Working with pets December 6, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Fun stuff.10 comments
Working from home as a translator presents all kinds of challenges: Do you call or email your client? Do you get up and shower or work all day in your pajamas? Do you feel guilty when you go to the grocery store at 10:00 a.m. the day before a holiday to beat the crush of pre-holiday meal preparation? But, for me, the greatest challenge is working around animals.
Being home all day, every day is very conducive to pet ownership. Most office drones don’t have that luxury and envy us. We don’t have to make sure someone is home in eight hours to let the dog out, and we can take the pets to the vet in the middle of the day if needed.
Having a pet can be very rewarding. I find it especially helpful, because it forces me to get away from my computer to take a walk or clean up after her. My white, fluffy dog is especially good at going out into the backyard and rolling in something dark and stinky, so that also forces me to bathe at least once a day, if not more.
Another bonus is that I actually meet my neighbors while walking the dog. I lived in my old apartment for three years before I got my dog and didn’t know any of my neighbors because I was holed up in the house all day and night. That changed as soon as I got Lily. We suddenly knew everyone and would have doggie play dates and walks with the Golden Retriever across the street.
I found having one pet wasn’t enough, so when my dog found a starving kitten in the backyard last summer we took her in to join our pack. Now Bailey helps me translate by walking or laying across my keyboard and adding brand-new words or deleting whole paragraphs because she is hungry or bored. I do occasionally throw her out of the office when I am doing something that requires focus, like balancing my accounts or credit card statements, and she stands at the door plaintively wailing her dissatisfaction while the dog scratches at it. This ensures that I finish as quickly as possible to restore some peace. As soon as I finish and open the door, the cat and dog both come bounding in to rejoin me, and all is forgiven.
You need to have a sense of humor if you have pets as coworkers – and a watchful eye. My cat especially loves checking out whatever beverage I am enjoying by pulling the glass down for an eye-level view. I have to anticipate her moves to ensure I don’t suddenly have a waterlogged keyboard.
I’ve come to rely on my pets to keep me company and to offer the occasional (much-appreciated) distraction. There is nothing more relaxing in the middle of a particularly stressful day than having to take a break to rub my cat’s tummy or throw my dog’s sheep down the hallway for a game of Fetch. Now if you’ll excuse me, the dog park is calling…
Update: This post was my contribution to Alejandro Moreno-Ramos’ book. Mox’s Illustrated Guide to Freelance Translation is now available for purchase for just €19.95. I can’t wait to receive my copy! Now if you’ll excuse me, my coffee is calling…
Non-payer warning: Ecole USA November 30, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Scam alert.7 comments
A word of warning against a notorious non-payer (there are quite a few – this one is my personal cross to bear…)
The company operates under the names EGS / Ecole USA / ecoleusa.com / Ecole Global Solutions. I like to call them Dear Client:. They don’t pay their bills. My unpaid invoice for $59.08 is 7 months overdue. Payment was due on April 11, 2011. They have given me nothing but excuses every time I contact them. You can read their excuses for why they can’t afford to pay a $59.08 invoice here, here and here. Their comment about there being a “global crisis around the world” had me rolling on the floor laughing. That’s good stuff! They are banned from posting jobs on Proz.com, but that doesn’t mean they won’t contact you directly. My hope is that translators will google them after being contacted and see this blog post as one of their hits.
I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of this one unpaid invoice – my very first non-payment – four blog posts (not including this one). 🙂 Luckily I never let the amount get too large. When they contacted me in July with another small job I said no because they hadn’t paid my first invoice. It is more of an irritation than it is a hardship, because I was so proud that I had never been stiffed on a job in 16 years. I’ll probably just write the invoice off as a loss when I do my taxes next April (when it will be a year overdue). But who knows what will happen – maybe they will google themselves and see this post and pay me 🙂 And maybe tomorrow pigs will fly…
Update: this blog post is the fourth hit when you google “Ecole USA”. I’ve succeeded!
Agencies and their online “time saving” sites November 27, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.20 comments
It is 5 PM on a Sunday. I have a 500 word press release that is due tomorrow morning. I unfortunately won’t be delivering it, because I have been locked out of my agency’s website. I input an incorrect password three times and am now locked out for 24 hours. And since it is Sunday, it is a small client, and the client is in Germany, they don’t have tech support working today. I admit that I hold most of the blame in this, because I waited until Sunday night to translate the document. However, why do agencies believe that we will remember all the login information for their sites? I have about 30 clients. Those clients who have their own websites all have assigned me a unique user name and password. It’s enough to drive anyone truly batty. I have learned my lesson and have now started a master list on my hard drive of all the sites and the respective user names and passwords, but I really shouldn’t have to do this, should I? Oh, did I mention that the site only works with Internet Explorer, which is a browser I never use and therefore don’t have a password management tool like LastPass installed on it? It would have been much easier for this client to just attach the file to the e-mail last week… Maybe if I’m lucky they will be able to send me the file at 2 a.m. when they get into the office. After all, sleep is overrated and I guess I don’t need a good night’s sleep to function at the law firm tomorrow…
Update: the client sent me the files last night and I woke up at 6:30 to translate it. The file is now delivered, and I won’t be billing for it. I hate when I screw up like this, but luckily it doesn’t happen that often…
P.S.: I already use LastPass, but it is an add-on in Firefox. I will be looking into a standalone version.
