Pages in topic:   [1 2 3 4 5 6 7] >
Non-ethical job?
Thread poster: Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 23:48
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Feb 10, 2016

Today I translated text for dog food. Food for the most choosey dog. Only the best parts of meat in delicious jelly or sauce. Chicken, pheasant, calf, wild boar, turkey, duck - you name it, they have it. And they have a bio-line too.
Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?


 
Elif Baykara Narbay
Elif Baykara Narbay  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 00:48
German to Turkish
+ ...
Why? Feb 10, 2016

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

Today I translated text for dog food. Food for the most choosey dog. Only the best parts of meat in delicious jelly or sauce. Chicken, pheasant, calf, wild boar, turkey, duck - you name it, they have it. And they have a bio-line too.
Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?


From a vegan point of view maybe? Why should it be unethical otherwise?


 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 17:48
German to English
I'd eat it! Feb 10, 2016

I don't see any animal cruelty here. Any pet would love to eat this paté, humans, too.

 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 22:48
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
In what respect? Feb 10, 2016

The only unethical part in those pet foods are additives, which they rename into "natural, no additives". If you found something like this in the description, then well, perhaps, yes.

I buy premium cat food advertised such as the one you described (jelly, juicy, tasty, only the best parts) and my cat won't touch it. Then give her any home-cooked food, and she will go all happy.

I know what you probably thought as "unethical" here but what if you have a pet that won't ea
... See more
The only unethical part in those pet foods are additives, which they rename into "natural, no additives". If you found something like this in the description, then well, perhaps, yes.

I buy premium cat food advertised such as the one you described (jelly, juicy, tasty, only the best parts) and my cat won't touch it. Then give her any home-cooked food, and she will go all happy.

I know what you probably thought as "unethical" here but what if you have a pet that won't eat any non-meaty staff?
Collapse


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:48
Member
English to French
No Feb 10, 2016

It's rather the petfood and pet-related spending by consumers in western countries that's unethical!
http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-2/spending-on-pets.htm

Philippe


 
Paola Battagliarini
Paola Battagliarini  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 22:48
English to Italian
+ ...
Feb 10, 2016



[Edited at 2016-02-10 21:31 GMT]


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:48
Member (2008)
Italian to English
If this was "Spinal Tap"... Feb 10, 2016

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

Today I translated text for dog food. Food for the most choosey dog. Only the best parts of meat in delicious jelly or sauce. Chicken, pheasant, calf, wild boar, turkey, duck - you name it, they have it. And they have a bio-line too.
Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?


If you have to ask, then...yes.


 
Jeff Whittaker
Jeff Whittaker  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 17:48
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Our vet said that our dog had food allergies Feb 10, 2016

and prescribed this brand of dog food that makes dog food from kangaroo, deer, bison and rabbit, among other varieties:

http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/natural-balance-lid-limited-ingredient-diets-potato-and-kangaroo-dog-food

I took her off the diet because it was too expensive and she is just fine.


Heinrich Pesch wrote:

Today I translated text for dog food. Food for the most choosey dog. Only the best parts of meat in delicious jelly or sauce. Chicken, pheasant, calf, wild boar, turkey, duck - you name it, they have it. And they have a bio-line too.
Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?


[Edited at 2016-02-10 19:37 GMT]


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 21:48
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
What response are you angling for? Feb 10, 2016

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

Today I translated text for dog food. Food for the most choosey dog. Only the best parts of meat in delicious jelly or sauce. Chicken, pheasant, calf, wild boar, turkey, duck - you name it, they have it. And they have a bio-line too.
Do you think I acted non-ethically translating this stuff?

Why don't you tell us what troubled you? Then perhaps we can all discuss the same topic.


 
Daniel Gebauer
Daniel Gebauer  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:48
Member
Spanish to German
+ ...
Yes Feb 10, 2016

the boar should eat the dog.

 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 22:48
French to English
Funny Feb 10, 2016

It's funny you should ask because I have on my desk a file that needs translating and it's about pet food. Only the client is a chain of supermarkets and the lists of ingredients are horrifying (even discounting the fact that I'm veggie), loads of "by-products of meat" and E numbers

and I'm feeling really guilty for feeding my pets that stuff. I shop at a slightly less upmarket place so it's bound to be even worse.

What's even more horrifying is that baby food has been
... See more
It's funny you should ask because I have on my desk a file that needs translating and it's about pet food. Only the client is a chain of supermarkets and the lists of ingredients are horrifying (even discounting the fact that I'm veggie), loads of "by-products of meat" and E numbers

and I'm feeling really guilty for feeding my pets that stuff. I shop at a slightly less upmarket place so it's bound to be even worse.

What's even more horrifying is that baby food has been lumped into the same file (although I haven't yet seen the ingredients for that).

