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Non-ethical job?
Thread poster: Heinrich Pesch
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 13:28
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
In my opinion. Feb 11, 2016

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
it's because the food contains animal derivatives... like feathers, teeth, claws, etc. I don't buy that stuff for my dog

My neighbour's dog got into their hen-house a few days ago. There were few bones left whole, in fact not many left at all. And I really doubt that he removed the beak before crunching on the poor chuck's head.


There's a problem when in reality there are all those low-quality parts, chemicals and additives inside the food, while the label says "all natural, no additives, only the best-quality parts". Yes, we could argue there is a problem there, be it human or pet food.


 
Frankie JB
Frankie JB
France
English to French
+ ...
Gandhi's take Feb 11, 2016



I personally think the OP is making a fuss for a triffle. There are many good reasons to feel guilty when you live in comfort societies, but this one really is convoluted.


 
Andrea Garfield-Barkworth
Andrea Garfield-Barkworth  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:28
Member (2015)
German to English
I presume it's the pheasant Feb 11, 2016

and wild boar, etc being fed to said pampered pooch.

Premium products for mere four-legged friends when two-legged ones in the world are going hungry.

It does seem like a bizarre thread indeed, Sheila, especially as the poster had an ethical dilemma after he did the translation. I would have thought it more likely before. Still he has now salved his conscience by making a donation, I suppose.


 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:28
Member (2004)
English to Italian
yes... Feb 11, 2016

Lingua 5B wrote:

There's a problem when in reality there are all those low-quality parts, chemicals and additives inside the food, while the label says "all natural, no additives, only the best-quality parts". Yes, we could argue there is a problem there, be it human or pet food.


exactly that...


 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:28
Hebrew to English
Virtue signalling Feb 11, 2016

Chris S wrote:

... to find out what the ethical dilemma is here?


Me too Chris, and what the hell canned dog food has to do with donating to a charity supporting women in the developing world.
I'm confused, is this a canine issue or a feminist one?
Is the problem with feeding dogs premium cuts of meat when there's a human somewhere starving? And if that's the problem why donate to an organization which is going to use the money for "vocational training, small loans and assistance in entrepreneurial activities" rather than feeding them? Why not Help the Hungry or Feed the Children ?

virtue-signalling
activities intended to indicate a person's virtuousness
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/16361/virtue%20signalling


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Click bait Feb 11, 2016

Have to say that deliberately vague/tantalising forum posts like this are a pet peeve of mine (geddit?) but they clearly do the trick given the number of responses here.

 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 14:28
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
You did not read my post Feb 11, 2016

Ty Kendall wrote:

Chris S wrote:

... to find out what the ethical dilemma is here?


Me too Chris, and what the hell canned dog food has to do with donating to a charity supporting women in the developing world.
I'm confused, is this a canine issue or a feminist one?
Is the problem with feeding dogs premium cuts of meat when there's a human somewhere starving? And if that's the problem why donate to an organization which is going to use the money for "vocational training, small loans and assistance in entrepreneurial activities" rather than feeding them? Why not Help the Hungry or Feed the Children ?

virtue-signalling
activities intended to indicate a person's virtuousness
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/16361/virtue%20signalling




I asked:
"Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?"

I did not say that I have any dilemma, or did I?

"Why not feed the hungry?"

I believe one wise man once said, it is better to teach a man to fish than put a fish into his hand.


 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:28
Hebrew to English
I'm afraid I did, seconds of my life I'll never get back. I want a refund Feb 11, 2016

Heinrich Pesch wrote:
I asked:
"Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?"

I did not say that I have any dilemma, or did I?


This is exasperating, if you didn't have any dilemma why are you asking us if you acted ethically or not? And why did you feel the need to donate the proceeds? There was clearly a dilemma on your part.

I believe one wise man once said, it is better to teach a man to fish than put a fish into his hand


Actually that phrase is often attributed to a woman: Anne Isabella Ritchie.


 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:28
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Better call us "do-gooders" (Gutmenschen) Feb 11, 2016

... (Heinrich and me).

Ty Kendall wrote:

virtue-signalling
activities intended to indicate a person's virtuousness
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/16361/virtue%20signalling




...it has just recently been nominated as the German "ugliest word of the year",
http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/gutmensch-ist-unwort-des-jahres-2015-a-1071545.html
often used by the new europe-wide movement against refugees, the EU and liberals of any kind.


 
Miguel Carmona
Miguel Carmona  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:28
English to Spanish
... Feb 11, 2016

Chris S wrote:

I'm still waiting...

... to find out what the ethical dilemma is here?

Me too, Chris.


Sheila Wilson wrote:
To me, this is a totally bizarre thread with very little sensible discussion coming out of it at all. But that's just my view on the world.

It is not just you, Sheila. Many are asking what this thread is all about.


Possible causes for the OP's moral outrage:

1) Colors used on the animal feed bags:
Maybe in some religions the colors used on those bags are against their beliefs.

2) Wording used on the animal feed bags:
Maybe in some religions the wording used on those bags to tempt potential buyers is considered sinful.

3) Size of the animal feed bags:
Some of those bags are heavy, and maybe it is unfair to the supermarket stockers who have to push heavy trolleys with the bags and then stoop to put the bags on the lower shelves.