Ten things for which I am thankful November 14, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.add a comment
1. I’m thankful for a roof over my head under which I can work when and how I want.
2. I’m thankful for money in the bank, because it affords me the ability to say no to outrageous job offers.
3. I’m thankful for the Internet. If it weren’t for the Internet I wouldn’t be able to work from home with clients all over the world (and so affordably).
4. I’m thankful for my smartphone, because it allows me to run errands and not miss important e-mails.
5. I’m thankful that I’ve gotten to travel so much. I think that visiting other countries has broadened my horizons and made me a much more interesting and understanding person.
6. I’m thankful for my health – although I need to really start exercising more so I don’t lose it…
7. I’m thankful for my pets who give me unconditional love and offer stress relief (Just the simple and relaxing act of petting your cat or dog can reduce stress, hypertension and lower your blood pressure).
8. I’m thankful for my family and friends, because they help keep my life balanced.
9. I’m thankful for the beauty of nature in all its wonderful seasons. I choose to live in a state that has seasons. I don’t think I could handle living somewhere like Arizona, Florida or Texas where it is constantly the same boring weather. I love all four seasons, but fall is perhaps my favorite. Walking through leaves that crunch underfoot (and jumping in leaf piles when I was younger), the smell of leaves and bonfires burning, apple cider, the beauty of the changing leaves. I love every minute of it. I love spring when the leaves start to bud and then spring forth. I love summer and lazy days spent reading on my front porch. I love winter and the beauty of a fresh snowfall – and twinkle lights illuminating the night at Christmas.
And last but not least…
10. I’m thankful for chocolate.
Theft at conferences November 10, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in ATA, Business practices, Random musings.3 comments
This post deals with several recent experiences I learned about that occurred at the latest ATA conference, but it can apply to conferences in general. When people are at a conference they tend to act as if they are in a bubble and nothing bad can happen. This is not the case. One should behave at a conference in the same way as one would in a foreign country or even at home – with some caution.
One member of the Business Practices listserv was furious when her computer bag was stolen out of the room where the listserv was holding a happy hour. She had placed it on the floor next to the bartender station. After reporting the theft to hotel security, they found it 15 minutes later “on the 3rd floor, in an empty closed room, with all the zippers opened, conference materials left alone but [the] laptop was gone.” She was then upset with the way the hotel handled the situation because they would not give her the incident report because it was “confidential Marriott property,” claimed they did not have security cameras (although they initially told her they would check the cameras) and did not report the incident to the police. She felt the Marriott was covering the incident up and asked people to contact her if they saw any suspicious activity.
OK, first of all, shame on her for leaving her bag unattended. I always remind the first-time conference attendees to be aware of their valuables and to look back when they leave their seat, room, etc. to make sure they have not left anything behind. I never let my laptop or purse out of my sight – or in fact out of my hands or off my shoulder. I would never in a million years leave it unattended next to a bartender station or anywhere else. The fact is that hotels in general are public locations, and anyone can come in off the street and blend into the crowd. Hotels warn theirs guests to protect valuables from hotel thieves by using the room safe and hiding expensive clothes under casual clothes. Why wouldn’t one think that an open room in a hotel bar would be fair game to thieves? Secondly, the hotel has a right to be skeptical of claims of theft, no matter how indignant the guest is. According to an online article entitled Protecting Valuables From Hotel Thieves, “[i]tems reported stolen from hotel rooms frequently turn up in the guest’s possession. And there is the not-uncommon possibility that the guest’s claim may be fraudulent.” I’m sure this was not the case here, but it helps to put yourself in the hotel’s shoes.
And may I remind my fellow conference attendees once again not to wear their conference name badges outside the hotel?!?! I can’t tell you how many people I saw walking outside or in the adjacent shopping malls wearing their conference name badges. Luckily the neighborhood was safe (unlike the neighborhood in Atlanta in 2002). If you are wearing your conference badge outside the hotel you might as well be carrying a sign saying “Hey, I’m a tourist. Please feel free to rob me.”
