This is what a US medical client once insisted I do for a translation about a dying cancer patient.
And the reason for the positive tone was because the company "promotes wellness".
Basically, the client wanted that the translation of the original document, which clearly stated that the patient was about to die, be spun so as to sound as if all is fine and there could be a great chance that the patient will survive.
Such a request to direct the nature of a translation is ultimately unacceptable and unethical, not to mention dangerous for patients!
⚠️ A professional translator will only provide a translation that faithfully reflects the source, and that includes the register and tone. It's a translator's role to remain impartial.
⚠️ As a person who has had advanced-stage cancer, patients would like to know the truth about their situation and not have others pussyfoot around the cold, hard facts. Most societies have a culture of silence regarding disease and death, which only compounds dealing with these realities. Not facing these and pretending that all is fine does not make them go away.
In the end, I translated the document as it was presented in the source language, warts and all.
What unreasonable or unethical work requests have you received, and what did you do?
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