| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Have you ever experienced a period of "burn-out"? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Williamson 
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:11
Flemish to English
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| A job to remedy the burn-out, not 9-5 either | Jun 14, 2006 |
@Nesrin: The U.S.Army is in dire need of translators into Arabic. A 10000$ bonus is offered upon joining and the annual salary is 175.000$. However, the place of employment is Iraq. Perhaps a remedy for the burn-out .
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Burn-out: If you dedicate yourself only to translation, it tends to get monotonous. A combination of T&I is much better and combination of T&I&IT even more.
| | | | | Not freelance | Jun 14, 2006 |
I'm back in school right now and really ready to be finished. Really, the only thing I can do is keep going. I work when I can, when I wake up and feel motivated, and the days that I feel totally burned-out I try to get other things done.
Anna
| | | | Parrot
Spain
Local time: 03:11
Spanish to English
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Patricia Fierro, M. Sc. wrote: I was wondering how Ricki can manage to keep her clients if she takes a week off. Usually if I do not reply to an email message or reply that I will not be able to do a translation, I feel that I will lose a client or I actually lose a client 
In my experience they keep coming back.
| | | | | long projects do it for me | Jun 14, 2006 |
I have regular periods of burn-out which follow 1-2 month contracts for one of my regulars where I am sitting at my PC 9-8 7 days a week for a month or two.
I have found that taking more breaks and walking/jogging somewhere helps a lot but it's often hard to force myself to do so, especially in the winter when the weather here in Scotland is terrible.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 03:11
Spanish to English
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I've been close a few times, but last year, when I was combining a TEFL course 9am - 2pm Mon-Fri with a large volume of translation, found I had very little patience with stroppy post-adolescent students, after having to work till late (2am 3am) and weekends to keep up. It was only for 2 months but I was on the verge of cracking up.
Glad to say I'm more organised and relaxed now (but still working 24/7 sometimes). What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, or so they say...
| | | | | I know the feeling | Jun 14, 2006 |
I have also felt burnt out while working as a freelancer, during long translations, since even though I try to plan my working hours while my children are at school, I still have to do household chores, payment of bills, driving children to and from school (mornings and afternoons), etc.
It is difficult for me to cope with this feeling, because I always try to comply with delivery dates offered and also to keep my home running.
Marianela
| | | | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 06:41
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | No, to others who answered yes, try some relaxing yogic asanaas | Jun 15, 2006 |
I voted no. For me translation and writing are labours of love and I never find them stressful or tiring.
For others who have had a surfeit of it and have drained their batteries, I would suggest doing a few relaxing yogic asanaas. It will do wonders to your system. If you practice the right asanaas even for as little as 15 minutes a day, you will notice a difference.
I am still a novice with yoga, so I won't venture to offer any advice on which asanaas to take up, but ... See more I voted no. For me translation and writing are labours of love and I never find them stressful or tiring.
For others who have had a surfeit of it and have drained their batteries, I would suggest doing a few relaxing yogic asanaas. It will do wonders to your system. If you practice the right asanaas even for as little as 15 minutes a day, you will notice a difference.
I am still a novice with yoga, so I won't venture to offer any advice on which asanaas to take up, but if you consult your neighbourhood yoga expert, he/she will be able to put you on the right track. ▲ Collapse
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| Hello to those who want to know how to handle it | Jun 15, 2006 |
Let's start with a definition of what burnout is to me. I believe it is when you get severely exhausted from work, simply. It has happened to me in in-house jobs - and it's happened to me as a freelancer.
Usually, when you have a burn-out from an in-house job, someone is putting too much pressure on you, so you're most of the time not doing it to yourself. But when you have a burn-out as a freelancer, it's a different story. You do it to yourself, nobody else. I know this from exper... See more Let's start with a definition of what burnout is to me. I believe it is when you get severely exhausted from work, simply. It has happened to me in in-house jobs - and it's happened to me as a freelancer.
Usually, when you have a burn-out from an in-house job, someone is putting too much pressure on you, so you're most of the time not doing it to yourself. But when you have a burn-out as a freelancer, it's a different story. You do it to yourself, nobody else. I know this from experience
It happened to me a couple of times, some time ago, that I wanted to "ride the wave" - this happens most often around Christmas-time, when everybody is on vacation and the clients are unable to get their projects done, which is also a great time of year to pick up some new clients. I wanted to do just that and as I was surfing the wave, it kept getting bigger and bigger until it swallowed me whole.
Now, the best way to deal with a burn-out that you do to yourself - in-house caused by others is a different story - is to simply remove the cause of it. As a freelancer, that would be contracts. You have to get a break. There seems to be no other way. Try having fun, try taking vitamins, try exercises - they will make you feel better on the spot, but when you get back to work, you will be as stressed out as before. So, remove the cause - too much work.
But what if you are committed to a project and there are still 20,000 words left? Well, you push your limits, knowing that when you will be done in a couple of weeks, you will be in an even worse condition. It sounds silly, but we often think we have reached our limits when we have not - and if we push farther, we realize we can actually do much more. This is what I first do when facing a situation of burn-out. After the job is done, I really feel I deserve the time off - and don't feel guilty for not accepting another job from an important client. It does temporarily affect physical health, but it is also sometimes rewarding. And the client often notices how committed you are to their project, and will be understanding the day you tell them you are off for a week. I will not go into any more detail, but there are some "perks" to trying to be Superman/woman.
However, it is always better to avoid burn-out. Repetitive burn-outs are sometimes killers, especially if you have any kind of heart disease.
By the way, I am surprised that most of you seem to say they are not stressed out. I find that the major source of burn-out in freelancing is the fact that jobs are always urgent. Clients often don't seem to understand that it is nearly impossible to do a good job when you have to translate 12,000 words in 3 days - and that if you do care for the end result, it means losing sleep, which leads to burn-out. Then again, maybe my business is working too well and I get too many offers... Could this be the downside of success?