Finally, I was very upset to hear that one of our members had all her resumes, business cards and the plastic stand deliberately stolen/removed from the German table in the Job Marketplace. She went to get a copy of her resume for a potential client on Friday late afternoon or early evening, and it was nowhere to be found. How could someone do such a thing to a colleague? No matter how you feel about a person, you don’t do something like this and mess with their ability to work. I find this behavior childish and unprofessional. Whoever did this, shame on you!
I would like to conclude by saying that the ATA staff does a great job organizing these conferences for us, but one should never expect them to police the attendees’ behavior. It is up to us to act professional and be mindful of our surroundings.
LSPs are not just agencies! November 9, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings.10 comments
I don’t know when translation companies and translation agencies started referring to themselves as LSPs. I started noticing this in the last couple of years. For those of you who don’t know what LSP stands for, it stands for Language Service Provider. Technically, agencies are language service providers because they provide language services, but so are the “lowly freelancers”. We are all language service providers! I really wish they would realize this and that everyone would stop exclusively referring to agencies as “LSPs”. OK, enough ranting from me. Time to get back to work…
ATA Conference Overview October 31, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in ATA, Random musings.12 comments
The attendees came from all over
I am back home after a very successful ATA conference – a little worn out but full of ideas. It was a little dicey for a while, since Boston was hit with a Nor’easter on Saturday night, and many flights were delayed and/or cancelled. Luckily my flight was Sunday evening, so apart from the plane being full my return home was uneventful. Some of my colleagues were not as lucky.
The American Translators Association met this year in Boston for its 52nd annual conference. This year they unveiled a new tagline – The Voice of Interpreters and Translators. Interpreters have been complaining for years that they didn’t have a voice in the ATA, which I don’t think was necessarily true but what do I know since I’m not an interpreter. I hope the addition of this tagline changes that, and this is the last we hear of it.
I found it to be a very fulfilling 
conference. Everyone was very pleased with the GLD’s Distinguished Speakers. Craig Morris (a regular reader of this blog and a blogger in his own right (Always Greener – Notes from the other side)) held two sessions on renewable energy, and Jan-Philipp Sendker offered sessions on editing and a bilingual reading and discussion of his work. The photo to the right is of Craig during his entertaining and interesting preconference seminar. I thought the best session was Corinne McKay, Judy Jenner and Chris Durban’s Smart Business Panel. They had a lot of good advice, and the ballroom was packed with attendees to hear that advice (no small feat for the last session on the last day of the conference, which is traditionally less attended since most people have already started heading home). The best advice I heard and one that I hope everyone can take to heart is to stop complaining about low rates/bad clients, etc. and just focus on improving your own bottom line by ignoring the bad and focusing on the good.
Corinne, Judy, Chris (with Jost Zetzsche keeping things lively as the moderator)
I spent more time than I usually do in the Exhibit Hall and really enjoyed myself – getting a free chair massage every day, visiting clients, checking out the various tools and reconnecting with the FBI. I may or may not decide to work with them again, but my old boss has done a good job of convincing me to think about it.
I attended several Tools Tutorials this year too, and Eve Bodeux and I have made a pact to finally install Fluency (we both bought it last year and haven’t gotten around to using it). Every time I see it being used I am impressed. Let’s see how it fares in real life use…
The Fluency Tutorial
I also intend to help the Language Technology Division reach out to its less technically-savvy members by writing some blog posts about how to effectively use some tools and republishing them in the LTD newsletter or website (or even the ATA Chronicle). There are a lot of people who aren’t as technically curious as I am, so I hope to help them even if just a little bit. My first planned post is how to format effectively in Word.
And of course I enjoyed many lovely meals and get-togethers with my friends and colleagues. The Welcome Reception did not have enough seating options, so several of us sat on the floor in a corner of the ballroom to enjoy the lovely turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing that was served. I also wasn’t too pleased with the Division Reception format (but again, this was because the hotel lacked the facilities). It also seemed too rushed this year. An hour simply isn’t enough time, and the tables did not offer an intimate setting among colleagues. I preferred last year’s format of separate rooms much more. It was easier to talk and hear each other. Also, unfortunately for many of us, the Business Practices Happy Hour was held at the same time as the German Language Division Reception, so I had to choose one. Hey, it happens 🙂 . The GLD was invited to the Goethe Institute, and it was nice to enjoy a glass or two of (free) wine with colleagues. Over the course of the week I was able to enjoy many nice meals – including two lobster dinners and one lobster roll, and for that I am truly thankful.
Full-Time Language Specialist job at Netflix (FR, TK, RU, DE, DA) October 24, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Translation.6 comments
Wow, I wish I were a native speaker of German. This job sounds awesome!
