Are people really like this or does my coworker have a mental problem

[Madrigal]

My coworker sometimes says things that make me wonder if she's mentally borderline. And it's always related to bureaucracy.

Today I said a translation would be a challenge for the translator, because the original English explained spelling rules that don't exist in Spanish, and it was full of double entendres that just don't translate (complete with illustrations). For example, "smarty pants" and a picture of some pants (no such thing in Spanish), the mention of the country 'Turkey' and a picture of a turkey, while in Spanish Turquía obviously doesn't mean turkey.

She emails me back saying, "Thank you, we'll see if the client will let us make any changes."

We'll see? If they will let us? Make changes? What? Did you even read what I just said?

Everytime logic indicates we need to change the way we are doing something (in this case, not translate what is there or use the images that are there, as we have been happily doing until now), she always comes out and says something really perplexing like this. It always feels to me like a provocation, like she's lighting a match and I'm gasoline. I know she doesn't mean it, she's just thinking aloud or something. But this is the style of answer she always has when something clearly needs to be done differently. How did she get like this?

One time, a client who doesn't know Spanish told her to re-record all Voice Over work at a slower pace to match the English pace of talking. In Spanish this pace sounds like you have brain damage, but she did it because she was told. Finally the audios reached a higher-up once they were all re-recorded to brain-damage-pace, and this higher-up was livid, asking why she would do such a thing if it's clearly wrong. She seems to think she's justified because "they told me so". This person is the perfect nazi, luckily I don't think she's right-wing.

[Ferrus]

Sounds to me she is a classic middle manager with no idea what she is doing but has to put on an act to make it look as if she is in control in order to justify her job.

[Madrigal]

Sounds to me she is a classic middle manager with no idea what she is doing but has to put on an act to make it look as if she is in control in order to justify her job.

There is something classic about this?

To me it's disturbing to even imagine that I'd put my name on something that was done wrong by request. If a client wants to have something done wrong, they'd have to ask someone else to do it. I mean I would go over their head if they just don't understand after an explanation.

One recurring issue with this woman (who is something like my de facto supervisor) is that I repeatedly point out errors in something we are reviewing, and she replies, "Those are errors that we're not being paid to correct, and I don't want the boss to get mad because we're spending time on doing free work." No, you miserable, misanthropic bitch. It's just a fucking detail and it's a courtesy to point it out, at least as a human being if not as a vendor. Pointing it out means you were there, and you don't like seeing mistakes. Have some pride ffs.

[Ferrus]

There is something classic about this?

In all the three jobs over the last 10 years in IT/tech 75-80% of the managers act like this. It's a game to get good appraisal scores by appearing helpful and "customer-focused".

The point is not if it is done right or wrong, but if the manager is seen to have "handled a complicated situation well" without hurting anyone's feelings.

The fact that it didn't work is of course someone else's fault "but lets not dwell on the negatives and move to the next project."

As a software engineer this happens all the time. You can explain the problem but they will quietly nod and ignore everything you said as causing a ruckus will look worse on them than a failed project quietly dying.

I am of the opinion 99% of the time the best way to do good work is work alone, or with at most one or two trusted friends.

[HighlyIrregular]

For example, "smarty pants" and a picture of some pants (no such thing in Spanish)

Are translators allowed to explain within the translation, like "hombre es un 'smarty pants ' [Americano expressione meaningo ...]"?

[Senseye]

I agree with the sentiments expressed by Ferrus. Was the same in my corporate minion day. Don't they have Dilbert in Argentina?

Off topic, but what is the equivalent expression for a "smarty pants" in Spanish? Google translate says it's sabelotodo. Reverse translate makes this in to "know it all" which seems close enough (lacks a bit of nuance as a smarty pants is generally a bit more humorous/sarcastic than a know it all IMO).

[Ferrus]

Off topic, but what is the equivalent expression for a "smarty pants" in Spanish? Google translate says it's sabelotodo. Reverse translate makes this in to "know it all" which seems close enough (lacks a bit of nuance as a smarty pants is generally a bit more humorous/sarcastic than a know it all IMO).

Here in Spain I have heard people call kids like that 'repipi'.

In fact if you search for that word in Google in Spain you receive a photo of Greta Thunberg.

[HighlyIrregular]

I agree with the sentiments expressed by Ferrus. Was the same in my corporate minion day. Don't they have Dilbert in Argentina?

Google translate says it's sabelotodo. Reverse translate makes this in to "know it all" which seems close enough (lacks a bit of nuance as a smarty pants is generally a bit more humorous/sarcastic than a know it all IMO).

For me, Google Translate says "sabelotodo" means "smarty". That's still not specific enough. Another possibility is to say in Spanish "you got your smarty pants on" and keep the picture and maybe coin a new Spanish expression.

[Madrigal]

Are translators allowed to explain within the translation, like "hombre es un 'smarty pants ' [Americano expressione meaningo ...]"?

Nah. Only if the text is introducing a word that has crossed into other language (like explaining IT words to a general audience, or words for certain trends/fashions that have kept their English name).

I agree with the sentiments expressed by Ferrus. Was the same in my corporate minion day. Don't they have Dilbert in Argentina?

Off topic, but what is the equivalent expression for a "smarty pants" in Spanish? Google translate says it's sabelotodo. Reverse translate makes this in to "know it all" which seems close enough (lacks a bit of nuance as a smarty pants is generally a bit more humorous/sarcastic than a know it all IMO).

Sabelotodo is fine, but I don't think anyone actually says that. It's very neutral. In each country, people will have local expressions for that, and sometimes these expressions change with each generation. Maybe sabelotodo was used a lot in the 50s, who knows? To be on the safe side I would just say "he thinks he knows everything" and avoid an expression altogether.

Off topic, one of the things I get annoyed at when I watch a current movie set in a previous decade is the mistaken use of colloquial expressions that nobody actually used back in those times. In my head I'm just thinking, goddamn, this is when you put millenials in charge of everything.

[Utisz]

Don't they have Dilbert in Argentina?

Good point. Though I think Argentinians would laugh at Dilbert about as much as we would laugh at Kafka.

Off topic, but what is the equivalent expression for a "smarty pants" in Spanish?

I asked Madrigal the same thing. It is surprising the amount of things you cannot quite say in Spanish, or you can say, but nobody would say them that way. It's like they have not conceptualised the thing. Another example was "accountability". All you can say is "responsibility" with "-idad" at the end. Obviously that's not the same thing but nobody cares.

In Chile, they refer to someone who knows what they are talking about as "seco", which just means dry, and is a compliment.