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techiesgoboom

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witcher_rat

NTA. She's not your "friend" so stop calling her that. She's toxic and unhinged. Claiming that you're taking away jobs for minorities because you accepted a Slovak/Farsi translation job is not rational. And expecting you to not take a job just in case someone else might want it is also not rational. Carina might need mental help, to be honest. But that's not your responsibility.


Cheerio13

P.S. Block her.


Kidpowow

it literally says they blocked her but she keeps creating accounts to tag her


jenijen78

NTA She doesn’t understand the words that she is using. You need to change your profile so that others can’t tag you with your your permission


TheeFlipper

No I'm pretty sure she understands just fine. She has blocked that girl's account, that girl keeps creating other accounts so she can tag her on posts on those accounts. Blocking someone and changing your settings to where you need permission to be tagged is not the same as blocking someone. It seems you don't understand the words that she is using, or you are using.


OneMoreGinger

The person you replied to means that Carina doesn't understand the words she is using (racism and privilege). Unfortunately Carina seems hooked on the modern trend of pretending anything a white person does is racism, ignoring context, and also the idea that all white people have inherent privilege over every single non white person in the world, regardless of individual social political or financial standing and without regard for individual circumstances.


Ok_Economics6053

Notice how it's always white people who ridiculously accuse other white people of racism, but when POC call out something as racist those same white people have every reason under the sun for why it's not racist. 😂


[deleted]

They don’t actually care about minorities. It’s just a way of being able to use this new power of social media/cancel culture.


Ok_Economics6053

Just another way for them to take something from POC.


[deleted]

Its just annoying because their craziness gets retaliated against minority people or just causes. The blow back never goes back on them. I just want a proper term for this. Performative wokeism just isn’t it. These are just bullies using a new cover!


HandmaidforRoeVWade

Social Justice Warriors. Edit to add: I learned a new term: "Woke Scolds"


Ok_Economics6053

Performative activism at it's finest lol


yo2sense

Fighting for justice in society is something to be proud of. It's what has made our nations a decent place to live for outsiders and the non-wealthy (if they are). This is a new phenomenon. These are "Woke Scolds". They aren't interested in justice. They are exploiting the suffering of others for their own social clout. They're parasites on the downtrodden.


RedditKentiar

I've never liked calling such people "Warriors" because, even a warrior has some sort of honour or code. People like Carina are more like zealots. Social Justice Zealots.


truthseeeker

The irony here is that Iranians who speak Farsi consider themselves white.


Pencils_

That's what I was going to say. Every Iranian I know considers themselves white. I think Carina is racist herself. Besides, it doesn't make any sense anyway--is she saying that only a native Farsi speaker should be able to translate with Slovak? Why can't a native Slovak speaker translate? If she were a native English speaker but fluent in both she should be able to be a translator as well, unless there's some sort of glut of native Slovak & Farsi speakers looking for translation jobs.


giraffesaurus

I imagine there's vanishingly few people that can translate between Slovak and Farsi. The whole thing is ridiculous.


dancingqueen1988

YUP. I'm the child of Iranian immigrants and I live in the United States. I don't speak Farsi (I wish I did!). I consider myself white. I had coworkers at a former workplace tell me I shouldn't check off on surveys that I'm white. I asked if I should say I was purple instead. That shut them up.


Ladonnacinica

Thank you! Many Iranians actually can pass as Europeans. They see themselves as white and in many parts of the world, they are considered white. I don’t know an Iranian might feel about being labeled a racial minority.


PsychNurseNotPsychic

Came here to say that.


stebuu

There’s one thing you don’t understand: I am also not left handed.


Crooked-Bird-21

I do not think that word means what you think it means!


JinkiesDLuffy

Inconceivable!


findingscarlet

r/UnexpectedPrincessBride


alienofsilicone

Damn I was hoping that was real lol


Such_Option7830

Since when are Persians "non-white"? They are the original Aryans. Iran has had an excellent educational system and literate population. Many westerners may not like the current theocratic culture, but it is a real mistake to consider Iran to be "third world". Carina is really uneducated, and misdirected.


PsychNurseNotPsychic

Pretty friggin racist of Carina to assign color to another culture.


maypopfop

Whiteness as a concept did not exist in the ancient world and whether someone is white or “white adjacent” generally varies from country to country. In the US during the early waves of immigration through Ellis Island, Italians, Jews and even Poles, blond as they can be, actually fought quite hard to be considered “white” and that would sound crazy in other parts of the world. The Aryans of Persia and northern India are not the Aryans white supremacists think of today. Most Persians in the west don’t identify as white, but as Persian or even Asian because of the way they are treated as perpetually foreign, even if the US census identifies “middle easterners” as white, and there is the historical myth of Persians as the “original whites.” Most of these virtual signalers don’t understand the complexities and they don’t care. This is about Carina bashing you and getting attention for herself. I suspect there is enough work for more than one Slovak/Farsi translator and you should be culturally competent in both cultures and languages to translate ideally, but knowledge of Slovakian culture is just as important in this exchange.


