Employee refuses to translate coworker's personal documents after she finds out they speak a second language, coworker complains to manager: ‘She showed up at my desk with papers’ 

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Dec 4, 2025 7:00 AM EST

In an office full of people, it is also filled with different talents and skills that everyone has acquired over the years. One employee is a great cook, another is a wonderful makeup artist, and a third is secretly a tech genius. People have lots of hidden skills that don't necessarily shine in their lines of work.

Should they use it at their job if they get the chance? That's up to them.

The employee in the story below has a helpful skill: she speaks another language fluently. She never got to use that skill at work, but recently her coworkers discovered that skill, and one coworker decided to use it to her advantage. It started with translating an email for her husband, then a few paragraphs, which continued to a whole pile of papers.

At that point, the employee refused to continue doing free labor for this coworker's personal affairs. But that didn't stop the coworker, who decided to report this to the manager, claiming the employee refused to help the team with their international communications.

Keep scrolling to read how the employee set the records straight.

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  • Woman in a Black Shirt Throwing Papers
    via Karola G

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Coworker decided my second language is part of my job description

    I 29F work in a pretty normal office in the US. My actual job is boring data stuff, nothing to do with languages.
    via jorveth_4
  • I just happen to speak my parents language fluently. I keep that pretty quiet at work, becuase every time someone finds out they instantly joke about "free translator".
    via jorveth_4
  • Spoiler: my coworker S 34F did not think it was a joke. It started small. S overheard me on the phone with my mom and got very excited that I speak another language.
    via jorveth_4
  • A week later she brought me a short email her husband needed to send for his side business and asked if I could "just glance at it".
    via jorveth_4
  • Took two minutes, I didnt mind. Then came a longer contract. Then a whole product page for their website.
    via jorveth_4
  • She would show up at my desk with papers already in a neat pile and say things like "ok, only a few paragraphs this time" and stand there waiting.
    via jorveth_4
  • I finally told her that this is not part of my job and that professional translation is a real service people charge money for.
    via jorveth_4
  • She rolled her eyes and said I am being selfish with a "gift that costs you nothing".
    via jorveth_4
  • Two Women Doing Their Paperwork
    via Karola G

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Next day I get an email from my manager asking why I refuse to "support the team".
    via jorveth_4
  • Turns out S told him I agreed to handle "our international communications". Our. As in the company.
    via jorveth_4
  • I had to explain that no, she has been bringing me documents for her husbands side hustle that has zero connection to our employer.
    via jorveth_4
  • When my manager pushed back on her, S actually got offended and said I had embarrassed her family by "making a big deal out of helping".
    via jorveth_4
  • She has stopped talking to me unless she needs something and tells people I am rude about my culture.
    via jorveth_4
  • All becuase I dont want to be a free full time translator for a business | dont work for.
    via jorveth_4
  • Glittering-Data-8801 She got offended by you calling her out with her lies. She would have used you forever, until you stopped it. Good call. I'm sure her boss will no longer trust her with any complaint she lodges.
    via Glittering-Data-8801
  • Fun_Organization3857 She knows that's a paid service. She just wants to be cheap.
    via Fun_Organization3857
  • Competitive_Law1032 Reminds me of people who try to get free service from people who love to sew/crochet/bake, etc. "isn't this something you love to do anyway?" Cheap ass grifters
    via Competitive_Law1032
  • False Ostrich7247 Do they have an HR dept? Becuase this is hostile workplace kind of stuff.
    via False_Ostrich7247
  • TheQuarantinian I would have replied to the manager, cc'ing the coworker and HR "Coworker has been asking me to provide free translation services to support an unrelated family business. When I declined she complained to the manager, misrepsenting the situation, resulting in my manager reprimanding me for not supporting the team, taking coworker's complaint at face value and making no effort to obtain details first. I feel that this has created a hostile environment and is making me uncomfortabl
    via TheQuarantinian
  • Velvetsparkk She got called out then get mad
    via Velvetsparkk
  • BlueberryBlushes I feel this. You're not being rude you're just protecting your time. Free translation isn't your job, and it's okay to say no
    via BlueberryBlushes

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace coworkers language overworked-employees workplace company entitled people
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