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Fake people and rude colleagues
Thread poster: Andreas Granzow
sam@fr-uk
sam@fr-uk
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:24
French to English
Snowflake in the UK Feb 7, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

I had to Google for "snowflake". Apparently it's a recent introduction into American slang, and has political connotations. It isn't part of my vocabulary. I expect it will disappear again, quite soon.

[Edited at 2017-02-07 12:56 GMT]


Sorry to go off-topic for a minute, but I'm surprised you had to google this use of "snowflake". It's the derogatory term du jour in the UK, and I encounter it several times a day in our media.

The Guardian published this article: " ‘Poor little snowflake’ – the defining insult of 2016 "
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/28/snowflake-insult-disdain-young-people

Callers and presenters on LBC (the London-based radio station) bandy it around constantly. James O'Brien uses it sarcastically or self-effacingly, whereas Nick Ferrari mutters it as a put-down.

I think it's here to stay for a while, especially in this more divisive climate.


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Lol Feb 7, 2017

Plenty of snowflakes round these parts...

I avoid working with other translators these days as I found all of them either ask too many questions or should have asked more... I was a hard taskmaster, mind.

I suspect I myself fall into hard-nosed, terse, inflexible, arrogant, know-all ******* territory.


 
Andreas Granzow
Andreas Granzow
Germany
Local time: 17:24
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
And it has been ... Feb 7, 2017

sam@fr-uk wrote:

Tom in London wrote:

I had to Google for "snowflake". Apparently it's a recent introduction into American slang, and has political connotations. It isn't part of my vocabulary. I expect it will disappear again, quite soon.

[Edited at 2017-02-07 12:56 GMT]


Sorry to go off-topic for a minute, but I'm surprised you had to google this use of "snowflake". It's the derogatory term du jour in the UK, and I encounter it several times a day in our media.

The Guardian published this article: " ‘Poor little snowflake’ – the defining insult of 2016 "
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/28/snowflake-insult-disdain-young-people

Callers and presenters on LBC (the London-based radio station) bandy it around constantly. James O'Brien uses it sarcastically or self-effacingly, whereas Nick Ferrari mutters it as a put-down.

I think it's here to stay for a while, especially in this more divisive climate.


... around in US-English for quite some time. A "special snowflake" is someone who constantly whines about things and thinks (s)he deserves a huge amount of extra attention.


 
SusieSmith
SusieSmith
United Kingdom
I disagree - Feb 7, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

I had to Google for "snowflake". Apparently it's a recent introduction into American slang, and has political connotations. It isn't part of my vocabulary. I expect it will disappear again, quite soon.

[Edited at 2017-02-07 12:56 GMT]


The word "snowflake" is here to stay! It is an odd word, with a sort of fondness combined with scathing pity behind it.

Youngsters today are generally regarded as being "snowflakes" - they grew up with everything at their fingertips, were praised for losing in sport at school so their feelings were not hurt, are often unable to deal with the harsh realities of life .. so people say anyway.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Maybe Feb 7, 2017

Andreas Granzow wrote:

I think it's here to stay for a while, especially in this more divisive climate.


... around in US-English for quite some time. A "special snowflake" is someone who constantly whines about things and thinks (s)he deserves a huge amount of extra attention. [/quote]

Maybe it's just that I'm not into denigrating anyone, which is why I have never need this term and avoid discussions where it comes into play.

The topic seems to be about the rudeness of the translator vs. the rudeness of the client. I find it pointless to, er, moan like a snowflake about who's the ruder. I get more annoyed by people who don't know the difference between "lose" and "loose".


 
EvaVer (X)
EvaVer (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:24
Czech to French
+ ...
Maybe a cultural thing... Feb 7, 2017

ahartje wrote:

I just have had this experience...again.

A new PM, just started, send an email like: Hello, 664 words Dutch/German by tomorrow, please confirm asap.

No salutation, no signature...nothing.

Even knowing well the client, I replied that I do not accept projets from unknown persons, who do not identify
themselves.

Imho courtesy is part of respect and I demand to be respected by all partners! Period!

... that this shocks you. This is a normal way of communication mostly by American agencies, and we often do the same in Eastern Europe - it saves everybody's time when writing/ reading the message, going straight to the core. When sending translations to regular local (direct) clients, I sometimes just send the file with no comment at all, and they send me work the same way, unless it's urgent (then they have to make sure I am available) or they have other special instructions to provide.


 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:24
Dutch to English
+ ...
No comment at all? Feb 7, 2017

EvaVer wrote:
... that this shocks you. This is a normal way of communication mostly by American agencies, and we often do the same in Eastern Europe - it saves everybody's time when writing/ reading the message, going straight to the core. When sending translations to regular local (direct) clients, I sometimes just send the file with no comment at all, and they send me work the same way, unless it's urgent (then they have to make sure I am available) or they have other special instructions to provide.


