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Dealing with rude/insensitive behaviour among interpreting clients
Thread poster: Marina Khonina
Marina Khonina
Marina Khonina  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 19:37
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Asking for an "attractive" interpreter Jun 28, 2012

neilmac wrote:

My sentiments entirely. Although in Spain, it is quite common for (usually male) clients to ask for a blonde or "attractive" interpreter, and not always jokingly.


How terrible, even as a joke.
 
Marina Khonina
Marina Khonina  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 19:37
Russian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Previous bad experiences are not really an excuse, methinks Jun 28, 2012

Samuel Murray wrote:

It sounds to me like he might have had some bad experiences in the past with interpreters who either dressed unprofessionally or looked distractingly ugly. It is also acceptable in many parts of the world that one can get a good or a bad feeling about a person by meeting them in person. It's a good thing translators' clients don't see what they wear when they sit in front of their computers all day long. Perhaps he had met a few interpreters who felt that since it is their language skills that count, and not their presentation, that presentation is therefore completely unimportant.


There's a cultural aspect to this, Samuel. There is a *certain* attitude toward Russian women that is still quite prevalent in Turkey, and therefore my tolerance level for these kinds of things is very, very low (although I'm not Russian to begin with).

I must also mention that I'm a conference interpreter. Our lot is hidden away in the booths most of the time anyway.

In any case, none of his concerns were valid. There's a way of ascertaining an interpreter's professionalism (for example, by seeing that she's been consistently hired by reputable international organisations) without "seeing her face" so to say.

Be thankful that this guy was professional enough to phone you as soon as he realised his mistake, and not on the morning of the interview, or (worse) after the interview.


[Edited at 2012-06-28 07:41 GMT]


I guess I should count my blessings.
 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Duplicate of http://www.proz.com/post/1970792#1970792
Miranda Drew
Miranda Drew  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 04:37
Member (2009)
Italian to English
I think you did the right thing Jun 28, 2012

I think you behaved very professionally, and whatever his intention about "seeing your face", he was extremely rude and unprofessional.

I don't interpret, but when I was teaching English here in Italy, my school (for adult professionals) did get specific requests for a female teacher (for male students) and I learned to always wear long pants when going into a first lesson to avoid being agressively ogled and hit on (I am, or at least was, blonde... See more
I think you behaved very professionally, and whatever his intention about "seeing your face", he was extremely rude and unprofessional.

I don't interpret, but when I was teaching English here in Italy, my school (for adult professionals) did get specific requests for a female teacher (for male students) and I learned to always wear long pants when going into a first lesson to avoid being agressively ogled and hit on (I am, or at least was, blonde )

I also am very wary of any client/agency that needs to "see my face"... ▲ Collapse
 
Jennifer Forbes
Jennifer Forbes  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:37
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
A relevant anecdote ... Jun 28, 2012

My brother used to work for the BBC and was the producer of "Jim'll Fix It", a programme in which people could write to Jimmy Savile asking to have a long-felt want fulfilled.
Someone wanted to find out all about how tea was produced. My brother and his film crew were sent to a tea plantation in Darjeeling. There were all the mostly elderly women picking away at the tea bushes (or plucking away, as they say there). When filming was about to start, the foreman suddenly sent all the old wome... See more
My brother used to work for the BBC and was the producer of "Jim'll Fix It", a programme in which people could write to Jimmy Savile asking to have a long-felt want fulfilled.
Someone wanted to find out all about how tea was produced. My brother and his film crew were sent to a tea plantation in Darjeeling. There were all the mostly elderly women picking away at the tea bushes (or plucking away, as they say there). When filming was about to start, the foreman suddenly sent all the old women away and shouted "Bring on the beautiful pluckers!".
My brother was aghast, as he hadn't intended any such sexist/ageist behaviour, but there was nothing he could do. The beautiful pluckers came along and started plucking.
Jenny ▲ Collapse
 
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Dealing with rude/insensitive behaviour among interpreting clients







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