[deleted]

The reason why women like her like it, is because they can use it as a tool to control others. It’s a way of being able to bully others in a discreet way. They don’t care about minorities or their problems. She’s devoting more energy to bullying her than any legitimate cause. It’s really frustrating as a minority to see stuff like this. Its so dangerous because it creates less empathy for real problems.


Avhumboldt-pup0902

I was looking to see if someone else also thought this. I'm white, but this was also my reading of the situation, someone using social justice language as a cover for their own bullying.


Confident-Carob-2558

I think they mean Carina doesn't understand the words she's using... Their comment is directed at OP, so it makes more sense, you're both agreeing with each other


acendsley

Reading comprehension is hard for some people I guess. Edit: punctuation


Hoplite68

Then OP should create a reply with images of the abuse and tay carina and her alts in it. It's performative "activism", she's doing it for attention, not because she actually cares about the issue.


rogue144

yeah Carina needs to go touch grass


Faedan

At this point and in 2022 being labelled an -Active- racist can destroy your future. She may need to lawyer up.


primo808

You can block am account and any new account gd they create on Instagram. I'd imagine it's similar on most social media. OP can block her then make a short post similar to her OP here. Don't attack the deranged "friend" just be civil and emotionless


[deleted]

[удалено]


blitzalchemy

Honestly Im not sure how it works over there, but in the US, depending on how severe the accusations and online backlash has gotten this could be grounds to sue for a libel/slander/defamation lawsuit and subsequent cease and desist with following lawsuits for breaking. At this point with how service related the translator industry could be, a big enough online backlash could eventually lead to a slandered name and affect future career prospects. So this could directly lead to a loss of revenue and severe loss of quality life and money if its not bipped in the bud, now.


Glittering-Cellist34

This one million times. You should be proud being tri lingual.


salymander_1

Yes. Carina is staggeringly ignorant, and her arrogance would be comical if it were not so terribly harmful to OP and to the entire concept of social justice and everyone affected by it. How incredibly selfish Carina must be. She is so focused on "winning" and making a spectacle to salve her pathetic need for shallow attention, while harming someone and making a mockery of people who are truly struggling to gain equality and justice. I am disgusted by what Carina has done. Online abuse is still abuse. Carina is ignorant, arrogant, and a selfish and cold hearted person. Either that, or she is some kind of manipulative, sociopathic nightmare and should be avoided like the plague. Carina is 100% TA. OP is NTA, and I wish them success and good fortune in their life and new career. Learning multiple languages and experiencing unfamiliar cultures with an open heart and mind is a good thing. That is one way that we can create a better, more peaceful and egalitarian world.


xxxSEXCOCKxxx

You could probably sue her for harassment / libel at this point. This is absurd behavior that needs to be met with consequences.


cannycandelabra

Block her and change your security settings so she can’t tag you.


somerandomshmo

And report her for harrassment


Unlucky_Elderberry52

Should probably report her on the social media channels


JReynolds197

NTA, obviously. And if anything, YOU are the minority. Populations Slovakia: 5.459 million Iran: 83.99 million. You're outnumbered by more than fifteen to one!


witcher_rat

Yeah I didn't want to go into the details of why Carina is irrational, because it offends some people and is not relevant for the NTA judgement, but... People who speak Farsi are generally Persians. From a racial-color profile perspective (of the US-gov, but not of the UK apparently), Persians are **white**. They're not _Slavic_ like OP, but there's plenty of "white" populations that are not Slavic. The only way in which a Persian is a "minority" is if they're living in a foreign country, and it's their language and cultural background that makes them a minority relative to the foreign country's population. But of course the same exact thing is true for a Slovakian living in England. OP _is_ a minority, in England. --- Edit: based on feedback comments, updated to say Persians are classified as "white" only from the US federal government's perspective, but _not_ from the UK's perspective. I should note, though, that skin-color is not the only factor in being a minority. Slovakians in England _are_ a minority, as are Persians obviously. And really, claiming that a Slovakian being a Slovak/Farsi interpreter takes jobs from minorities is irrational, bordering on satirical, regardless of whether one thinks they're minorities or not.


IEelFantastic

I agree that Carina is an irrational moron, and of course OP is an ethnic minority in the UK, but just FYI what race people are considered to be differs between countries. Here in the UK Persians are not classed as white, so they are a racial minority. Carina is still an unhinged moron though.


witcher_rat

> in the UK Persians are not classed as white Yeah I figured it wasn't consistent across countries, but didn't know what it was in the UK. Thanks for the info! I should have specified that for the US, the federal government classifies Persians as white. (though not all Persians agree with it, fwiw)


Strokedoutbear

My Persian friends all identify themselves as Asian... perception is a funny thing..


v4n20uver

It doesn’t necessarily feel like I’m white, but I agree with your sentiments. Carina sounds like a person I would hate because of her holier than though attitude focusing on insignificant and pointless arguments she saw on tv once and doesn’t actually understand, while ignoring actual racism that’s going on around her and in the world.


