Curious (Staff: translation into Pennsylvanian Dutch)
Thread poster: Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:11
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Jul 13, 2017

I receive a lot of job offers through Proz.com, but never one like this (just came in):

'Dear Translators,
I need an English – Pennsylvanian Dutch translator, the job is only for native Pennsylvanian Dutch.'

Oh yes, before I forget: 'You meet the criteria for quoting on this job.'

First of all, I have never been to Pennsylvania, and secondly, I wasn't aware that the 'folks' there spoke Dutch. Love to hear it though.

Or am I missing some
... See more
I receive a lot of job offers through Proz.com, but never one like this (just came in):

'Dear Translators,
I need an English – Pennsylvanian Dutch translator, the job is only for native Pennsylvanian Dutch.'

Oh yes, before I forget: 'You meet the criteria for quoting on this job.'

First of all, I have never been to Pennsylvania, and secondly, I wasn't aware that the 'folks' there spoke Dutch. Love to hear it though.

Or am I missing something here?





[Edited at 2017-07-13 18:01 GMT]
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Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:11
Member
English to Italian
Germal dialect Jul 13, 2017

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

I receive a lot of job offers through Proz.com, but never one like this (just came in):

'Dear Translators,
I need an English – Pennsylvanian Dutch translator, the job is only for native Pennsylvanian Dutch.'

Oh yes, before I forget: 'You meet the criteria for quoting on this job.'

First of all, I have never been to Pennsylvania, and second, I wasn't aware that the 'folks' there spoke Dutch. Love to hear it though.

Or am I missing something here?


According to Wikipedia, it's a local German 'dialect': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_German_language#Writing_in_Pennsylvania_German


 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:11
German to English
Palatinate dialect Jul 13, 2017

Without going into detail, "Pennsylvania Dutch" (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch) is a variation of a German Palatinate dialect spoken by Amish people and Mennonites in various parts of the United States.

At any rate, this is a scam.


 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:11
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Would make more sense Jul 13, 2017

Mirko Mainardi wrote:

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

I receive a lot of job offers through Proz.com, but never one like this (just came in):

'Dear Translators,
I need an English – Pennsylvanian Dutch translator, the job is only for native Pennsylvanian Dutch.'

Oh yes, before I forget: 'You meet the criteria for quoting on this job.'

First of all, I have never been to Pennsylvania, and second, I wasn't aware that the 'folks' there spoke Dutch. Love to hear it though.

Or am I missing something here?


According to Wikipedia, it's a local German 'dialect': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_German_language#Writing_in_Pennsylvania_German


Amish and consorts speak a kind of German, but they are looking for Dutch! (or would they mean 'Deutsch'?)

[Edited at 2017-07-13 18:07 GMT]


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
A German dialect spoken by the Amish in the US and elsewhere Jul 13, 2017

As Mirko has pointed out, "Pennsylviania Dutch" is a dialect of German, and it is spoken (to varying degrees) by Amish residing in the US and elsewhere.

Interestingly, there is an "English-Pennsylvania Dutch" interpreter on the Ohio roster of certified and other interpreters (although I doubt the individual in question actually took a certification exam in this combination).

Ohio is the US state with the largest population of Amish (i.e., outside of Pennsylvania). Ther
... See more
As Mirko has pointed out, "Pennsylviania Dutch" is a dialect of German, and it is spoken (to varying degrees) by Amish residing in the US and elsewhere.

Interestingly, there is an "English-Pennsylvania Dutch" interpreter on the Ohio roster of certified and other interpreters (although I doubt the individual in question actually took a certification exam in this combination).

Ohio is the US state with the largest population of Amish (i.e., outside of Pennsylvania). There are two large Amish communities within an hour's drive of Cleveland.

All this said, the e-mail that Robert Rievelt received sounds as phony as a three-dollar bill.
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Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:11
Member
English to Italian
Misspelling Jul 13, 2017

Robert Rietvelt wrote:

Amish and consorts speak a kind of German, but they are looking for Dutch! (or would they mean 'Deutsch'?)


