Musings from an overworked translator

The freelancing problem no one talks about October 2, 2008

If you subscribe to this blog on a feed reader you probably noticed that my TGIF post disappeared. That’s because I am suffering from the freelancing problem no one ever talks about – losing all track of time and having no idea what day of the week it is :-). For some reason, today felt like a Friday to me, and I posted the TGIF video I planned to post tomorrow. I realized my error a little later and deleted it, but it probably already went out to the feed readers. Sorry about that.

The Urban Muse, a great blog about writing if you aren’t familiar with it, suggested a couple weeks ago that bloggers “keep a few posts in your drafts folder.” This was one of those “aha” moments for me, and I have had a couple posts percolating as drafts ever since. Unfortunately it is also too easy to simply click on Publish before you’ve had your morning cup of coffee. I jumped the gun this morning, since I am having a slow week and lost all track of time.

This is a frequent problem, because many of us work on the weekends and either take days off during the week or never take a day off (but that really isn’t healthy). A calendar usually keeps me in line, but everyone makes mistakes.

Actually, this was a good thing in this case. I dread Fridays, because that is the day that every agency I have ever worked with – and some I haven’t ever heard of – call in the late morning/early afternoon/evening with a job that simply must be finished by Monday. Lucky for me, I now have another day before that happens. It feels like Christmas! 🙂

Confessions from an Internet junkie October 1, 2008

My name is Jill, and I’m an Internet addict.

I’ve been without Internet access since 7 PM last night (it’s shortly after noon as I write this). My ISP sent out a technician first thing this morning. He switched out my cable modem, the splitter both inside and outside my apartment, and the cable itself. After he left I was unable to access the Internet, but it took about an hour to work through all the other issues on the phone with Tech Support before I was finally able to get back online. It turns out the new cable modem caused my router to revolt, and this locked me in “quarantine.” The ISP page in the browser told me I needed to activate my service, but I’ve been a customer for five years now. Turns out my router needed to be rebooted for me to get online. But, hey, Skype still worked just fine the whole time, because Corinne tried to call me about our ATA presentation in the middle of all that.

Luckily I didn’t have any jobs due or anything to work on, because I had taken yesterday off to compensate for working over the weekend. I was fine about not having Internet last night (I caught up on some downloaded TV shows and read a book), but I was going through some serious withdrawal symptoms by this morning (or maybe it was just frustration at Tech Support’s complete ineptitude – it took until Level 3 to figure out the problem):

• Feeling of jumpiness or nervousness
• Anxiety
• Irritability or easily excited
• Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes
• Depression
• Difficulty with thinking clearly
• Clammy skin

Wow, this isn’t a good feeling. I think I need to wean myself off the Internet a bit. It isn’t healthy. According to the site linked about, “Due to the nature of Internet Addiction Disorder (failed impulse control without involving an intoxicant), of all other addictions, IAD is said to be closest to pathological gambling.” Luckily my addiction doesn’t cost me a lot of money and hasn’t disrupted my “academic, social, financial, and occupational life the same way other well-documented addictions like pathological gambling, eating disorders, and alcoholism can.” In fact, the opposite is true. I truly feel the Internet benefits me in a wide variety of ways, but weaning myself off it a bit certainly isn’t a bad idea…

They say admitting you have a problem is the first step, but at least I can take comfort in the fact that I’m not alone.

Dear Abby on reading September 29, 2008

I love reading – always have, always will. My family used to make fun of me, because my nose was always stuck in a book – especially on vacation. Reading expanded my vocabulary and put me in the Advanced English classes in high school. My love of books and reading – and research – have made me a better translator, so I was really happy to see today’s Dear Abby column. Most of the translators I know are also big readers, so I’m confident you will all enjoy this.

DEAR ABBY: I wrote your mother back in 1985, asking her to encourage my eighth-grade students to establish the wonderful habit of reading. My letter was published in The Portland Oregonian.

I still teach eighth-graders, but now I do it in California. It has been 23 years since your mother wrote my students about the importance of reading.

Today we have computers, text messaging and cell phones. It’s a different world now, but reading is still important. Would you write a couple of paragraphs about the joys of reading in your column? Your advice will be heeded by my students and many other students in the country who read your column. Kids relate to celebrities, and you are definitely famous. Thank you for your help. — RAY SMYTHE, PALM SPRINGS, CALIF.

DEAR RAY AND DEAR STUDENTS: I’m glad to oblige. For anyone who doesn’t already know, books are magic! Crack open a book and you will be instantly transported into the past, propelled into the future — or if you choose — escape into a world of fantasy. The options are endless.

But while history, science fiction, mysteries and romance provide a wealth of diversion, reading provides far more than just an escape. The greatest ideas of our most gifted thinkers lie between the covers of books waiting for you to discover them. And don’t be put off if the books are labeled “classics.” That word means only that they have been enjoyed by every single generation who has read them.

Reading is also a vital skill. Perusing a newspaper or doing research online, in addition to expanding your mind, can also be your transport to a successful future. And there is no more effective way to learn to write than by reading.

P.S. If this skill does not come easily for you, remember that libraries offer classes in literacy. There is no shame in needing extra help in learning to read, regardless of your age. The only shame is in not admitting it so you can get the help you need.

A beautiful fall morning in Amish country September 22, 2008

Today is the first day of autumn. I’m suffering from translator’s block at the moment, which is a post planned for another day, but I wanted to share my joy of a beautiful fall morning spent meeting a friend for breakfast in Geauga County’s Amish country. Without a doubt, the number one joy of being a freelance translator is the ability to schedule your time as you see fit. I met a friend from high school for breakfast this morning. We spent two hours chatting about our lives, our former classmates, and her kids and husband over our Amish breakfasts. It was fabulous, but not near as fabulous as the 30-minute drive through Amish country. That’s the beauty of where I live – thirty minutes from Amish country and twenty minutes from downtown Cleveland.

Autumn is without a doubt my favorite season. The crisp air, the breathtaking fall colors, the smell of bonfires, apple cider, high school football games… It was still quite foggy this morning as I set out for Middlefield, which was featured on Rachel Ray’s television show a couple weeks ago. Driving through the fog on the highway past LaDue Reservoir, which is breathtaking no matter what the weather is, was movie-backdrop gorgeous. The leaves are just starting to turn red and gold, and it was still a little chilly at 8:30 a.m. (it’s 70 degrees and sunny right now as I write this). The two-lane highway merged to one lane after crossing the reservoir, and I was soon driving past old farmhouses, front yard ponds, and orchards and road-side produce stands. As I got closer to Middlefield I kept my eyes peeled for horse-drawn buggies (someone crashed into one two days ago and killed a 7-year-old Amish boy and injured his three brothers in Ashtabula County). Driving past farmhouses with well-tended pastures and no electrical lines to mar the view always makes me smile and yearn for simpler times (but I would never want to give up my computer or running water!).

I got to Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen just in time, and we sat at a table by the window where we could watch the horse-drawn buggies go by. I will be full from the breakfast buffet almost all day. I crashed the grade behind ours’ 20th high school reunion last weekend and had a lot to share with her, but that isn’t an excuse. We always talk for at least two hours when we meet for breakfast there. I drove home with the windows down. On the way home I had to slow down to 20 mph to wait for a chance to pass the buggy in front of me. I also stopped at the road-side produce stand to buy some peaches and apples. It was a perfect fall morning in Amish country. Now if I could only motivate myself to start my big translation…