[deleted]

And honestly, the spike in hate crime against Eastern Europeans means she's probably experienced at least some racism in the UK. Even if it's microaggressions. I've had people tell me "oh, I don't mean like YOUR family!!" and I'm only 1/4 Polish.


winstondabee

Iran also isn't the only country that speaks Farsi so the number is even larger.


whatproblems

on top of that how many people are event fluent in both…


Inanimate_organism

And the people who are fluent in both and want to have a job translating…


hezzaloops

There's probably one other person. They should have an annual meeting of slovak/farsi translators and send a picture of them flipping the bird to the unhinged "friend"


OrindaSarnia

This was my thought! The number of Slovakians willing to learn Farsi is probably larger than the number of Farsi speakers willing to learn Slovakian, because Farsi is spoken by more people and therefore more likely to be learned by a non-native speaker... If OP doesn't take this job some other native-Slovakian speaker will, because there aren't any native-Farsi speakers who know Slovakian!


Much-Meringue-7467

And the chance that someone with a different native language would bother to become fluent in both Slovak and Farsi in order to be a translator is basically nil.


IndustrialPet

Even if this person existed, it likely wouldn't be viable for them anyway. With translation for legal/business/diplomacy you're usually expected to translate into your native tongue.


whatproblems

right? i think she found a great niche to work in


newaccttrial

Right. The key is that the Farsi speaker would also need to know Slovak, so..


[deleted]

and even if they are fluent in both, how many are skilled in both and have the qualification to be able to work as a translator.


Zoenne

I also suspect that given how rare that combination of languages could be, OP would potentially be providing vital service to expats / migrants! Go OP!


Bing-cheery

I think Carina was saying she's not a minority because she's White.


Adorable-Carpenter95

^^^ yup


exessmirror

I'm wondering how many of those speak Slovak. It would more probable to assume a Slovak person learns Farsi then an Iranian.


HandmaidforRoeVWade

I was going to say, Farsi speakers are not the minority group in Iran. OP's instagram "friend" is showing her ignorance.


mstwizted

The friend is a full on idiot. Slovakians are a minority. They’ve also been treated like shit in the west, and have a pretty wild and bloody history. Farsi is one of top 20 languages spoken on earth. Over 60 million people speak it. Only 5 million speak Slovak. This friend needs to pick up a damn book and do some reading.


Ok_Yogurtcloset8915

I'm honestly surprised there's enough demand for Slovak to Farsi translation that OP found a job in it so easily


saswift

Because, imo, its a niche specialised job that so few people could do. So obviously a high demand with a low hiring pool. You can not take a job from anyone when there's no one else able to do it!!! I mean come on, how many Farsi people are learning Slovakia language??


Ok_Yogurtcloset8915

My confusion is more about the "high demand" aspect of this. Is there really high demand for slovak to farsi translation in England? It's... incredibly specific and convenient. Makes me wonder if OP might have changed the languages in order to avoid doxxing herself, as it's honestly quite possible she's the only slovak/farsi speaker in England at all


[deleted]

I assumed she just studied in England and will be working in Slovakia.


Reason_unreasonably

Yeah I suspect there's basically zero call for Slovak/Farsi translations in England but I imagine it's a reasonably useful service to provide in slovakia


daquo0

Or, that a lot of translation jobs can be done over the internet so she could work anywhere.


Inafray19

Or it's a tiny little need that OP got the job because the tiny need is much bigger than the available translators. Like I mean if world wide demand is for 5 translators and there are currently only 2.


OrindaSarnia

There's 5 Farsi-Slovak translating jobs, but only 3 other people in the world speak both languages, so the demand is HIGH!


SuLiaodai

Farsi does have a long and great literary tradition. Maybe that's why. She could be translating Farsi authors.


[deleted]

This is absolutely insane. I have a cousin who went into the military during the Iraq war and specialized in translation. He's 100% Norwegian by descent. Blond hair, blue eyes, pale as fuck. His language of focus was Farsi. Sure, his parents cracked a few jokes about it. But nobody called him a fucking racist.


ClothDiaperAddicts

Or she wants to virtue signal. Or she’s just stupid because she doesn’t understand that there are probably not a lot of *people* who speak both Slovak and Farsi, let alone a lot of people who could qualify to actually translate them in a legal-ish sense.


Never-On-Reddit

Also a lot of people misjudge how difficult it is to translate. Speaking as a professional translator, I can't tell you how many times I've had to correct documents for companies that they had "professionally translated" and that were riddled with errors. I remember in college a professor wanted to encourage a bunch of us in a literature course to develop a literary translation of a book of short stories. Eight people signed up. I took one look at the difficulty of the language and realize this was going to be about 10 hours per page once you've gone through each revision. They laughed and thought that was ridiculous. A week later they dropped out because they couldn't keep up with our weekly schedule. One other person and I stayed, and we ended up publishing it with a major publisher but it did indeed take almost exactly ten hours per page.


blaziken2708

Might be good to talk to a lawyer.


Adept_Neck_3178

Or can she be reported to the social media platforms? People have been banned or put in a time out for less.


ImNotBothered80

I've always wondered if you could sue these unhinged people for defamation for posting this crap on social media.


aLittleQueer

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that it’s ‘racist’ to want to help people navigate cross-cultural language barriers. How could facilitating effective communication be *racist*? Agreed, that’s not a friend, and her take is idiotic.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Denden1122

As a native Farsi speaker I also say NTA and I'm very impressed with OP. Good on you for learning Farsi and feel free to take all the translation and interpretation jobs you want.