Yeah, still according to Wiki (and as Kevin was saying): "The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch) are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The word "Dutch" does not refer to the Dutch people (Nederlanders) or their descendants, but to Deitsch (in dialect) or Deutsch (in German)." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Dutch

At any rate, interesting


 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:11
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Scam? Jul 13, 2017

"All this said, the e-mail that Robert Rievelt received sounds as phony as a three-dollar bill."

As does the name of the outsourcer, real Amish (have a look yourself)

[Edited at 2017-07-13 18:35 GMT]


 
Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 23:11
Member
English to Italian
Isn't that too weird to be a scam? Jul 13, 2017

Robert Forstag wrote:

All this said, the e-mail that Robert Rievelt received sounds as phony as a three-dollar bill.


Definitely agree it's super weird to get a request like that... but at the same time, also super weird for a scam...


 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:11
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Well.... Jul 13, 2017

Mirko Mainardi wrote:

Robert Forstag wrote:

All this said, the e-mail that Robert Rievelt received sounds as phony as a three-dollar bill.


Definitely agree it's super weird to get a request like that... but at the same time, also super weird for a scam...


I once heard someone saying, if a story is too weird, it must be true, but in this case?.

[Edited at 2017-07-13 18:27 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-07-13 21:50 GMT]


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
The scammer is an idiot Jul 13, 2017

Mirko Mainardi wrote:

Robert Forstag wrote:

All this said, the e-mail that Robert Rietvelt received sounds as phony as a three-dollar bill.


Definitely agree it's super weird to get a request like that... but at the same time, also super weird for a scam...


The person running the scam is clearly an ignoramus who has no idea that "Pennsylvania Dutch" has nothing to do with the Dutch language.

(Then again, it must be said that any scientific survey would probably reveal that more than half of the US population also thinks that "Pennsylvania Dutch" is a dialect of Dutch [rather than German].)

[Robert R.: Sorry for previously misspelling your name. Corrected here.]

[Edited at 2017-07-13 19:03 GMT]


 
LilianNekipelov
LilianNekipelov  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:11
Russian to English
+ ...
They most likely know what they meant Jul 14, 2017

Everybody knows what Pennsylvania Dutch is --in the US at least, the more reasonable people. And yes, their language is considered a dialect of German, although it may be incomprehensible to a Modern German speaker. There are some dialects of German from Northern Germany which are closer to Dutch on the other hand, than High German. It could be a joke, or perhaps they really need someone who knows that language.

 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
I don't think so Jul 14, 2017

LilianNekipelov wrote:

Everybody knows what Pennsylvania Dutch is --in the US at least, the more reasonable people. And yes, their language is considered a dialect of German, although it may be incomprehensible to a Modern German speaker. There are some dialects of German from Northern Germany which are closer to Dutch on the other hand, than High German. It could be a joke, or perhaps they really need someone who knows that language.


The individual in question contacted a translator native in Dutch and who has not identified himself as working to or from "Pennsylvania Dutch" and declared to him that he was eligible for the job.

This does not strike me as a reasonable action on the part of a professional outsourcer.


 
Jenna Porter-Jacek
Jenna Porter-Jacek  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:11
Member (2010)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Just a thought Jul 14, 2017

Pennsylvania Dutch isn't a language option when posting a job. If the poster thought it was a variant of Dutch, he or she probably just selected "Dutch". Of course, this resulted in sending the job (scam or not) out to linguists who probably have no experience with Pennsylvania Dutch...

[Edited at 2017-07-14 15:53 GMT]


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:11
Spanish to English
+ ...
Nice try Jul 15, 2017

Jenna Porter-Jacek wrote:

Pennsylvania Dutch isn't a language option when posting a job. If the poster thought it was a variant of Dutch, he or she probably just selected "Dutch". Of course, this resulted in sending the job (scam or not) out to linguists who probably have no experience with Pennsylvania Dutch...

[Edited at 2017-07-14 15:53 GMT]


You seem to be a very kind-hearted person.

If what you suggest is true, then I think it would support my contention that the scammer is an idiot.

But I think the more likely scenario is that the scammer thought that Pennsylvania Dutch was a variant of Dutch, and therefore targeted Dutch translators.

So really, kinda dumb either way.

[Edited at 2017-07-15 14:32 GMT]


 


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Curious (Staff: translation into Pennsylvanian Dutch)







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