Update, 8:23 AM (PST) Saturday, Nov. 7: Caleres had two professional translators in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, look at the note overnight, according to a company spokesperson. The spokesperson sent the following translations to Upvoted in an email Saturday morning:

Zemen Translation: Chaltu, “Hating each other , undermining each other and failure to hear and understand each other is not good” Yeshimebet Translation office: Chaltu, “What I hate is : It is not good behaviour to talk false to each other , to undestimate each other and not to hear to each other “

The spokesperson said the company was unaware of any workplace issues in any of its factories, including the two it has in Ethiopia. The company’s facilities also are routinely audited for code and conduct compliance, the spokesperson wrote.

“We are continuing with our inquiries in order to understand the note and it’s meaning,” the spokesperson wrote. “If there are issues we can address, we will do so.”

Update, 9:05 PM (PST) Friday, Nov. 6: A spokesperson for Caleres contacted Upvoted about other Reddit users in the thread disputing the translation of the note and pointing out the errors and deceptive posts of previous commenters.

“Even if the note is legitimate, there is no agreement on any of the translations that have been reported so far,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “However, our investigation continues and we will assess new information as it becomes available.”

Original Story:

The friend of a Reddit user was shocked to find a disturbing plea for help in an unopened box of shoes she found where she works.

Samson_says posted a photo of the message and rough sketch that was allegedly found in a pair of Naturalizer brand shoes to the Pics community Friday. The note appears to be from a worker responsible for making the shoes in the area of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

A user in the thread, knuckles215, offered a translation of the note, which was written in Oromo, a language spoken in Ethiopia and parts of Kenya.

User ghostinahumanshape also confirmed that basic translation and added background about what the note was trying to say. The user claimed the message was written in “a mix of languages” and that the writer possibly had “very poor writing skills.”

No information was given about what store the user’s friend worked at or where the store was located. Upvoted has contacted the original poster for more information—stand by for updates.

A spokesperson from Caleres—which owns the St. Louis-based Naturalizer and also commented in the thread—issued the following statement about the matter in an email to Upvoted:

“We were just made aware of the note found in one of our shoeboxes. We are taking this seriously and quickly investigating. The working conditions of everyone making our shoes is of paramount importance to us. We’re active in our industry’s efforts to ensure workers’ rights globally. We have our own production code of conduct that sets clear expectations for all our suppliers. We also audit our suppliers and insist on having full access to their facilities, employees and records. “For reference, we currently work with two factories in Ethiopia. We have employees on the ground in those factories on an ongoing basis. “We will be transparent with our findings and our response.”

Update, 6:52 p.m. (PST) Friday, Nov. 6: Samson_says, a 24-year-old user from Maine, told Upvoted that the note was found in a shoebox in a Naturalizer store in her home state.

“My heart dropped immediately when I saw it for the first time,” Samson_says wrote in an email. “Still, I was hopeful when I posted it to Reddit to be translated that maybe it was a happy message.”

Since posting the photo, she has contacted the Institute of Global Labour and Human Rights about the matter, but she hasn’t heard from any other groups or Caleres.

“So far, the reaction has been all online,” she wrote. “It’s mostly people just wanting to know more about the situation.”