This has already been published elsewhere. Still:
Translation is a bitch. Latex-clad, whip-wielding, dominating bitch. And we are the doggies.
I need a break.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
On paradoxes of the trade
Observation: the quantity of translation jobs is reversely proportional to the quantity of time available to complete said jobs.
Now, I'm not complaining on people calling in, demanding my services. It seems, however, that customer service representatives and office managers at translation agencies have some kind of instinct, forcing them to call at the worst possible time. I should know, I've been one for a while. Or maybe it's the summer and the fact that most people are away on holidays and I'm one of the few suckers to stay behind and work.
What do you think? Hello? Anyone there?
Now, I'm not complaining on people calling in, demanding my services. It seems, however, that customer service representatives and office managers at translation agencies have some kind of instinct, forcing them to call at the worst possible time. I should know, I've been one for a while. Or maybe it's the summer and the fact that most people are away on holidays and I'm one of the few suckers to stay behind and work.
What do you think? Hello? Anyone there?
Friday, July 9, 2010
On freelancing
Freelancing: 1. To perform a task on your own away from a company. 2. An independent worker. 3. To urinate without using your hands. (Urban Dictionary)
You know, there's something deeply philosophical about definition 3.
You know, there's something deeply philosophical about definition 3.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
On proofreading
There's nothing glamorous about proofreading. It's tedious, time-consuming, underpaid and absolutely essential. Nobody cares about proofreaders and yet they are indispensable.
It's rather sad that the world holds so little respect for those brave men and women, who obediently and diligently disentangle the knots and puzzles left to them by translators. And the knots and puzzles are always there becasue translators are essentially divided into two groups: those who are behind schedule and those who don't realize it yet.
And proofreading can be frustrating at times. Well, an experienced proofreader is probably immune to that but every time I get to proofread something of, shall we say, questionable quality, even my wife keeps her distance from me as I yell verbal abuse in the translator's general direction. All the more reason to respect those who do it on a daily basis.
So the next time you open a translated book, take a minute to think about the translator and then about the man or woman who actually made the translator's work readable.
It's rather sad that the world holds so little respect for those brave men and women, who obediently and diligently disentangle the knots and puzzles left to them by translators. And the knots and puzzles are always there becasue translators are essentially divided into two groups: those who are behind schedule and those who don't realize it yet.
And proofreading can be frustrating at times. Well, an experienced proofreader is probably immune to that but every time I get to proofread something of, shall we say, questionable quality, even my wife keeps her distance from me as I yell verbal abuse in the translator's general direction. All the more reason to respect those who do it on a daily basis.
So the next time you open a translated book, take a minute to think about the translator and then about the man or woman who actually made the translator's work readable.
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