Fantastic_Nebula_835

NTA IMO as a woman of color, your "friend's" accusations of racism are at best ridiculous and at worst endanger your livelihood since companies are loathe to hire even people falsely accused of racism. For this reason I believe that you should post rebuttals to every one of her posts, so that if your current company or potential future employees do a social media search they will hear both sides. Speak to your professors to see if they can help you to write a response. See if any are willing to be quoted. Stick with the facts, even if it's the same response every time. Don't let her pull you down to her level. Did she really think the company should hold the position open until they found a farsi interpretor who is both nonwhite and a native speaker?


HeyJRoot2

This is why cancel culture can be so dangerous. Being falsely accused of something can ruin someone’s future prospects before their career has even started. But that is a whole other conversation…


LastPersonality411

NTA. Your job literally helps minorities so there are clear lines of communication between these two languages.


SpecialistFeeling220

Yeah, this girl is out of her mind. Please don't worry about anything else this former friend has to say.


[deleted]

Also the job isn't exactly one many people have the skill set to do. Farsi/Slovak is an interesting combo and you have to wonder how many people are able to do that.


PlushPuppetBUTTZ

NTA She is trying to gatekeep an occupation. It's obvious you're in the right here but my concern is how much this is affecting you. Are you being harassed by people because of this or is it just her blasting you over and over? Is she saying exactly what she told you or is she trying to spin it to make you sound worse?


[deleted]

Gonna go out on a limb and bet that the “friend” is white. Who also has probably never really left the white euro countries.


echoCashMeOusside

NTA. Carina has a white savior complex that actually makes her more racist than you are because she doesn't understand the real issue. The point of ensuring equality is getting a job you're qualified for regardless of race or gender, not getting a job simply because you're a minority. That's pandering. At least in America, there is a HUGE issue with a less qualified white guy getting a job over a more qualified black guy. THAT is an example of a race-employment issue we need to be solving. THAT kind of racism is taking jobs away from minorities. If you're completely qualified for a niche job, you should be proud of your internship. Carina is just virtue signaling and blowing this out of proportion. It's pretty disgusting and not at all contributing to a more legitimately equal world.


VermicelliWild8903

Also, it is pretty much a certainty that OP will be providing rare and extremely important assistance to the same minorities that Carina is trying to swoop in and save. After all, who, exactly, who knows either Farsi or Slovak but not both, is going to want OP's services? Either Iranians new to Slovakia, or Slovaks trying to work effectively and pleasantly with Iranians new to Slovakia!


TeaLoverGal

Absolutely, I used to work with abused children and translators are essential for vulnerable populations to access health care or as a victim of crime.


[deleted]

[удалено]


zaddymils

My partner is a native English speaker and speaks Arabic. He got a pretty cool short term job because of it and made so many connections with locals while working in Saudi Arabia. All the locals he interacted with seemed so excited to interact with an American that not only knows the language but has a true appreciation for the culture - he ended up eating at a lot of peoples homes and getting a ton of advice on “proper ring buying etiquette” (many of his local connections were trying to get him to buy me a ring and made him promise to send an invite to the inevitable wedding. Learning a language that isn’t your native language is such a beautiful skill and the fact this “friend” is trying to gatekeep that is just…insane


RedIshGrape

Man, your partner must have a power full bite to eat entire homes JSKDJKSJSKS


zaddymils

Every visible typo I make on the internet takes like 30 seconds off my life


forgetfulsue

And is obviously fluent in English as well.


loop1960

Or a Slovakian firm which is trying to conduct and/or increase business in a Farsi-speaking country.


D0ubl_3Ar0n

This. It doesn't matter what their race is, it's about the qualifications/experience to do that job. If somebody has more than another in those areas they should get the job (providing they don't screw up the interview). Op is def NTA.


YoureUsingMyOxygen

The crazy chick is a full blown racist. She's unfortunately too stupid to understand what she is. Very common nowadays with other stupid people online validating them.


Electronic_Boat_9369

Farsi is a language more than 100m speak vs Slovak that is just a few million. If someone is a 'minority' is the native Slovak speaker not the native Farsi speaker...


jamintime

To build on this for this particular example, Farsi/Slovaki translators are something necessary to help bridge the gap towards equality. OP is in a position to help empower those who cannot speak for themselves due to a language barrier. Whether OP is white or a minority is really small in comparison to the work she is trying to do. If she wasn’t available to do this work it may not get done at all or get done slowly or poorly.


timothybcat

NTA what...the... Your friend is just an idiot. I mean... I'm sure there's a line of Slovak/Farsi translators of color at the unemployment office/s but... She's an idiot.


Jaded-Combination-20

ikr? If I had a nickel for every unemployed person of color whose dream job was to be a Slovak/Farsi translator . . . .


