Friday 6 June 2008

Need some ADVICE please

Am looking for advice. An organisation forwarded me contracts that are written in a rarely-used dialect of FRENCH-GERMAN (I grasp max. 30% of the wording but am still confused because my techno-speak is more rusty than my street-talk in both languages).

They reassure me it's not important to understand the documents but remind me they're legally-binding. Am merely instructed to sign where indicated by 'x'. They've made no effort to help me understand (..and to be honest am afraid I'll show my stoopidity by asking awkward questions).

If I don't turn up at the office next Thurs it will be understood that I'm automatically passing power-of-attorney to strangers who will sign the contracts in my name.

The thing is I don't get kicked-out of the group even if I do reject them - in fact it's a bit of a head-wreck, for some reason I get less privileges if I sign-them!

What do I do?
- sign on dotted line? ..apparently it's good for my wallet, sounds good
- reject this time? ..insist they translate into something I can sign
- hide at home? give power-of-attorney so someone can decide for me?

(I forgot to say that if I sign they'll make decisions without need to consult me in future. That'd be a relief, I hate responsibility - my Mom still tells me what to wear to school ..sorry meant to say work.)


If I added that it was a REFERENDUM would that change anything?
What should I do? ..add a comment below,
Kevin

17 comments:

Unknown said...

another scam. Just ignore it

Anonymous said...

what?? is it a company you're dealing with or just a random email? have you tried bablefish? they have free online translations... though sometimes only about 50 words at a time... else forward it on to me & i'll see if one of my german scholars can figure it out - Fidelma... ps.. you're mad as a brush :- )

Anonymous said...

Claudounet said...the right thing

Kevin Sexton said...

It's from the European Commission, some talk of a Referendum !!!! ...ring any bells? Kevin

Anonymous said...

Babel dont have the translation of the language, the only person I know is my great grandmother, she was born in Alsace Lorraine, she signed a dodgy contract years ago and was transported by the Germans to Lisbon, I know she used to work as a translator before she got Alzymers, they did not discover that she had Alzymers until she had been working for over 3 years translating some treaty. I must go and dig her up and see what it was all about.

Mark

Kevin Sexton said...

Excellent Mark, your gran defintiely sound like the sorta brain we need on this case - I'd have more trust in her than the smarmy smiles that are warning the sky will fall in if I don't get the finger out. I'll pick her up at the airport - when she in?

Anonymous said...

I will have to get the spade out, we buried her down the end of the garden with the rest of our long deceased pets. Lips the bulldog, Enda the poodle and Garret the hare. My great grandad is buried on top of her, well not exactly, in a space above her, he was one of the signatories of our proclamation in 1916, someone told me that he had turned in his final resting place recently.

Mark

Kevin Sexton said...

who'd blame him for turning Mark, your granny was a fine lookin woman ..respect! What was he off doing signing dat proclamation-thing - way handier to have the brussel-sprouts make our decisions and extend dail summer recess to Christmas ..the older generation had some off-the-wall ideas - more-sense-than-money i reckon

Anonymous said...

now theres 3 mad brushes...

Anonymous said...

Less of the older generation, I am 93 next birthday. My great granny told me that brussles sprouts were very good for me and that coke was bad for you, well I did not take her advice, I hate the sprouts, only eat them at Christmas when the Dail has been in recess for about 3 months, I used to like Irish sugar and fresh fish caught in the atlantic even fresh corn, cannot get it anymore, all imported. One thing I still have is my COKE.

Mark

Unknown said...

maybe next time I'll read the whole story.
On this one, as a good European I would close my eyes and sign.

Anonymous said...

That is what my great granny used to do, close her eyes and pray when great grand dad went to bed. 12 children later she discovered that prayer was not enough. She told him to go out and get some "Frenchies". Unfortunately great grand daddy is not with us anymore, his ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat on his way to France. My great granny has hated the Germans ever since and has vowed to vote against anything they are ever involved in.

Mark

Kevin Sexton said...

..coleslaw n coke even, is way better diet coz you know it was recently discovered that GREENS are a major cause of Alzheimer's ..you think ya were going in one direction with some idea in yer head, nxt thing ur headin in the complete opposite direction and haven't a clue what you set-out to do in the first place.

Pity I used to like greens but it's coleslaw and coke all the way from here on in ..and fish oils

Kevin

Kevin Sexton said...

she was a woman way ahead of her time! ..I mean any country with prime minister named Murky has to be up to no good ...when Ankle-a visited dublin few weeks ago I have it on pretty good source in a certain big office on Merrion Sq that she eyed up the barrel of coleslaw and mumbled 'zis is zee sing zat 'as to go (her mom was french), ve are replacin zis Irish junk wis sauer-kraut ..ah-ha u didn't explore artikul 48b, subsection 16,004, para 2942 ...32 which sez 'coleslaw is not european, sauerkraut, zat is ze future of europe, jah, jah, jah.

Kevin

Anonymous said...

Ankle is a bit of a sour kraut, rumour has it that she had her eye on Sirkosky, the french fellow with a name like a helicopter, she wanted to cement Franco-German relations, our Karla got him first.

Mark

Kevin Sexton said...

Fidelma, you're not alone, everyone (ok Mark aside) was outraged saying 'don't sign anything you don't understand' ...so when it comes to Thur 12 June REFERENDUM to the IRISH CONSTITUTION I hope they'll remember that they'll be deciding for MILLIONS ACROSS EUROPEANS

The biggest issue I have is that Sinn Fein are saying NO and I never agree with their political agenda - but put it all aside and make your own mind up.

BUT DO VOTE ..at least have conviction and live with it.

Mark
shout me on email, will ya?

Kevin

Anonymous said...

yes thanks Kevin for clearing my name...

i must seem like such a ditz to anyone reading over these comments.

just to all of you... Kevin edited his initial statement AFTER i'd made my comment & twas only then he added in the word "refferendum"...

Believe me .... PLEASE!
:- ))