Can anybody come out with more possible causes for this moral outrage?

[Edited at 2016-02-11 16:37 GMT]


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 13:28
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
The supermarket staff Feb 11, 2016

I guess they use trolleys that carry the weight for them and then they just press the button and the machine unloads the weight (on its own)? Machines, 21st century, anyone?

This thread has gone all wild : )

The two initial impulses I got from the initial post are:

too much meat to feed pets (other animals have to suffer)
the food is full of chemicals

Well, I sympathize with the OP, however I guess he had known what canned pet food was BE
... See more
I guess they use trolleys that carry the weight for them and then they just press the button and the machine unloads the weight (on its own)? Machines, 21st century, anyone?

This thread has gone all wild : )

The two initial impulses I got from the initial post are:

too much meat to feed pets (other animals have to suffer)
the food is full of chemicals

Well, I sympathize with the OP, however I guess he had known what canned pet food was BEFORE he started translating that content. If somebody approached me to translate their cigarette label content, I wouldn't need to go through half of the content to realize it was against my beliefs.
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Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 13:28
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
It IS a dilemma - or poly-lemma Feb 11, 2016

About half a century ago, when I was young, the same old discussion thrived: why feed dogs when children were starving?

Because it isn't the dogs' fault, and pets deserve to be fed a treat now and then too. And in fact they prefer bones, which we humans can't digest. That is how nature works - one species lives on the left-overs from another, right down to dung-beetles and bacteria... and plants build it all up again for the herbivores.

We were also told when I was youn
... See more
About half a century ago, when I was young, the same old discussion thrived: why feed dogs when children were starving?

Because it isn't the dogs' fault, and pets deserve to be fed a treat now and then too. And in fact they prefer bones, which we humans can't digest. That is how nature works - one species lives on the left-overs from another, right down to dung-beetles and bacteria... and plants build it all up again for the herbivores.

We were also told when I was young that there were resources enough to feed twice the world's population and then some. So why were half the people starving?
That, sadly still applies today, more or less. The world's population is far, far greater now, and in fact far more people are fed than then. But it can't go on much longer. Somehow, we have to put a brake on population increase, and translators can contribute to that in any way that is not against their personal ethics. Meanwhile, we must use food resources responsibly, so that we can all have a healthy diet and a treat now and then.

We are, quite rightly, concerned about the environment and the fact that there are fewer animals and fewer species than there were 50 years ago. Tinned dogfood may have a disproportionate carbon footprint - so it highlights an ethical problem.

Many other products also have worrying carbon footprints... and we translators can again do our share in discussing and trying to find better solutions.

The question is how to give both animals and humans a good life - sustainably. We just have to keep looking for answers.


[Edited at 2016-02-11 16:49 GMT]
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Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 14:28
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Some afterthought Feb 11, 2016

At first I didn't quite know why this job seemed so unnerving after I had done the translation and talked about it with my wife.
Now I believe it is not the fact that such pet food is fabricated and sold. It is the fact that in our world there are so many people that fall for this kind of propaganda and start to feel guilty when they see there is biological pet food, produced to the highest standards. And rush to buy it for their innocent dog.
And that I tried to do the job as well
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At first I didn't quite know why this job seemed so unnerving after I had done the translation and talked about it with my wife.
Now I believe it is not the fact that such pet food is fabricated and sold. It is the fact that in our world there are so many people that fall for this kind of propaganda and start to feel guilty when they see there is biological pet food, produced to the highest standards. And rush to buy it for their innocent dog.
And that I tried to do the job as well as I could, searching the most appetizing wording for this sh..
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Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:28
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
Seen from a different angle Feb 11, 2016

People love their pets. If they now buy the product because your translation makes it sound so good that will make these people happy because they believe they are doing their pet some good, giving them a treat. Happy people are healthier. Happy people are nice to others. So in a way, you are spreading happiness. That's not so unethical, is it?

Also, think of the workers in that pet food factory. If you weren't helping them to sell their products they might have to close down. The w
... See more
People love their pets. If they now buy the product because your translation makes it sound so good that will make these people happy because they believe they are doing their pet some good, giving them a treat. Happy people are healthier. Happy people are nice to others. So in a way, you are spreading happiness. That's not so unethical, is it?

Also, think of the workers in that pet food factory. If you weren't helping them to sell their products they might have to close down. The workers would lose their jobs. Their children would go hungry.

We can't always try to save the world. We also need to keep it running.
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:28
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
The words I've quoted in bold seem to conflict with the last one. Feb 11, 2016

Heinrich Pesch wrote:
so many people that fall for this kind of propaganda and start to feel guilty when they see there is biological pet food, produced to the highest standards. And rush to buy it for their innocent dog.
And that I tried to do the job as well as I could, searching the most appetizing wording for this sh..


Mind you, I quite agree that the dogs won't appreciate such choice meats. They'd be just as happy with scraps from the table supplemented with cheap cuts plus cereals. Just as they're generally far happier being given a whole raft of rules and limitations rather than being allowed to do whatever they want. In fact, so are kids (apart from eating scraps, perhaps) but try telling that to today's average parent.


 
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Non-ethical job?






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