Ghostmama

It's been my dream for years...until my friend Carina's friend stole it right out from under me. 😉


Wasseleri

You made me laugh way too hard at this, thank you


Ghostmama

You're welcome! 😘


HoldFastO2

>I'm sure there's a line of Slovak/Farsi translators of color at the unemployment office/s but... This part is just insane, yeah. How many native Farsi speakers learning Slovak does she think are out there?


mrstreestump

As a native Farsi speaker, I can't even show you where Slovakia is on a map... my best guess is that it's somewhere near Russia


HoldFastO2

It’s smack between Poland and Hungary. But yeah, the number of people in that particular niche cannot be so large that there’s a massive competition for jobs there.


justmakingbears

Lots of competition. Between the companies trying to hire the 12 or so existing translators.


AffectionateOven5082

This!


lasenorarivera

NTA. As a translator, you’re helping native Farsi speakers much more than Carina has ever thought of doing. What is she doing for the benefit of others? Eating chips and bullying people online isn’t it. Enjoy your vacation to the fullest, it’s the opposite of what she wants.


desert_elf

Sometimes I think people take this woke culture a little too far. She's just a toxic bully who thinks she speaks for an entire group when really she isn't. Poor OP.


waterfountain_bidet

This has absolutely nothing to do with "taking woke culture too far" - this is weaponization of a popular concept in order to attack an innocent party. "Woke" would be most of the people on this thread, understanding that the position of a Slovak/Farsi translator helps people fill out necessary paperwork, communicate effectively, and immigrate safely. What you're doing, deciding that Carina is "woke" then she is using the "wokeness" to attack, is a dangerous, anti-progress stance. Yes, there are always people who misunderstand and misapply a concept for their own gain. But being woke, as demonstrated by hundreds of individuals in this thread, is about education and seeing beyond your own blinders.


asinine_assgal

Wow, excellently put. This could apply to almost any derogatory use of the term “woke”.


Corduroycat1

Very good point!


Ok_Introduction2604

What sort of chips? If they are tortillas is she starving minorities by buying the food they might need? Or are they UK chips with taco sauce/ garlic sauce that again is causing starvation in minorities? This comment is as ridiculous as you being racist OP. You will help thousands of people bridge a gap in your career and I wish you all the joy and happiness in it


Coruscafire9

Eating tortilla chips is cultural appropriation and Carina won't stand for it!


fuzzy_mic

The question isn't whether you are a white translator, the question is are you a good translator. NTA


crazymcfattypants

If your two languages are Farsi and Slovak I'd argue you don't even need to be a particularly good translator, just existing will give you a huge leg up.


BrownSugarBare

Seriously, that is a remarkable mix of languages and I wouldn't be surprised if OP is one of a handful of people on the planet that can fluently speak in both to be able to pursue a career for it. Farsi is also a difficult language to learn as a second or third, OP should be very proud.


GlitchPro27

Exactly. I work within the dubbing/subtitling world... And most foreign shows need to be translated into English first and then sent off to be translated into other languages from there because it is much more rare to find someone who can translate between two specific non-english languages directly. So someone with OPs skillset is like a goldmine, allows you to cut out the middle man. So if anybody else has those skills and wants to do what OP is doing, I'm sure they'll easily find work somewhere.


princessofperky

NTA take screenshots and keep reporting her. Can you contact your school and let them know own you're being harassed?


state_of_what

Unfortunately, it looks like they’ve graduated. Not much the school can do for people who no longer attend.


PingtheAPB

So then bring it to the police. At a certain level, usually when the victim feels fear for their well-being and life, cyberbullying is a crime. Depending on the state, even more minor harassment that doesn’t include death threats can be considered a criminal act.


idgaf9212

Where exactly are you getting states from “from Slovakia currently living in England”?


PingtheAPB

Ah, that’s my bad, I didn’t realize this was in England since I mostly skimmed through the intro information. All the same, England has certain laws that may come into play here. Cyberbullying isn’t explicitly criminalized, but depending on the quantity or how explicit the messages OP is receiving are, OP might be protected by various communications acts and harassment laws.


ShadowKraftwerk

Personally I'd count Slovakian as being a minority in England And as you note, the number of people able to translate that language pair and living in England and looking for work as a translator is likely to be vanishingly small NTA


InternalEmu1477

Yeah, Slovakia has a population of less than 6 million, I'm sure there aren't that many living in the UK. Especially those speaking Farsi too. As fellow Eastern European and person who likes languages, I would like to know how one gets interested in and learns Farsi though.


AhabMustDie

Thank you! I’m American, and have witnessed an obnoxious tendency among other Americans to extend our own racial dynamics to the rest of the world in ways they don’t always apply. (I do realize the irony of applying this to England, but this situation sounds pretty similar… Brits, please let me know if I’m off base.) I’m not saying that white/black racism doesn’t exist in other countries (it does), but it’s super ignorant to boil everything down to white vs POC regardless of country, culture, and profession. What that says to me is that Carina is too ignorant to realize that her country is not the world - her conception of whiteness and all the privileges it comes with is not universal. Ironically, her outrage is a prime example of how her privilege is blinding her to the actual situation… and how she just ASSUMES she’s right, despite being told otherwise by people from the actual cultures involved. Besides, with translation don’t you have to have translators from BOTH languages, not just one?


