| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Have you ever rejected a project for ethical or moral reasons? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 00:40
Member (2007)
English
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| What's unethical? | Nov 7, 2014 |
There's a lot of porn that I wouldn't have any problem translating on ethical grounds as I don't see anything particularly wrong in mainstream porn by and for consenting adults - but please don't direct it my way as it isn't my specialisation . If children were involved in any shape or form then I think I'd still accept, and gather as much information as possible about the job and its origins before calling in the police.
Christine Andersen wrote:
I don't believe in it, but I cannot dismiss all of it as outright unethical.
In my own case (not Christine's), this applies to all work of a religious nature. I was once offered the translation of a women's self-help book which was actually hiding a religious message. Fortunately, my peers here alerted me to that before I took the final step.
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Most common ethical reason I reject projects: I don't know enough about the subject matter to read and understand it in either of my working languages, and much less to write something that would make sense in the other.
I have listed five such areas that I have identified so far on my web site, however I don't reject such requests, I merely refer these prospects to a few colleagues that I know personally, and who are professional translators specialized in one or more of these spec... See more Most common ethical reason I reject projects: I don't know enough about the subject matter to read and understand it in either of my working languages, and much less to write something that would make sense in the other.
I have listed five such areas that I have identified so far on my web site, however I don't reject such requests, I merely refer these prospects to a few colleagues that I know personally, and who are professional translators specialized in one or more of these specific areas.
One ethical reason to reject happened only once, many years ago and long before the Internet, when I was doubling as a translator and HRD training consultant. In the latter role, I represented and marketed locally some foreign training packages that I had translated for this purpose. One day a prospect approached me with a competitor's program to translate. I referred that client to a friend's ex-secretary, who had just left her job to open a translation agency.
AFAIK that client and the new agency owners, on top of successfully doing business together, became very close personal friends ever since.
Porn? No problem in doing it, though being specialized in corporate video has probably led me to receive no queries about it.
However once, I think also before the Internet, however for sure in the days of analog VHS video, a colleague called me to her place, to help. She was translating a crime/mystery movie for dubbing, and it had one very explicitly verbal sex scene. She said was too much of a prude to type those words, since the dubbers would know she had written them, and she'd never be able to look them in the eyes again.
I wouldn't rank low rates and/or abusive payment terms as moral or ethical reasons to reject a job, but merely commercial ones. If they are unsatisfied with what they get from imposing their terms, they'll be welcome to have me redo it... on my terms! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Al Zaid
United States
English to Spanish
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Not that I wouldn't reject a project for moral or ethical reasons. It's just that I haven't come across any project that goes against my moral or ethical principles. I hope it stays that way.
| | | | | Not so far... | Nov 7, 2014 |
… but I can imagine that there might be occasions when I would turn something down for ethical or moral reasons.
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Stephanie Ev (X)
France
Local time: 01:40
English to French
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| Low rates = unethical ... Really ? | Nov 8, 2014 |
I sometimes refuse jobs because of the low rates which are offered. But I wouldn't call them "unethical". No matter how much I'd get offered to translate certain documents, I would refuse them if the CONTENT was unethical, the rate wouldn't even get considered as a problem. There is no way that money would convince me to forget my moral standards and put them aside.
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