That sounds like a recipe for misunderstandings. How do you know you have the go-ahead to start translating if all you get is a file with no comments?


 
EvaVer (X)
EvaVer (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:24
Czech to French
+ ...
Because Feb 7, 2017

Rachel Waddington wrote:

EvaVer wrote:
... that this shocks you. This is a normal way of communication mostly by American agencies, and we often do the same in Eastern Europe - it saves everybody's time when writing/ reading the message, going straight to the core. When sending translations to regular local (direct) clients, I sometimes just send the file with no comment at all, and they send me work the same way, unless it's urgent (then they have to make sure I am available) or they have other special instructions to provide.


That sounds like a recipe for misunderstandings. How do you know you have the go-ahead to start translating if all you get is a file with no comments?

... they only send it if they definitely want it translated, and won't give it to anybody else unless I refuse it. And if there is no comment, it means the target language is clear between us.


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 17:24
Spanish to English
+ ...
Melting point.... Feb 7, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

I had to Google for "snowflake". Apparently it's a recent introduction into American slang, and has political connotations. It isn't part of my vocabulary. I expect it will disappear again, quite soon.

[Edited at 2017-02-07 12:56 GMT]


The sooner the better. Its use irks the tits off me. I find it hard not to instantly despise anyone using the term.


 
Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 17:24
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
A matter of culture, yes Feb 7, 2017

Rachel Waddington wrote:


That sounds like a recipe for misunderstandings. How do you know you have the go-ahead to start translating if all you get is a file with no comments?



I could not work in that way, 10 seconds just for saying "please find translation attached, best regards" is not a waste of time imho, I also beg to disagree, no it is not a common way for communticating in the USA.


 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:24
French to English
. Feb 7, 2017

Tom in London wrote:


The topic seems to be about the rudeness of the translator vs. the rudeness of the client. I find it pointless to, er, moan like a snowflake about who's the ruder. I get more annoyed by people who don't know the difference between "lose" and "loose".


... or "who's" and "whose".


 
Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 17:24
Member
English to Italian
Legal standpoint Feb 7, 2017

Angie Garbarino wrote:

Rachel Waddington wrote:

That sounds like a recipe for misunderstandings. How do you know you have the go-ahead to start translating if all you get is a file with no comments?


I could not work in that way, 10 seconds just for saying "please find translation attached, best regards" is not a waste of time imho, I also beg to disagree, no it is not a common way for communticating in the USA.


Aside for culture, courtesy, misunderstandings, etc. (which already are good reasons in themselves) I also believe it makes sense to have a meaningful exchange as proof of assignment (esp. if no separate PO is provided).


 
Andreas Granzow
Andreas Granzow
Germany
Local time: 17:24
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Or also... Feb 7, 2017

Elizabeth Tamblin wrote:

... or "who's" and "whose".


...in German das, dass and daß


 
Andy Watkinson
Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 17:24
Member
Catalan to English
+ ...
Depends Feb 8, 2017

Angie Garbarino wrote:



Rachel Waddington wrote:


That sounds like a recipe for misunderstandings. How do you know you have the go-ahead to start translating if all you get is a file with no comments?



I could not work in that way, 10 seconds just for saying "please find translation attached, best regards" is not a waste of time imho, I also beg to disagree, no it is not a common way for communticating in the USA.


Like Eva, I have clients (especially 2) who send me literally dozens of texts every month and I've almost forgotten when we first started working together.

It's a complete waste of their/my time to even bother with any niceties - there's no need for "please find attached"; I can see if the effin' thing's attached and if it isn't I'll get back to them.

Comments are only required to mention: a deadline, a "forget about the tables, just the text", a "I've got the last one you did if you need it", etc....


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 18:24
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Really strange case Feb 8, 2017

@Andreas: where do you find those people? Surely not on the Proz member directory?

About courtesy, here in Finland we are very short when mailing, and I myself often answer a mail by directly going to medias res, without any introduction, if the subject is the same.

My most important source of work though never is satisfied with one mail. Each job will result in a lot of mail, I really don't know how to stop it. Each year half of my correspondence is with that same per
... See more
@Andreas: where do you find those people? Surely not on the Proz member directory?

About courtesy, here in Finland we are very short when mailing, and I myself often answer a mail by directly going to medias res, without any introduction, if the subject is the same.

My most important source of work though never is satisfied with one mail. Each job will result in a lot of mail, I really don't know how to stop it. Each year half of my correspondence is with that same person. But I don't mind, because my money comes from there too.
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Fake people and rude colleagues







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