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Why do some outsourcers want to know my age?
Thread poster: Tom in London
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:30
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
There is an exception Mar 14, 2017

Mervyn Henderson wrote:
We all wear a mask, really, one way or another.

In a naturist environment, the masks are simply withdrawn. It's very difficult to hide behind anything when you're stark naked . It's a great leveller.


 
memond
memond  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:30
Member (2015)
English to French
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This is a bad habit Mar 14, 2017

I am from Canada and lived several years in Europe and the USA, and I was always amazed or choked when a European or American employer asked about my age, my 'race' or my religion. In Canada, an employer cannot ask such questions. We even never put a picture of yourself in a C.V. It is evident to everyone that this is discriminatory and goes against equal opportunities for work.

My first reflex is to say that this has nothing to do with the quality of the work, especially for a jo
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I am from Canada and lived several years in Europe and the USA, and I was always amazed or choked when a European or American employer asked about my age, my 'race' or my religion. In Canada, an employer cannot ask such questions. We even never put a picture of yourself in a C.V. It is evident to everyone that this is discriminatory and goes against equal opportunities for work.

My first reflex is to say that this has nothing to do with the quality of the work, especially for a job that does not require special physical abilities. Also, when someone asks for my 'race', I jump every time. I always feel like travelling back in time and being in a previous century where anthropologists classified human beings into different races according to specific physical features.

Most of the time I answer that these questions are personal. As far as age is concerned, it goes well. Unfortunately, I have to say that for the race question it is more difficult not to answer depending on the country.
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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Lol Mar 14, 2017

Sheila Wilson wrote:

In a naturist environment, the masks are simply withdrawn. It's very difficult to hide behind anything when you're stark naked . It's a great leveller.


Seeing you in a whole new light now, Sheila

My only experience of a nudist camp was aged 8 when my mother's then boyfriend's alcoholic mother palmed me off on yet another "uncle and aunt" for the day and they took me to watch a bunch of wrinklies playing naked tennis somewhere on the outskirts of Norwich, as you do. Trust me, that day I really did want a paper bag over my head.


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 13:30
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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Haiku. Mar 14, 2017

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Mervyn Henderson wrote:
We all wear a mask, really, one way or another.

In a naturist environment, the masks are simply withdrawn. It's very difficult to hide behind anything when you're stark naked . It's a great leveller.


Haiku:

A sunny morning
Natural naked bodies
clothes and masks are off.

Sorry, I'm feeling poetic tonight.

However IMO just because someone is naked, it doesn't mean they are honest or genuine.


 
Jan Truper
Jan Truper  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:30
Member (2016)
English to German
solution after reading this thread Mar 14, 2017

So Tom,

next time somebody asks you, just go on a rant that they are stupid and send them a nude picture.



 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 13:30
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Ha ha. Mar 14, 2017

Jan Truper wrote:

So Tom,

next time somebody asks you, just go on a rant that they are stupid and send them a nude picture.



This made me laugh, thanks.


 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 13:30
French to English
CV and name Mar 15, 2017

Chris S wrote:

Maybe it's just a test of curmudgeonliness so they can see how easy you'll be to work with later on?

Why are people so cagey about their age/gender? It'll probably be obvious from your CV/name anyway.


I don't have a CV. I have a document listing my diplomas and fields I translate in, but it's not a CV, I don't include anything that would give away my gender, although you could surmise from the amount of stuff that I'm no spring chicken

My name is given to females in some countries and males in others, as I found out recently when an Italian client called. She was surprised to learn that I was not what she thought!


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:30
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Nude photo? Why not? Mar 15, 2017

Chris S wrote:
Seeing you in a whole new light now, Sheila

Not too bright a light please, Chris. I'll admit to being 61 and I have my share of wrinkles that need soft lighting . Sorry to hear about your experience - I can understand that it would stick in your mind.

Lingua 5B wrote:
However IMO just because someone is naked, it doesn't mean they are honest or genuine.

That's certainly true. However, I've spoken to various people providing services to naturists and "textiles" alike and they've all said there's a big difference. The naturists leave less litter, keep radios at a lower volume, act if they see someone else in trouble, don't let their kids run riot, and generally behave in a more respectful way. In general.

But I don't want to take the thread off topic. Although I do like Jan's idea to send them a nude photo. Perhaps I'll try that out next time .


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:30
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Heroic comment Mar 15, 2017

Álvaro Espantaleón wrote:

They have to protect themselves.


Made me chuckle that one. Thanks for brightening my day!

I rarely get asked for my age Tom, are you sure it's not some young filly of a PM who has fallen for the Irish silver tongue and is checking your stats?


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 13:30
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
My grandmother had an infallible answer to the question of her age... Mar 15, 2017

... which unfortunately is too long for most forms:
'As old as my tongue and a bit older than my teeth...'
She used it well into her eighties, when she was considerably older than her dentures...

I used to find my translation diploma very useful - it dates from the present century, unlike my original BSc, which I acquired several decades earlier. CVs don't tell you everything!

Unfortunately age discrimination is rife in some sections of society, don't ask m
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... which unfortunately is too long for most forms:
'As old as my tongue and a bit older than my teeth...'
She used it well into her eighties, when she was considerably older than her dentures...

I used to find my translation diploma very useful - it dates from the present century, unlike my original BSc, which I acquired several decades earlier. CVs don't tell you everything!

Unfortunately age discrimination is rife in some sections of society, don't ask me why. You are as old as you feel, and translating is said to be an excellent way to ward off senility, so I plan to keep it up for a good while yet.
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Miranda Drew
Miranda Drew  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:30
Member (2009)
Italian to English
very common in Italy though probably illegal Mar 21, 2017

I've lived in Italy for almost 20 years now and I can tell you that though it may be technically illegal to ask someone's age with regard to work (I'm not completely sure whether it is or not), EVERYBODY will ask you. Of course, you just refuse to answer the questions that you know are not ok. I've had agencies ask for my passport number, and I just ignored the request, because that's ridiculous.

Strangely, date of birth is not considered "sensitive data" in Italy. They ask you your
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I've lived in Italy for almost 20 years now and I can tell you that though it may be technically illegal to ask someone's age with regard to work (I'm not completely sure whether it is or not), EVERYBODY will ask you. Of course, you just refuse to answer the questions that you know are not ok. I've had agencies ask for my passport number, and I just ignored the request, because that's ridiculous.

Strangely, date of birth is not considered "sensitive data" in Italy. They ask you your date of birth for every single thing you do (even for buying a train ticket online). I don't find that question strange anymore if it's on a form with all the other information asked for in Italy. But in the US if somebody has your social security number (which is just numeric) and your date of birth they can easily steal your identity.

Aside from the fact that it is probably illegal to ask, I do find it strange in the context of a freelancer/client relationship. I know employers in Italy will do anything they can to hire young people they can hire through specific "apprenticeship" contracts and pay absolutely peanuts, but there's no reason to ask a freelancer's age (except to know that they are over 18).
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Why do some outsourcers want to know my age?







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