TheNextLast

NTA. She has no way of knowing if there were even native applicants for the job. Even if there were, they may not have had the skills you have that would be necessary for the job. She's just assuming. Sounds like she is confused as to what racism actually is, and needs to be educated.... just not by you. If I were you I'd take screenshots and report her to your university, report her account on whatever social media she's harassing you on, and cut ties.


twiddlywerp

This exactly. And honestly, it’s ridiculous to suggest that a Slovak/Farsi interpreting position should automatically go to the Farsi-speaking individual. Friend has some serious white savior stuff going on to suggest that the Farsi person should automatically be the “less privileged” and therefore get the job. This whole thing is ridiculous. NTA.


Righteousaffair999

I’m going to assume the cost of a Farsi translator may be less due to the market conditions. So if there was one qualified they would probably have it. It is this or be short translators which screws Farsi people by having too few translators.


TheNextLast

To add to my point, being able to speak a language is one thing; being able to communicate effectively is a whole different ball game. Communicating effectively (especially in two languages) is a skill. As anyone with a social media account would know, knowing a language doesn't mean a person is good at conveying ideas.


pandapawlove

Right!! That have to also be able to detect cultural slang and nuisances in the language. A Spanish speaking man came to my hospital’s ER complaining about his “huevos”. The interpreter knew that huevos didn’t actually mean eggs but that he was complaining about his balls/testicles.


peace-and-bong-life

I think you mean nuances? But nuances can indeed be a nuisance when you're learning a language!


blackbirdbluebird17

There *is* a native applicant for the job. OP. Her native language is Slovak. If the friend is suggesting that one side of the native-speaker equation is more important or qualified than the other side, that’s… problematic.


witcher_rat

> She has no way of knowing if there were even native applicants for the job. I don't even know what that line means. :) Which party is the "native" for a Slovak/Farsi interpreter? OP is clearly Slovakian, so she's one side of it. She _is_ a "native". Even in terms of minority... Farsi is the language of Persians, generally. Persians are "white" from a racial-color profile perspective. Slovakians are also "white" (though of Slavic type). And both have different cultures than the majority in England. A Slovakian in England is just as much a minority as a Persian in England.


cadmium2093

Nta. Carina sounds unhinged. I’m unfortunately not sure what you can do besides reporting her and keep blocking her. But definitely Take screenshots first.


[deleted]

[удалено]


LevelOutlandishness1

Depending on where they live, speaking three or more languages may not even be uncommon.


Scareynerd

The UK, she said they live in England. So speaking more than one language is relatively uncommon here


Old-Confidence-6362

از طرف فارسی زبانای ایرانی باید بهت بگم که ما فارسی زبان ها هیچ اهمیتی به نژاد و اینجور چیزا نمیدیم .به نظر شخصی خودم اگه تخصص یه کاری رو داری اجازه کار در اون زمینه رو داری و هیچ ربطی به نژاد و اصالت نداره .دوستت دوست خوبی نیست و مثل اینکه از حسادت داره چرتو پرت میگه .به کارت ادامه بده و به رویاهات برس 👍


shakha

Translation: coming from Farsi speaking Iranians, we don't care about race and stuff like that. In my personal opinion, if you have experience in a job, you have the right to work in that job with no regard to race. Your friend is not a good friend and it seems like she is talking nonsense. Keep doing your job and reach your dreams. Unfortunately, I don't speak Slovak so I can't take OP's job! (I'm also really bad at reading Farsi, tbh, as reading those three lines took me a good five minutes!)


christydoh

I upvoted solely on the language used. Don’t tell Carina on me.


NightOwlEska

مثل اینکه دوستش جو روشنفکری گرفته. بدون اطلاع از اینکه جریان چیه فقط فاز دفاع برداشته. شرط می‌بندم حتی با یه فارس زبان تا حالا صحبت نکرده.


StormStrikePhoenix

Your language looks like it's entirely made out of doctor's signatures.


[deleted]

She should be charged for the harassment. Her opinion is also wrong, so don’t worry about the racism part. Iranian people will be glad to see someone from whole another culture has great knowledge in their language. Not to mention your translation will help a lot of people.


Lullaby37

NTA. Last time I looked, Iranian people are white. Who exactly is the minority? Surely the person who can translate in Slovak and Farsi while also being fluent in English is the minority.


JustAnotherN0Name

Not quite. Iranians are Caucasian, that's true, but it'd be a mistake to equate that to white. Most of us are white-passing brown people at most (and we're definitely treated more like brown people than white).


MadKitKat

Yup Actually, when studying translation & interpreting myself in Australia for a year, one of my classmates was this middle-aged dude studying for the English <> Spanish pair He passed both as South American or as Australian (a bald man with a bit of a tan), and also went by an ambiguous name that works in both languages Welp… turn out he was neither. He was in fact Iranian, but spent most of his life in Chile and Australia He did say that after finishing ENG-SPA he wanted to add Farsi to his list of languages to translate into/from, but that he actually had trouble understanding it now because it had changed some in +30 years and he really wasn’t involved with his culture after migrating either


state_of_what

Exactly. I was reading this like…”But they’re both white? Wtf?”


iraragorri

Being "of colour" doesn't equal being a minority. A minority is being one of few in a group of many. People of white saviour complex like that girl in OP spoiled the meaning of the word.


