false advertisement last year.
The company was quite large and they insisted on my doing their work because they did not want to spare time to investigate the nature of that small client (I had quite a few quarrels over that matter but I finally found a block button).
We are citizens, and under NO circumstances we are criminals.
Not socially offensive but I still stay away from things that try to arise speculative desire or that (based on what I believe) does not have a positive effect on lives even if they are supposedly adequate businesses. Just issue of taste but it (refusing what does not become of me) certainly gave me secure feeling, peaceful mind, increased motivation and sense of belief.
The fact that porn may include a lot of ideas offensive to both/all genders all the time is enough to decline (and they are related to many virus embedded website so dangerous in this regard in the first place. I do not think it is appropriate to bring these under the sun in any occasion).
Do any of you want to translate for a company that sold cars below environmental standards by not showing it on tests by false making software until very recently?
Not for me.
Let's not confuse issues: criminal actions with matters of personal taste or belief.
Unless a translator endeavors to translate a sex website in his/her own time and on her dime, there is no need or requirement for the translator to do due diligence or to investigate whether a web business is legitimate or not. Depending on the local legal framework, that due diligence is someone else's responsibility, not the translator's.
Would I translate a porn website? That depends on whether I'm aiding and abetting a crime, like child or women trafficking. But I should not assume the mantle of censor and try to tell them whether their content is objectionable, offensive or not. I can always say no to the job without additional explanation.
Would I translate a website for terrorist groups? Here's an added wrinkle, as I might become a person of interest to United States' law enforcement agencies like the FBI. In that case, I would decline for liability reasons and for fear of prosecution in a terrorist case.
Would I translate a website or literature about abortion? Yes, and not necessarily because I approve or disapprove of abortion. My job is to communicate, not to censor.
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Simply because the things that I find offensive aren't things that I want to read.
| | | | Henriette Saffron (X)
דנמרק
Local time: 05:34
מאנגלית לדנית
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I would soon run out of subtitling work if I refused to translate strong language and lewd remarks. I have also translated subtitles for documentaries which are bound to get someone’s blood boiling.
I am a strong believer in freedom of speech and don’t have to share people’s views to translate their material - as long as it can be done without violating any Danish laws.
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| My ideas of offensive are probably different to yours | Sep 30, 2015 |
I don't see anything offensive in any legal porn i.e. between consulting adults. I don't personally have anything to do with it as a consumer, but that doesn't make it offensive. Perhaps naturists see it in a different light, or maybe it's just me - I really don't know.
I've worked on the speeches of Pope John Paul II and on some spiritual texts. As an atheist I found both borderline offensive on a personal level. But that didn't stop me working on them.
However, I woul... See more I don't see anything offensive in any legal porn i.e. between consulting adults. I don't personally have anything to do with it as a consumer, but that doesn't make it offensive. Perhaps naturists see it in a different light, or maybe it's just me - I really don't know.
I've worked on the speeches of Pope John Paul II and on some spiritual texts. As an atheist I found both borderline offensive on a personal level. But that didn't stop me working on them.
However, I would certainly draw the line at anything of a racial or violent nature. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 23:34
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| Pope speeches | Sep 30, 2015 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
I don't see anything offensive in any legal porn i.e. between consulting adults. I don't personally have anything to do with it as a consumer, but that doesn't make it offensive. Perhaps naturists see it in a different light, or maybe it's just me - I really don't know.
I've worked on the speeches of Pope John Paul II and on some spiritual texts. As an atheist I found both borderline offensive on a personal level. But that didn't stop me working on them.
However, I would certainly draw the line at anything of a racial or violent nature.
I'm in your corner, Sheila. I have read some insightful comments today on this poll. It is good to base our decisions (at least in part) on legal or liability concerns. Same here, I'm game for translating anything as long as doing so is not deemed illegal or criminal according to the local laws.
I'm also an atheist, and, like you, I wouldn't turn my nose up against religious documents. I don't see it as doing religious propaganda at all.
Having said that, translating texts that some might consider offensive (I'm thinking of some Charlie Hebdo articles) should only be a matter of conscience.
| | | | Khanda
פולין
Local time: 05:34
מפולנית לאנגלית
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| Had this situation only once | Oct 1, 2015 |
If by "offensive" you mean "potentially harmful", then I would say no. If I was to translate a text that would clearly be aimed at e.g. attracting people to sects or spreading xenophobic/racial/any other type of hatred, I'd decline. If it was just repulsive, controversial or badly written then I'm not bothered. After skimming the text I always offer a rate that I find fair to cover my discomfort (my rates for general marketing texts are usually prohibitive, as I find most of them offensive to hu... See more If by "offensive" you mean "potentially harmful", then I would say no. If I was to translate a text that would clearly be aimed at e.g. attracting people to sects or spreading xenophobic/racial/any other type of hatred, I'd decline. If it was just repulsive, controversial or badly written then I'm not bothered. After skimming the text I always offer a rate that I find fair to cover my discomfort (my rates for general marketing texts are usually prohibitive, as I find most of them offensive to human intelligence and very badly written).
I had a situation once when I was translating a publication which stated an offensive historical untruth in a very delicate subject, historically and politically. I contacted the editor and explained the situation asking whether her intention was to cause scandal or not - in the second case, I asked for permission to alter the original text. It occurred that the editor (not being a Polish national) was not aware of this and gratefully accepted my offer to re-write the offending paragraph. But I would be equally fine with leaving it as it was, even though I personally thought it would be wrong. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Freitas
ברזיל
Local time: 00:34
חבר (2014)
מאנגלית לפורטוגזית
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| Same example of last week... | Oct 2, 2015 |
A decent professional will not refuse a job due to the theme or things like being offensive. We are paid to carry out a translation job, not to judge or criticise content, whatsoever. You can refuse to read a book or to watch a movie for that reason, but not to do a job... again, if you are a professional professional.
Can you imagine a Lawyer that says "I will not defend this person because he is a raper". Or a physician saying "I will not save this person's life because he's a dru... See more A decent professional will not refuse a job due to the theme or things like being offensive. We are paid to carry out a translation job, not to judge or criticise content, whatsoever. You can refuse to read a book or to watch a movie for that reason, but not to do a job... again, if you are a professional professional.
Can you imagine a Lawyer that says "I will not defend this person because he is a raper". Or a physician saying "I will not save this person's life because he's a drug dealer". If you ever watch scenes like that, you'll soon see that lawyer working as a waiter and that physician as a valet in some restaurant.
[Edited at 2015-10-02 00:31 GMT]
[Edited at 2015-10-02 00:34 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | דפים בנושא: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you accept jobs that are offensive in nature? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
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