DESCRIPTION
Join the team responsible for localization at Netflix. We are looking for experienced linguists with the ability to translate and customize marketing, UI and content materials for the target market.
We are looking for highly motivated individuals with the right mix of technical, organizational and communication skills to provide localization for the Netflix experience in the following languages:
French, Turkish, Russian, German, Danish
Native fluency, localization experience and creative writing in one or more of the above languages is essential. Knowledge or prior experience in the film/entertainment industry is definitely a plus.
Specific responsibilities will include:
-Ownership of linguistic quality
-Creating and maintaining glossaries and style guides
-Working with CAT tools, approving translations and maintaining memories
-Working with external vendors
-Representing linguistic and cultural nuances in cross-functional meetings
-Hands-on translation and editing tasks
-Planning and executing linguistic QA tasks on multiple devices and platforms
-Originating, monitoring and resolving linguistic bugs as necessary
Required Experience/Skills:
-Degree in Applied Linguistics, Translation and/or equivalent experience
-Native fluency in one of the languages mentioned above
-Knowledge of the movie/entertainment industry in the specific locale
-Mac and PC proficient
-Experience with translation & terminology tools
-Basic knowledge of Content Management Systems and web localization tools
To apply, email your resume to linguists@netflix.com.
Update on Dear Client: October 24, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Business practices, Random musings.7 comments
Long time no hear! I can’t believe it’s been a month since my last post. I have been so overwhelmed with work that I haven’t done anything but work. I haven’t even gone out very much since I’ve gotten back.
I hadn’t even left Germany yet and had a large project lined up for when I returned – 78 pages of legal documents. Then I was in the airport in Newark on my layover and had two additional job requests from my favorite client – one I accepted and one I turned down. And the next day I had one of my other clients start bombarding me with medical reports. I’ve translated 26,982 words in the last two weeks and have about 1600 to go before leaving for the ATA conference tomorrow. I haven’t even had my resumes printed out or gone over my first-time attendees presentation with Ted Wozniak yet. So you’ll hopefully understand why I haven’t written a blog post or decided not to organize a blogger’s lunch this time around.
One thing I have managed to do is keep track of my finances. The invoice to my Dear Client: is now 6 months overdue. It really is ridiculous that this company can’t manage to squeeze out a measly $60 in 6 months… Anyway, here is the response to the scathing e-mail I wrote the accounting department promising to mention them and the non-payment to everyone I spoke with at the ATA Conference. I thought you all might get a kick out of the response. There may be a global crisis around the world, but none of my other clients seem to be feeling the effects. And they are paying much larger invoices!
Dear Jill,
Please, accept our apologies for the delay.
As you know, there is a global crisis around the world, and we are not out of it.
Besides that, this company has been restructured, and I´m the new person in charge of the accounting department.I´m taking care of your issue, and I´m trying to get a payment authorization for Friday November 4th. Payments are going out on Fridays, and there are scheduled from one week to another. So, I´ll do my best to include yours by next payment series.
Our major customers are also delaying payments.
Nevertheless, we are working hard in order to distribute our resources among all our collaborators with maximum priority.
We understand this situation is difficult for you as well, but we are sharing what we have.
I hope you can understand the situation and we´ll try to resolve this soon and amicably.
Regards,
[Name edited upon request since she no longer works there]
Accounting Department
ECOLE BA S.R.L.
Adventures with MemoQ September 22, 2011
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Tech tips, Tools.17 comments
Greetings from Germany. I’m staying with friends north of Bonn in Bornheim at the moment. They are translators as well and have a network, which meant that this morning when I started translating a medical report for a client here in Bonn (who just happened to come out of the woodwork the day I arrived) my friend yelled down that she wasn’t able to use her Trados because I was using my Trados 2007. Their network was not happy that I was using Trados, even though they have a two-license set-up. I guess three licenses were too much for it.
No better time like the present to try to learn how to use my new MemoQ program. I was happy I had already installed it on my laptop, but I had never worked with it. I have to say it took me about a half an hour to figure everything out (without reading a manual). I learned how to confirm the fields pretty easily. I also managed to import my TM (which I had stored on Dropbox as a tmx) and work with my medical TM, allowing me to translate 1700 words today. I just exported the file to send to someone to proofread it. I have to say that the final product really looks good.
The client had sent me a terrible OCRed Word file, so I asked for a PDF of the hard copy and ran it through my OCR program and formatted it by hand (two of the five pages were fairly filled with complicated tables). MemoQ had absolutely no problems with my formatting and special characters. I think MemoQ has a new fan…
Musings from an overworked translator 