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Rejecting an already accepted job on moral grounds
Thread poster: Karin Kutscher
Andrea Riffo
Andrea Riffo  Identity Verified
Chile
Local time: 23:34
English to Spanish
+ ...
Never said, nor implied, this Sep 26, 2007

Kirill Semenov wrote:

So if it's a children porno you don't care because it is within your capabilities and there is no charts, graphs or anything, right? I doubt it. I suppose there are some moral limitations each of us can't step over, and the content of the text we are proposed is no that unimportant as its readability and translatability. We do have our moral limits and sometimes they affect our work.




Kirill,

You grossly misunderstood what I said.

When I get a job proposition, I do not say to myself "I will peruse the document to make sure that its content does not go against my morals". I say "I will peruse the document to make sure that [insert all the reasons you already quoted]."

Why not instantly assume that the document may contain morally questionable material? Because if I were to assume beforehand that every assignment I am offered will contain material that goes against my morals, I'd be better off pursuing a different career.

Does this even remotely mean that if I were to find something revolting to my morals (yes, I DO have them) I'd still go ahead because it's translatable?? Absolutely NOT, and I never said, nor even implied, the opposite.

Greetings

[Edited at 2007-09-26 15:52]


 
Doron Greenspan MITI
Doron Greenspan MITI  Identity Verified
Israel
Local time: 05:34
Member (2005)
English to Hebrew
+ ...
Been there - thanks for bringing that up! Sep 26, 2007

Dear Karin, thanks for bringing this up. If you didn't, I'm sure I would..

I recently refused getting more work, through an agency I work with regularly, of a client who was was found to be extremely cruel to animals. I did one job for this company, but after realizing how bad their record was, I asked my agency never to work on their stuff again. After some haggling, I got my wish, and feel much better now.

To the person who put up a list of other potentially 'bad' typ
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Dear Karin, thanks for bringing this up. If you didn't, I'm sure I would..

I recently refused getting more work, through an agency I work with regularly, of a client who was was found to be extremely cruel to animals. I did one job for this company, but after realizing how bad their record was, I asked my agency never to work on their stuff again. After some haggling, I got my wish, and feel much better now.

To the person who put up a list of other potentially 'bad' types of clients (police, car manufaturers etc.) I'd say: each person defines their own limits. I'm vegetarian, someone else is a vegan and another is only eating fish.
Who cares, as long as each is sticking to their ethical principles and by that, doing a certain amount of good in this world. If you want to be a really perfect human being, you might as well be dead, because each step you take entails some minute damage to micro-organisms or ants. So let's not poke fun at other people's moral limits, just try to cheer them when they stick to them (and even more, when they're willing to loose something for doing so).

Doron

[Edited at 2007-09-26 16:40]
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Amy Duncan (X)
Amy Duncan (X)  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:34
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Pre-checking jobs Sep 26, 2007

Jessica M wrote:

As far as pre-checking the document, who here has ever done that or asked to do that?


I make a point of pre-checking my jobs. I ask the PM to e-mail me the job so I can look at it before I accept it. What's so rare about that? It saves me a lot of grief, believe me.

Amy


 
Textklick
Textklick  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:34
German to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Translators' rights should be preserved Sep 26, 2007

Hilary wrote:

Exactly! I'd consider that only professional. It's also for self-preservation, as I consider it my obligation to deliver a job I've accepted, no matter how much I dislike it. If I end up with something I don't enjoy, I have only myself to blame.

As I'm looking at it, therefore, I also ask myself the question: "Would I be happy spending the next few days (or weeks!) analysing every single detail of this document, or would it drive me absolutely crazy?"

If skim-reading a document makes me think "eugh" (because it's boring, tedious, difficult, contains complicated formatting or concerns a subject I hate), and my bank balance allows it, I don't accept it.

That's one of the things I love about being a freelancer!


Like you. Karin, I have to admit to being a carnivore. Whether or not you might understand my reluctance in discussing if I'm happy for pharmaceutical companies to experiment upon me for the benefit of mankind while I am still alive is neither here nor there.

But that is not the point under discussion.

Read it first. If you don't want to or can't do it, then say so. I have turned down stuff in the past, for various reasons.

Files accepted subject to your own morals/abilities/availability!

Only way.

Cheers
Chris


 
MariusV
MariusV  Identity Verified
Lithuania
Local time: 04:34
English to Lithuanian
+ ...
you cannot check all things Sep 28, 2007

Well, an advice to check the things, read the text in no rush to know what you have to do and how it will be - always a good advice before confirmation of the job. BUT I do not think it is possible to check and foresee everything (we are not robots) - many things come out only when you start doing the job (not when you see what you have to do). And just seeing and analyzing the text does not always help. Confirmation is confirmation. And you should do what and when for you it. I'd do it in a sim... See more
Well, an advice to check the things, read the text in no rush to know what you have to do and how it will be - always a good advice before confirmation of the job. BUT I do not think it is possible to check and foresee everything (we are not robots) - many things come out only when you start doing the job (not when you see what you have to do). And just seeing and analyzing the text does not always help. Confirmation is confirmation. And you should do what and when for you it. I'd do it in a simple way - "Here is the job. But please have in mind that due to my religious/ethical or whatever else beliefs I cannot guarantee I can take similar jobs in the future"...Collapse


 
Hilde Granlund
Hilde Granlund  Identity Verified
Norway
Local time: 03:34
English to Norwegian
+ ...
interesting topic Sep 29, 2007

But what about free speech?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and biases. So are we, and of course we are free to reject any job on a subject we find boring, offensive or whatever.
But once a job is accepted, I think my main obligation is to finish the job to the best of my ability, and express the contents of the source documents, even if it contains views that are far from my own.
The possible exception would be if the source turned out to contain something illegal
... See more
But what about free speech?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and biases. So are we, and of course we are free to reject any job on a subject we find boring, offensive or whatever.
But once a job is accepted, I think my main obligation is to finish the job to the best of my ability, and express the contents of the source documents, even if it contains views that are far from my own.
The possible exception would be if the source turned out to contain something illegal - like child pornography, that was used as an example here.
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Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:34
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Check first Sep 29, 2007

When I take on a new job, especially from translation agencies, I always ask about the general subject first (except from long-standing clients). The only translations that I would not do would be pornographic material and texts that incite violence or racism. Have not had any yet, fortunately.

 
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