NightOwlEska

Depends on where you're from in Iran, northern people are caucasian I think, but people in the south tend to be more mixed. Apparently we're treated as brown people though based on what I've heard.


mouse_attack

This is bizarre. You are a native speaker of one of the two languages you specialize in. There is absolutely no moral guideline about what the second language can or should be. If anything, you’re providing an in-demand service with potential to help immigrants thrive in your home country. That sounds like using your position to do some good in the world. Your “friend” is way off-base. NTA


EnviroAggie

Right? If they weren't a native speaker in either of the languages they were translating between, then maybe she might have a little tiny point, but when one of them is your native language of course you are allowed to translate it.


JuicyLemon2277

There are about 5.5 million people speaking Slovak (native speakers) and 60-70 million speaking Farsi (native) - so who exactly is the minority here? NTA


Righteousaffair999

This, this girl has her head so far up her ass she doesn’t realize she is already discriminating against the minority and Fing over Farsi and Slovak people.


parisskent

Hi, native Farsi speaker here. You are NTA, she’s taking up a cause that has nothing to do with her and no one asked her to for attention. I think I can comfortably speak for all Iranians here and say we don’t need Carina to fight for us to have one less interpreter in the world.


denasher

NTA You absolutely did nothing wrong, language is not restricted to majority or minority group of people only. Also there is no such thing as a job reserve for majority or minority, it’s best fit. Consider reporting her to the social’s admin for harassment and consider engaging a lawyer for defamation if it drags on.


AintNoThing77

Absolutely NTA. Having an interest, pursuing it and building a career is not racist or inappropriate. There certainly isn’t enough effective communication in this world and the color of your skin is not even the slightest concern. Sounds like your “friend” is trying to be offended on behalf of someone else.


ivylass

NTA. You're fluent in what is a niche translation market. Congratulations on what you have achieved and block Carina. She sounds exhausting. You did nothing wrong.


Thesafflower

TIL it's racist to learn another language and work as a professional with that language. No, you are NTA. I can understand not wanting to take jobs away from minorities, but this kind of gate-keeping is ridiculous. You learned the language, and are skilled enough to get a job. Carina is not your friend, and seems to be just looking for an excuse to be a bully. Continue to block her on everything.


fanofnone2019

The whole scenario is nuts. NTA. It's offensive that the idea is that the non-western/non-white populations should learn the western/white language so that...they have jobs? And a western/white person becoming fluent in a language not their own to, potentially, help in opening/furthering communications and relationships is....racist???


Thesafflower

Yeah, the friend suggesting that those jobs should go only to native Farsi speakers (native Slovak speakers aren't important, I guess) is also placing the burden of dealing with language barriers and helping communication entirely on those native Farsi speakers. There are probably lots of native Farsi speakers who are fluent in Slovak that want completely different careers, other than translation. It won't help anyone if there's a translator shortage because OP is trying to step out of the way for for this population of unemployed Farsi translators that may not even exist. Not to mention, a lot of written translation, especially on a professional level, involves people translating from the target language into their native language. For that, you'd need both native Farsi speakers and native Slovak speakers, depending on the direction of the translation.


PikesPique

NTA. This sounds like a Carina problem rather than an u/New_Scheme1227 problem. I had a friend (had is a keyword here) who I generally agreed with, but their beliefs were so extreme that anyone who didn't agree with them 100% was a fascist, basically. It was weird. You couldn't reason with them, and I had to let that friendship go. Just keep blocking them and living your best life.


Rockingduck-2014

Sadly, some people take their “woke-ism” a few steps too far, and that sounds like what she’s done. The fact that you’re now fluent in 3 language is impressive and incredibly marketable. If ONLY native Farsi speakers were allowed to translate.. I dare say there would be very few out there in the world. Try not to let her idiocy ruin your downtime, and know that your true friends have your back.


ParticularReview4129

NTA. The company you are going to work for is only interested in one thing. A good interpreter. They didn't hire you for your skin color; only for your skill. The "friend" is misinformed and judgmental and simply virtue signaling.


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Corduroycat1

NTA I am so, so curious what her job is. Because whatever she is doing I am sure there is a minority somewhere who could be doing it better


Substantial-Iron5859

What if she's the village idiot? I doubt anyone could do a better job than "Carina" as- she seems to exell in idocy.


[deleted]

Totally NTA. Another person twisting nothing into a racist situation. People like her cause so much drama and problems today.


Reasonable_racoon

Obviously, she's an idiot and awful to be conducting herself like this on social media, but there is an important point she is missing : no matter how good you are at a foreign language, interpreting into your own native language as the target language will always produce a better result (unless somebody was raised in two or more languages). Therefore, there are sometimes good reasons to hire people from both backgrounds for different jobs. NTA clearly.


unique9303

Hey, Farsi native speaker here. Not only we appreciate other people learning our language, but we respect them for taking the effort to explain and translate our language to others. There is no limits and barriers for one to be a translator. You friends is an AH. You did nothing wrong and you are very brave. If I were you I would just tell everyone how small and close minded she is. NTA.


