Desperation and stupidity of others is fine, except when they combine to waste my time.

I am recently receiving an increased number of emails from translation resellers offering to do translations and also emails ostensibly from freelance translators wanting work from me. There are two problems with these

  • I don’t purchase translation services from resellers of translation services. My clients are direct consumers of my services.
  • I don’t use freelance translators.

What’s most annoying is that these people and entities send email to an inquiry-specific email address that they pick up from my business website. That is displayed right next to a warning about the above-two items. These people either ignore it, cannot understand it (some are from places that acquired English colonially and are offering translation involving their non-European languages), or think that I am bluffing. I am not bluffing.

My current policy when receiving such unwanted email from brokers or freelance translators is to disclose the content in the public. Very few of them indicate a physical location (for obvious reasons), but the ones that do and are located in places that make it possible risk a visit that could be life-changing and very educational.

Declaration of Cluelessness

One time when interpreting at a meeting between a US law firm and their Japanese client, one of the attorneys, perhaps visiting Japan for the first time and apparently just starting on that case, was introduced to the group of Japanese on the other side of the table. A few of the people were new to me as well, so I was exchanging business cards. The new attorney piped up with a very audible question, asking the senior attorney on her team “Why do I have to give my business cards to people I am probably never going to meet again?” I think I tried to explain quietly that it was because we are in Japan and that is what people here do, but it apparently was not heard, understood, or appreciated. The clueless attorney begrudgingly exchanged business cards with people she never thought she would meet again.

It turned out that she was right. The law firm was quickly replaced by another firm, and they lost the client entirely, giving me a Schadenfreude hit, as that law firm’s behavior with me was already atrocious in a number of ways.

The “age of AI” offers mostly things I don’t need, including much talk about the things offered by the “age of AI.” I’m good.

In a moment of weakness—I’ll admit it was also recklessness—I signed up for an AI newsletter purporting to condense all the essential AI news for busy readers.

After seeing a few issues, it became apparent to me that the intended readers are people who either are deeply involved with and knowledgeable about AI, or truly care about who will rule the world in the “age of AI.” I fail to check either of those boxes. I’m out.