Off topic: The dangers of passive smoking through the internet Thread poster: Phoebe Indetzki
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I've posted this under "lighter side of translating" because really, when you read a job post like this, you have to either laugh or cry....
Spotted today on proz: a request for the translation of magazine articles. NOT an in-house position, CAT tools not required.... but... wait for it...
"Please note that we only work with non-smokers, so if you smoke please do not apply."
Very bizarre, in my opinion, to hone in on this one particular habit. Why not my dr... See more I've posted this under "lighter side of translating" because really, when you read a job post like this, you have to either laugh or cry....
Spotted today on proz: a request for the translation of magazine articles. NOT an in-house position, CAT tools not required.... but... wait for it...
"Please note that we only work with non-smokers, so if you smoke please do not apply."
Very bizarre, in my opinion, to hone in on this one particular habit. Why not my drinking habits? Or my diet? And how would they actually check this out anyway?!
I happen not to smoke myself, but for the first time in my life I find myself siding with the poor discriminated smokers here! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Maybe in in-house job | Jan 8, 2015 |
Reading the job description on http://www.proz.com/translation-jobs/974801 , it could well be an in-house position although they are not explicit about it, and in that case, smoking could be relevant.
| | | | ATIL KAYHAN 
Türkiye
Local time: 16:41
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
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| This is downright discrimination! | Jan 8, 2015 |
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Although I did smoke a few times in my life, I have never been a smoker, i.e. I am basically a nonsmoker. The last time I smoke was several years ago. I had worked for a huge cigarette company (Philip Morris International) for about 14 years. Two years of this period was in the US, the rest in Turkey.
As you might already know, any type of discrimination is a serious offense in the United States. I believe the same is true for the Euro... See more Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Although I did smoke a few times in my life, I have never been a smoker, i.e. I am basically a nonsmoker. The last time I smoke was several years ago. I had worked for a huge cigarette company (Philip Morris International) for about 14 years. Two years of this period was in the US, the rest in Turkey.
As you might already know, any type of discrimination is a serious offense in the United States. I believe the same is true for the European Union. Therefore, I can guess that this job posting was made elsewhere, probably a developing nation like Turkey. When I read the job ads in Turkey, I can meet all kinds of discrimination, including but not limited to age (e.g. the maximum age limit is 40), sex (e.g. for women applicants ...), and so on.
In my opinion, the most logical solution for these discrimination problems is government intervention. In other words, governments should prohibit all types of discrimination in the country. For that to happen, however, government employees themselves should be informed about the notion of discrimination in the first place.
I hope that this will happen for Turkey sooner rather than later. From my experience in Turkey, there is a long way to go. A just government system that will put an end to discrimination is like a dream come true now. Like most issues, a rational education system is something we look forward to. ▲ Collapse
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Thomas Frost wrote: Reading the job description on http://www.proz.com/translation-jobs/974801 , it could well be an in-house position although they are not explicit about it, and in that case, smoking could be relevant.
What could be relevant in-house is if the person needs to take a 10-minute cigarette break once an hour, or can't translate without a cigarette in their hand. If neither of these is the case, I must say I fail to see how this requirement is anything other than bizarre.
[Edited at 2015-01-08 22:16 GMT]
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Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 19:11
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | Such stipulations are quite common in business activity | Jan 9, 2015 |
Many European firms for example make it a fetish not to buy products involving child labour. They have little understanding how the issue pans out in the parts of the world where they hope to do good by this - in many cases children helping out with home industries is the normal way of learning the tricks of the trade. And in desperately poor regions of the world the stark choice for children is between starvation and working.
Probably, the person posting this job is on a moral high... See more Many European firms for example make it a fetish not to buy products involving child labour. They have little understanding how the issue pans out in the parts of the world where they hope to do good by this - in many cases children helping out with home industries is the normal way of learning the tricks of the trade. And in desperately poor regions of the world the stark choice for children is between starvation and working.
Probably, the person posting this job is on a moral high horse like the child labour fanatics of Europe.
In many cases, such moral holier-than-thou attitudes are used as informal trade barriers to keep out legitimate competition like the native-only bias in our own translation trade.
[Edited at 2015-01-09 06:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Work may even help children | Jan 9, 2015 |
Balasubramaniam L. wrote:
Many European firms for example make it a fetish not to buy products involving child labour. ... And in desperately poor regions of the world the stark choice for children is between starvation and working.
[Edited at 2015-01-09 06:41 GMT]
In fact some responsible companies are aware of this - they employ children for a few hours a day, and provide schooling for them as well.
It may not be ideal, but it is a step in the right direction.
It also worked in Europe a couple of generations ago: In the early 1950s my husband went to school three days a week and worked on his father's farm the rest of the time.
As for smoking... There are still parts of the world where tobacco is an important cash crop. Until it is phased out, leave freelance smokers alone! At least they only smoke in their own homes, and do not pollute the atmosphere for others in an office! They will go for people who are overweight and eat chocolate next...
I drink coffee and scuffle about at all hours of the day and night. I won't bore you with all my other bad habits - but I deliver my translations on time and my clients keep coming back for more. End of story!
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