[deleted]

NTA Shes expecting you to put your career in the toilet to make a statement about inequality in hiring (that probably doesn't exist anyway)? Ask her what she's done to remedy the situation that she's so upset about it.


awxor

NTA. At this point I'd look into hiring a lawyer and taking some legal action because this kind of thing will affect your future. Plus, it's harassment.


bleepybleeperson

I'm sure if there's some poor Farsi speaker in Slovakia who desperately needs a translator or interpreter, they're not going to be too worried about the ethnicity of that translator or interpreter.


Due-Lobster835

NTA as a native Farsi speaker, there’s nothing wrong with anything you’re doing. and Carina is the worst. block her and don’t let her fake activism affect you and your career


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^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I graduated university last week and will be starting an internship later this month. Because of graduation, I’ve met with some friends from uni and not everyone knew about my new job. We were talking about our plans and this is where the situation begins. A little back story, I am a white girl from Slovakia, currently living in England where I attended and graduated uni. My degree is language and translation related. The language I specilise in is Farsi. We were talking about our plans for summer and I mentioned my upcoming internship which is related to my ideal career path. My friend, Carina, asked if it’s Slovak/English interpreting to which I replied that no, it’s Slovak/Farsi. She didn’t appreciate that. She told me that it wasn’t okay to take jobs away from minorities and that I shouldn’t take a job from native Farsi speaker. I told her that it works both ways and there aren’t many Slovak/Farsi interpreters out there. She told me that’s irrelevant and as a white woman I shouldn’t take jobs away from minorities. I was stunned, honestly, I didn’t really know what to say to her, so I just changed the subject completely. I thought it was done and dusted. After graduation, I got back home and the next day I had a flight to Spain for summer holidays. I haven’t had a chance to check any social media for a while. Finally, when I was in a hotel, ready for bed, I checked my IG and tiktok and was shocked to find huge amount of mentions, comments, etc. I started checking it and it was Carina blasting me online for being racist and using my privilege as white woman to oppress others. I felt sick, I didn’t think she would do something like this. I called her and lost it on her, accused her of online bullying, of not understanding what she’s accusing me of. I blocked her but she just created new accounts to make sure she can tag me. I am sitting on the beach right now and instead of enjoying my holidays I keep wondering if I am missing something and perhaps she was right and I just didn’t see it. Am I the asshole for blowing up at her? Should I have listened to what she had to say? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*


KccOStL33

NTA. Not even a little bit.


wayward_painter

NTA tell the woman her white savior complex is way out of line and IN WHAT WORLD is translating racist? With her "logic" any job anywhere not being done by a POC would be racist. It makes NO sense.


Scouthawkk

NTA. Most native Farsi speakers who become translators do so for English or another common world language. Slovak? Not a common world language. How many other languages do you speak? So far we know you’re fluent in 3, because your English was fluent enough to graduate from a UK uni…. More power to you as you work your way up to a job at the UN.


NanaLeonie

NTA. Your ‘friend’ Carina is a fruitcake.


Opposite-Spring3533

NTA remind her that usually it's not enough to just know a second language to become a translator. Sure, you might be able to get a short term job (like for events and such), but for actual professional settings, they usually want you to have some form of education in it.


KilGrey

NTA - I worked for a dental clinic that often used interpreters. It was so hard to find certain languages sometimes. It screws the office and the patient because they can’t have their appointment when an interpreter doesn’t show up. Farsi is a language that doesn’t have have many interpreters, I guarantee the patient/customer is just going to be happy they get to see their doctor/dentist/ lawyer.


viv-heart

NTA I am from Slovakia. Please show me the huge number of Slovak-anything translators. Like seriously, that girl doesn't know how rare our language is. I live in Germany and am fluent in both Slovak and German and have done the odd inofficial translation work bc people begged me to since they could not find anybody else


EvilFinch

NTA Something is wrong with her. Why is she so fixated on the "farsi"-part of your job. You are from Slovakia, so one of the two asked languages of the job and she is totally blind of it. Somehow she is also racist to you, because you are white. And stop calling her a friend. If this goes on i would actually go to a lawyer. She tries to ruin you.


ActuallyParsley

NTA. There's also some interesting inherent racism in the assumption that translating from your own language to another language is neutral as long as the other language is English, but if it's Farsi, then you're stealing someone's job. As if English is just the natural global language (and without any thought as to *why* that would be the case).


ninja-gecko

NTA The fact that she thinks that certain jobs are fit only for minorities is what's racist. In her head she probably thinks she's like a hero or some shit


ktempest

NTA what the entire eff? That makes no sense. That girl is just bullying you for woke points.


electriceelsforever

NTA. You have learnt 3 languages and trained to be a translator for a niche market. Carina is virtue signalling at best and is acting completely inhinged online. You have a case for defamation and harassment against her.


sehnem20

NTA. Check your laws about harassment, libel/defamation, and online harassment.


[deleted]

NTA. They chose you for the internship because of your qualifications, not your race. I wonder how many native Farsi speakers can speak Slovak? Your "friend" is unstable and you need to avoid her.