Would you like to swap files?
Collapse


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 22:48
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
If people are going to keep dogs at all... Feb 10, 2016

I have done translations for a client like that. They pay their translators well... And I too felt a twinge of guilt at first, but here is how I got over it - judge for yourself whether I am really just a hypocrite.
The same client has later sent me some very down-to-earth and ethical texts about environment-friendly farming and animal welfare...

I personally would not keep a dog, but I know many people who do.

Even the most pampered pooches are more or less priso
... See more
I have done translations for a client like that. They pay their translators well... And I too felt a twinge of guilt at first, but here is how I got over it - judge for yourself whether I am really just a hypocrite.
The same client has later sent me some very down-to-earth and ethical texts about environment-friendly farming and animal welfare...

I personally would not keep a dog, but I know many people who do.

Even the most pampered pooches are more or less prisoners of their owners. Perhaps especially if they are pampered and not left alone some of the time. They cannot go out in the wilds and catch their own food, or choose what they eat. Humans who keep pets have a duty to make sure their pets live well.

It might actually be healthier for the dogs to get the whole carcass, not just the choice meat - their teeth and digestion sometimes suffer if there is no roughage, so perhaps it IS unethical to feed them this kind of diet. On the other hand, if it is an occasional supplement to kitchen scraps after the humans have picked off their share, then I have no problems with it.

Some dogs play an important part in their owners' lives - here I am thinking of widows I have known. Alone a lot of the time, apart from their dogs, in spite of their children's efforts to keep an eye on them. The widows needed to lavish some love on the dogs as well as to be loved in return. Giving the dogs good food was important for the owners too.

A former neighbour's dog used to love pressure-cooked bones with a little jellied broth after I had made soup for my family - and of course, we had eaten all the meat first. A little luxury dog food a couple of times a month would restore the balance.

I felt it was far more unethical when another acquaintance used to keep a pack of mongrels, some three-legged or one-eyed... They had been rescued and brought to Denmark from countries where they had been ill treated or lived wild and starving on the streets. I am not convinced they were ever happy - they were frightened and suspicious of humans, and bringing them to Denmark was IMHO a total waste of time and resources. You can't compensate for all their suffering, and I would have had them put down painlessly, then adopted puppies who still had a chance of a healthy, happy life.
But who knows how those dogs really felt?

Personally, I would rather support a child or two, but the world would be a much poorer place without dogs.
If I end up alone, I might very possibly have a cat or two and spoil them rotten... But they will NOT be nervous wrecks after someone else has mishandled them - I can't cope with animals like that.

Give a donation to animal charities that really prevent cruelty - and be thankful that pets are allowed to enjoy life too - if they are HAPPY as our captives, then they are serving a useful purpose and they deserve a treat now and then!

That is just my take on it.
Collapse


 
Andrea Halbritter
Andrea Halbritter  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 22:48
French to German
+ ...
It's up to everyone to decide Feb 10, 2016

Everyone has to decide what she or he finds ethical or not and whether she or he wants to translate it or not.

 
Jean-Pierre Artigau (X)
Jean-Pierre Artigau (X)
Canada
Local time: 17:48
English to French
+ ...
What's ethical or unethical? Feb 10, 2016

We all have our own idea of what's ethical or non-ethical.

I recently had a conversation with a young couple whose dog started destroying everything in the house when left alone (regular office hours, Monday to Friday, every week), and they had resort to a dog psychologist! They were shocked when I suggested the dog should be shot (yes, I mean killed instantly, no suffering). Of course they love their dog like a kid. So what's unethical, killing the dog, leaving it alone for long ho
... See more
We all have our own idea of what's ethical or non-ethical.

I recently had a conversation with a young couple whose dog started destroying everything in the house when left alone (regular office hours, Monday to Friday, every week), and they had resort to a dog psychologist! They were shocked when I suggested the dog should be shot (yes, I mean killed instantly, no suffering). Of course they love their dog like a kid. So what's unethical, killing the dog, leaving it alone for long hours until it boredom makes it psychotic, or hiring a psychoanalyst? Maybe it's just unethical to have a pet when you work all week (unless you hire a dogsitter, of course).

Of course vegetarians like to feed their pets vegetarian food, just like fat ladies like to put their tiny dogs on a diet. But Mother Nature (God?) made dogs and cats carnivorous hunters (look at their teeth, I mean those who have any teeth left). Is it ethical to lock them in an apartment and feed them veggie food?

And have we asked how they made the parts of the computers we are using to communicate? (Where do the rare metals come from?).

Food for thought...

Jean-Pierre

Note: Yes it's the dog that had its picture taken instead of mine (upper left corner of this message).

[Edited at 2016-02-10 21:38 GMT]
Collapse


 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 22:48
Italian to English
Finally Feb 10, 2016

Finally someone came out and said it.

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Why don't you tell us what troubled you? Then perhaps we can all discuss the same topic.


 
Pages in topic:   [1 2 3 4 5 6 7] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Non-ethical job?






CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »