Poll: Do you enjoy your job? Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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| | | Most of the time | Feb 16, 2013 |
It has its challenging moments, but most of the time I'm really happy doing what I do.
Right now, the challenge that comes to mind is long convoluted sentences. I've just finished translating a sentence 130 words long. I felt good after I figured it out, but this kind of thing cuts into my productivity and I can get impatient.
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I love my job, and that's why I say that I am lucky, although at the end of my working day my eyes are destroyed, or maybe I had a lot of pressure, well, I love what I do.
BUT I hate a lot of things "around" my job (tax rules, consideration, ...)
| | | | | I do love my job... | Feb 16, 2013 |
... and what I do! And in the present European climate I don't dare complaining...
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neilmac
España
Local time: 04:32
español al inglés
+ ...
| Most of the time | Feb 16, 2013 |
I really dislike the admin side, especially having to keep receipts to justify everything I claim back in VAT. I'm seriously considering not bothering claiming back anything at all this year just to avoid the nuisance paperwork involved.
But in general I enjoy working as a translator almost 99% of the time and when I don't it's usually because of having to faff about with awkward formats like scanned PDFs, or the pressure imposed by clients with hasty deadlines, or having to say no ... See more I really dislike the admin side, especially having to keep receipts to justify everything I claim back in VAT. I'm seriously considering not bothering claiming back anything at all this year just to avoid the nuisance paperwork involved.
But in general I enjoy working as a translator almost 99% of the time and when I don't it's usually because of having to faff about with awkward formats like scanned PDFs, or the pressure imposed by clients with hasty deadlines, or having to say no to one client to be able to fulfil my commitment to another... things like that. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ty Kendall 
Reino Unido
Local time: 03:32
hebreo al inglés
| No job is perfect...99% is close enough | Feb 16, 2013 |
And by job I mean "career, vocation, calling" or however else you like to perceive it. (Pre-empting the posts saying "it's not a job...")
There are down-sides to any occupation, like Neil I also dislike the admin, although I only see it as a minor nuisance.
I quite dislike grappling with the less enlightened clients, nit-picking over synonymy with over-zealous proofreaders, nagging late payers to pay etc. these are all part and parcel of "the job" and you can't really ... See more And by job I mean "career, vocation, calling" or however else you like to perceive it. (Pre-empting the posts saying "it's not a job...")
There are down-sides to any occupation, like Neil I also dislike the admin, although I only see it as a minor nuisance.
I quite dislike grappling with the less enlightened clients, nit-picking over synonymy with over-zealous proofreaders, nagging late payers to pay etc. these are all part and parcel of "the job" and you can't really divorce them from the actual process of translating when considering whether you enjoy "the job" as a whole or not.
But there's also plenty of up-sides.
I greatly enjoy the actual process of translation itself (although sometimes even that can be frustrating, especially if you've spent an hour on one phrase you just can't get to grips with).
I enjoy being my own boss, working with my languages, etc.
Basically, I enjoy this job far more than any other job I've ever had....and that speaks volumes. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japón
Local time: 11:32
Miembro 2011
japonés al inglés
| Still going strong | Feb 16, 2013 |
Ty Kendall wrote:
Basically, I enjoy this job far more than any other job I've ever had....and that speaks volumes.
Yep, this profession is fraught with lots of risks and issues, just like any other. But there is immense satisfaction and sense of fulfilment when I've successfully completed a big, complex project that makes me want to thirst for more.
And, I've been doing this almost 30 years now and I'm looking forward to another 20 or more or as long as I can keep going. That speaks volumes, too. 
| | | | DianeGM
Local time: 05:32
Miembro 2006
neerlandés al inglés
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| Yes, mostly. | Feb 16, 2013 |
I love translation and translating. I also enjoy being my own boss and working from home. I love the freedom I have to control my own working life, the variety of people I deal with and projects I work on, the flexibility in hours that I benefit from, the flexibility of travelling while working, that no-one expects me to dress a certain way, or drive a certain type of car, that no-one is watching the clock to see what time I start and stop working, that I don't have to be involved in office po... See more I love translation and translating. I also enjoy being my own boss and working from home. I love the freedom I have to control my own working life, the variety of people I deal with and projects I work on, the flexibility in hours that I benefit from, the flexibility of travelling while working, that no-one expects me to dress a certain way, or drive a certain type of car, that no-one is watching the clock to see what time I start and stop working, that I don't have to be involved in office politics, that no-one can force me to take a project I don't want or work in a way that I don't choose to.
That all being said, there are also things I dislike about being a self-employed: administration, unfairness of tax system generally in Greece at this time, also the disproportionate burden on the self-employed and small business, but these things would bother me being self-employed in any profession.
I think I also have to differ between the art and the business of translation.
There are few things I don't like about translation per se.
There are many things I don't like about the translation industry: pressure on rates, having to chase late and non-payers, charlatanic proofreaders trying to pass themselves off as native speakers, or those who believe their personal language style and preferences are the only 'correct' English, potentially at the expense of my reputation, agencies which believe that they can assure quality soley by procedures and negate to control whether the people involved at every step in the procedures are competent, qualified and correct.
But that is the industry I work in and I keep choosing to do so.
For me, the pros hugely outweigh the cons, that's why I am still here, doing this. If they didn't I'd be doing something else.
[Edited at 2013-02-16 11:02 GMT]
[Edited at 2013-02-16 11:03 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Thayenga
Alemania
Local time: 04:32
Miembro 2009
inglés al alemán
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| Between most of the time and always | Feb 16, 2013 |
Being a freelance translator is a profession that consists of the right "ingedients". being independent, working my own hours, though this sometimes means working "overtime", and having free time for other things, such as writing, family, friends etc.
Even when the project at hand turns out a little more challenging than I might have assumed, the sense of accomplishment once it's finished and accepted by the client makes up for the temporary "stress". Frankly, I can't think of any o... See more Being a freelance translator is a profession that consists of the right "ingedients". being independent, working my own hours, though this sometimes means working "overtime", and having free time for other things, such as writing, family, friends etc.
Even when the project at hand turns out a little more challenging than I might have assumed, the sense of accomplishment once it's finished and accepted by the client makes up for the temporary "stress". Frankly, I can't think of any other job that I might love more than my current one. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paul Adie (X)
Alemania
español al inglés
+ ...
| Answered 'no, not really'. | Feb 16, 2013 |
I'm currently translating a legal document in PDF format with lots of numbers. Yes, I know I could have said no, but I didn't have any other offers of work, so I accepted it. The rate was pretty good. However, I find that I'm moaning more and more about translation, when at the start of my career I really did enjoy it.
Luckily, I'm studying something completely different (jewellery design), and hope to combine both jobs in the future, or leave translation completely.
A... See more I'm currently translating a legal document in PDF format with lots of numbers. Yes, I know I could have said no, but I didn't have any other offers of work, so I accepted it. The rate was pretty good. However, I find that I'm moaning more and more about translation, when at the start of my career I really did enjoy it.
Luckily, I'm studying something completely different (jewellery design), and hope to combine both jobs in the future, or leave translation completely.
Am I the only one that feels this way? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tatty
Local time: 04:32
español al inglés
+ ...
| No, not really either | Feb 16, 2013 |
I'm with Paul. I think that the problem mainly is that I work too many hours. If I could just work between just 30 and 40 hours a week I would like it a whole lot more. And if I could finish by 6 pm every day that would help enormously too. But if I don't put the hours in I don't earn a professional wage. Sometimes I think that I could go and live in the country and work less, but I would be bored stiff.
I returned to England to see if I could get a job doing something else, but I ... See more I'm with Paul. I think that the problem mainly is that I work too many hours. If I could just work between just 30 and 40 hours a week I would like it a whole lot more. And if I could finish by 6 pm every day that would help enormously too. But if I don't put the hours in I don't earn a professional wage. Sometimes I think that I could go and live in the country and work less, but I would be bored stiff.
I returned to England to see if I could get a job doing something else, but I couldn't. So I decided to pursue a specialisation so I could charge more, which has worked out well. I also underwent further interpreting training to get more interpretations with a view to getting myself out more, which has also worked out well.
Translating does have some positive things going for it though. It is an intellectually satisfying activity, I can be my own boss and I'm not subject to all that sexism found in offices. I'm still working on ways to reduce my working hours without losing out in terms of a proper decent salary.
PS. The administrative side of the job doesn't bother me at all. ▲ Collapse
| | | | macimovic
Países Bajos
Local time: 04:32
inglés al serbio
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I don't enjoy when I don't have it.
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| One reason that I really like translating | Feb 16, 2013 |
I am sick today, it's not anything that will kill me, just a common cold. If I were still working in-house or anywhere else, I'd still be at my desk. I finished up one project last night and have a little one due, which I plan to do in my bed, with a big cup of hot chocolate and my heavy blanket.
I love my job, but the only job I've ever had that I may have enjoyed more was when I worked in a pizzeria, for obvious reasons.
| | | | | Most of the time | Feb 16, 2013 |
But I'm no longer a freelance translator...
| | | | | most of the time | Feb 16, 2013 |
there are always the times when you have tedious job, or poorly written etc.
I like translating and editing both...but I don't like all the administrative stuff I have to keep track of and remember. yech. I wish I could just hire someone and shove it off on them. But I don't make enough money!
I would enjoy it even more if I got paid more...so i'm trying to get more Euro clients because the Euro against the CAD is great!
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