Talk

I'd say it's about equivalent to calling someone a 'hooker' or similar, so definitely not ideal. I suppose just how offensive would depend on the context though. As part of the dialogue in a novel it would be different from in an academic textbook!

It's a translation - literary anthology. I've objected to it, along with slut, which was also used.

Is it? I thought it was just descriptive of a younger man who sets out to 'befriend' older richer women in a mercenary fashion. In what context does it appear in the piece you are translating?

I suppose the question then is whether the impression the word gives is what the author was aiming for. If he/she said the equivalent of 'slut' or 'gigolo' in the other language, then it's a fair translation even if the word is offensive, because that's what the author was expressing.

But if they said 'male escort' or similar, then the meaning has been changed by the translation.

But if what you're saying is 'this version, in this translation, uses offensive terms' then I'm with you.