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Q: When is a job not a job?
Thread poster: Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:40
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Here's a live one ... Nov 29, 2017

... via this very site:

+++
Dear Linguist,

My apologies for the group email.

We have a translation of air cooler malfunction - expert report
3,500 words
words from French to English due by Wednesday 29th December, 10:00
(GMT).
+++

This was sent last night - calling all linguists. Note the rather tricky deadline for about half an hour ago. Bit of a challenge to get that job all arranged and confirmed in the time, ri
... See more
... via this very site:

+++
Dear Linguist,

My apologies for the group email.

We have a translation of air cooler malfunction - expert report
3,500 words
words from French to English due by Wednesday 29th December, 10:00
(GMT).
+++

This was sent last night - calling all linguists. Note the rather tricky deadline for about half an hour ago. Bit of a challenge to get that job all arranged and confirmed in the time, right? [No, actually, I must admit I got that wrong - deadline is 29 December, not today - so plenty of time to decide not to go for it]

Say, what's that unpleasant smell? The niff of a call for CVs masquerading as a job, that's what.

The Decoy Non-Job is followed by this down below: If you are interested and available, please send your CV, contact details (well, they already have the contact details, apparently), rates. And Sorry, they say, but they will only be able to reply to "successful candidates" (like you were applying to be the CEO of Coca Cola).

[Edited at 2017-11-29 09:36 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-11-29 09:50 GMT]
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Mair A-W (PhD)
Mair A-W (PhD)
Germany
Local time: 22:40
German to English
+ ...
december typo Nov 29, 2017

Mervyn Henderson wrote:

This was sent last night - calling all linguists. Note the rather tricky deadline for about half an hour ago. Bit of a challenge to get that job all arranged and confirmed in the time, right? [No, actually, I must admit I got that wrong - deadline is 29 December, not today - so plenty of time to decide not to go for it]


Ah, but the subject line was "in twelve hours", and 29th December is not a Wednesday. I think you were right first time. But surely someone wanted to work overnight on air conditioner malfunctions?


 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:40
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Well spotted, that man Nov 29, 2017

Yes, so I was right. Are the malfunctions still malfunctioning then?

 
Mair A-W (PhD)
Mair A-W (PhD)
Germany
Local time: 22:40
German to English
+ ...
malfunction Nov 29, 2017

The air cooler may be working after all - the email left me cold, anyway.

 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:40
Serbian to English
+ ...
standard pratice Nov 30, 2017

this is more or less standard practice in many other fields.

Not that it makes more acceptable.

The most charitable explanation is that in case of urgency you will have ready a list of verified potential new employees / suppliers / subcontractors ...

Other more likely explanations are not so nice for the businesses indulging in this kind of database-building - up to collecting lists of suitably qualified translators to bid for contracts - and if the bid is
... See more
this is more or less standard practice in many other fields.

Not that it makes more acceptable.

The most charitable explanation is that in case of urgency you will have ready a list of verified potential new employees / suppliers / subcontractors ...

Other more likely explanations are not so nice for the businesses indulging in this kind of database-building - up to collecting lists of suitably qualified translators to bid for contracts - and if the bid is successful never give them anything to translate.

Some business go very far in the recruitment process / spend a lot of time on it - and then give a response 6 months later when they need someone for tomorrow morning ...

Difficult to avoid this kind of timewasters, as you often it's not obvious / impossible to check how real is the "job" on offer.
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Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:40
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Interesting ... Nov 30, 2017

... to speculate on how that translation turned out in the end:

If the equipment of conditioned air functions bad, please to verify the following:

The green light on the frontal panel it is illuminated.
The principal interruptor at side of the frontal panel in the centre it is in the ON position.
The cable it is connected with the feeding of electricity. ..........


 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
In other words Nov 30, 2017

The shit must have hit the fan...

 
Andy Watkinson
Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 22:40
Member
Catalan to English
+ ...
No Mervyn Nov 30, 2017

Mervyn Henderson wrote:

... to speculate on how that translation turned out in the end:

If the equipment of conditioned air functions bad, please to verify the following:

The green light on the frontal panel it is illuminated.
The principal interruptor at side of the frontal panel in the centre it is in the ON position.
The cable it is connected with the feeding of electricity. ..........


That should be:

The green light on the frontal panel she is illuminated.


 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:40
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Shurely not ... Nov 30, 2017

... it's LE voyant, right?

 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 17:40
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
I think this one's alright Nov 30, 2017

Mervyn Henderson wrote:


+++
Dear Linguist,

My apologies for the group email.

We have a translation of air cooler malfunction - expert report
3,500 words
words from French to English due by Wednesday 29th December, 10:00
(GMT).
+++


Hmm, I got this email and it is from one of my clients who pays within two weeks, so I didn't think anything negative about it. Didn't have time for it, though.


 
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Q: When is a job not a job?







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