Children of immigrants often become family translators long before they’re old enough to even understand what they’re translating.

One young man had been doing it his whole life, reading government documents and explaining official letters to his father. So when his dad ran into a problem with his landlord and asked for help, he said he’d do what he could.

But when his father told him the date of the meeting, it happened to fall during his classes in another city.

He figured he could join the online meeting from there, but his dad wanted him to live translate, which is a very different job from simply translating a letter.

He’s the only person his father trusts for this, but he has his own life and education to tend to.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTA if I refused to help my father with translating a meeting.

My father is an immigrant to where we live, and like many children of immigrants, I’ve been translating government documents my whole life for him.

Lately his father found himself in another difficult situation.

Now, he is in a situation with his landlord, and he has asked me to help him.

I told him I would if I could.

But there was one big catch.

Here’s where I think it got unreasonable. He recently told me the date of the meeting, and it was during my classes in another city.

I told him I don’t know yet if I will actively be in class at that time, but I won’t be in our hometown. He said he could come to the city I am studying in.

He can’t come to an agreement with his father about a compromise.

I thought this was weird since it’s an online meeting, and couldn’t I just join the meeting from this other city? This is when I asked, “What exactly do you want me to do? Live translate?” and he said yes???

He just doesn’t find his father’s request that reasonable.

Now, I am fluent in both languages, but there is a reason people train to do live translation. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that, PLUS I will have to leave my classes for this.

He knows his father needs the help, but he has his own needs as well.

They’re only offering this meeting in our country’s native language, and I am the only person close enough to him who also speaks both languages fluently to help him.

I feel really bad saying no, but would I be unreasonable if I did? This feels like a really big and low-key impossible ask?

AITA?

This sounds like a real uphill battle.

What did Reddit have to say?

His father likely doesn’t understand how difficult his request really was.

Translation services tend to operate differently depending where you are.

This situation calls for careful planning.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who has to explain to her kids why they can’t keep the baby snake they found as a pet.

This user seems to think this man should try to make this work to help out his father.

This son has spent his whole life being the family’s bridge between two worlds, and he’s reached the point where the bridge is getting too heavy to carry alone.

Translating a letter at the kitchen table is one thing, but interpreting a housing dispute live, with money and a home on the line, is a different job entirely. In fact, redditors pointed out it’s a job many people study and get paid for.

A mistranslated sentence could hurt his father’s case, and he knows it. But that’s exactly why it’s so much pressure.

Some things are better left to the professionals.