A variation of this tends to happen every once in a while.

Customer: “How do I know you’re a certified translator?”

Me: “[Notary/Embassy/Firm] gave you my contact, did they not?”

Customer: “Sure, but I still need to see your credentials.”

Me: “There’s some personal information there which I’m not sure I’m comfortable sharing at the moment.”

Customer: “Then, how do I know you’re not a scammer?

Me: “If I were, [Notary/Embassy/Firm] wouldn’t be recommending me. They’d be in massive trouble.”

Customer: “Just send me your diploma!”

Me: “If I were a scammer, don’t you think I could easily create one? How do you know it’s not fake?”

Customer: “…”

Me: “I could give it to you, but then you’d have to contact [University] to make sure they actually issued it.”

Customer: “Sure, I’ll do that!”

Me: “Just one more question, though. I see the document you need translated is a medical certificate.”

Customer: “Yes.”

Me: “May I see the physician’s diploma and an affidavit from their university certifying it’s not forged? It’d be illegal for me to translate that document if it’s a fake one.”

Customer: “It’s got their seal and signature; that’s sufficient.”

Me: “So do all certified translations.”

Customer: *Colourful words and block.*

I live in Colombia, and our country recently reduced the weekly work hours from forty-eight to forty-two. This is supposed to happen gradually, reducing one hour per year. This year, the reduction was supposed to happen on July 15^th.

I work in healthcare, and I have four twelve-hour shifts per week, two days and two nights. I work in a psych clinic as a physician, and there’s only one per shift, and we’re here in case any of the patients happens to have a medical emergency and to admit any new patient referred from other institutions or that arrive through our urgent care.

We (the physicians) thought that the most logical thing to do was to pay us that hour as overtime, and that would save the clinic having to juggle schedules or hire new staff. They decided that was too much money and told us we have to take that hour only on our night shifts and only during the 1 AM – 4 AM frame.

We were understandably p***ed, but then we realized we don’t have to stay that hour; there’s a 24/7 restaurant close to the clinic and we could go there and eat something. When one of the other doctors told our boss, she said that we weren’t allowed to do that, but they don’t have any legal backup.

I told them that if they refused to let me out during unpaid time, to please forward that order on a written document so I can take that to the labor office.

She backtracked and told me she was only worried about us going out so late, but I’m pretty sure she just thought we would suck it up and stay here and have us perform unpaid work.