What percentage of your work is urgent?
[Edited at 2006-06-15 06:37] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Combination of factors that you can't control. | Jun 15, 2006 |
Thanks to everyone for your very helpful comments - I need them just now!
Probably by my age you haven't lived if you have never overdone things or been pushed into tight corners! Or else you're just not being honest!
Facing up to the fact is important. You can't solve a problem if you don't admit you have it. But if you face it, you can cut it down to size. Families are always demanding, even a wonderfully supportive family like mine. The time comes when you have to su... See more Thanks to everyone for your very helpful comments - I need them just now!
Probably by my age you haven't lived if you have never overdone things or been pushed into tight corners! Or else you're just not being honest!
Facing up to the fact is important. You can't solve a problem if you don't admit you have it. But if you face it, you can cut it down to size. Families are always demanding, even a wonderfully supportive family like mine. The time comes when you have to support them instead (psychologically, not financially) - and reversing roles can be incredibly stressful as well as time consuming.
Work has been my refuge this spring - shutting myself into my 'cage' and concentrating on something I can control a bit while time takes care of the rest. Accepting again, that there are things I can't change, so I have to live with them. It's false security - work piles up, and in your subconscious at least everything else piles up until you don't know where to begin tackling it. Don't let frustration break out in anger with those who need love and support even more than you do!
Time for a break! You have to relax, until you can see things in perspective again.
I told my regular clients about the worst crisis of family illness. One agency has a policy on that sort of thing, and they are wonderful. I've joined in sending flowers and greetings to others in their network, and it really helped when my turn came round.
The other clients just accepted that I was not available that week, which they are more or less used to. This is the key point, I think. You have to be honest enough to let your clients know you can't take on any more just now, or you can't deliver the quality they expect.
The good clients do come back! But they won't if you have a breakdown and can't deliver reliably when the crisis blows over. Send them a greeting and let them know you're back on the scene.
Take care of yourselves, folks. The world needs lots of good translators, and will do as long as any of us are around!
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| | | | FionaDV (X)
Germany
Dutch to English
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| One way to handle stress | Jun 15, 2006 |
Balasubramaniam wrote:
For others who have had a surfeit of it and have drained their batteries, I would suggest doing a few relaxing yogic asanaas. It will do wonders to your system. If you practice the right asanaas even for as little as 15 minutes a day, you will notice a difference.
For those who would like to get started with yoga in the comfort of your home, check this out:
Free Yoga Video
http://yoga.org.nz/movieclips/highquality/main.htm
| | | | CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 03:11
French to English
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well, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by the term but if it means constant stress and tension - YES, that's how I live today.
Ironically I left the day job (twice in a row) because I was bored, over-busy and wanted some time to myself. I opted to be a Consultant.
Big mistake. I think I am earning more than before (I haven't checked so this is only a supposition - how can you with the time it takes some people to pay?) but I live in permanent stress. No point in taking time of... See more well, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by the term but if it means constant stress and tension - YES, that's how I live today.
Ironically I left the day job (twice in a row) because I was bored, over-busy and wanted some time to myself. I opted to be a Consultant.
Big mistake. I think I am earning more than before (I haven't checked so this is only a supposition - how can you with the time it takes some people to pay?) but I live in permanent stress. No point in taking time off because the pile of work waiting on my return will be so huge that I will have to work 24 hours a day. And a lot of what I do is for free (long story but it's called keeping'em sweet)... networking...
Boy would I go back to the day job.... ▲ Collapse
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Rebekka Groß (X)
Local time: 02:11
English to German
| come to the Translators' Stammtisch | Jun 15, 2006 |
Konstantin Kisin wrote:
I have regular periods of burn-out which follow 1-2 month contracts for one of my regulars where I am sitting at my PC 9-8 7 days a week for a month or two.
I have found that taking more breaks and walking/jogging somewhere helps a lot but it's often hard to force myself to do so, especially in the winter when the weather here in Scotland is terrible.
Hi Konstantin
We only meet once a month but why not come to the Edinburgh Translators' Stammtisch after working 11 hours a day. We have a laugh and a drink, talk about work and other things and every time I make my way home from yet another enjoyable evening I feel mentally refreshed and glad that I know people I can talk to who know exactly what it's like to be a freelance translator.
Our next Stammtisch is on Wednesday 28th June. For details see the upcoming powwows list.
Maybe see you there - and anyone else who happens to be in Edinburgh that evening!
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 06:41
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | Why burn out occurs, my analysis | Jun 15, 2006 |
Translation is a profession in which there is a clear physical limit of earning which cannot be exceeded. Here is my calculation of a near absolute upper limit:
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Hours per day: 8 hours
Days per day: 5 days
Words per day: 3000
Rate per word: $ 0.2
Maximum Earnings per week: $ 24,000
Maximum Earnings per year: $2,88,000
Say $ 3,00,000
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The above is t... See more Translation is a profession in which there is a clear physical limit of earning which cannot be exceeded. Here is my calculation of a near absolute upper limit:
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Hours per day: 8 hours
Days per day: 5 days
Words per day: 3000
Rate per word: $ 0.2
Maximum Earnings per week: $ 24,000
Maximum Earnings per year: $2,88,000
Say $ 3,00,000
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The above is the upper limit of earning that one can expect working solo in a not too stressed manner. If the above income satisfies you or meets your need, then you can pull along indefinitely without burn out.
But if you need to earn more, then you will have to exceed the limiting factors: numbers of hours worked per day, number of days worked per day, number of words churned out in a day, and rate per word.
The moment you begin to do this, you are inviting stress upon yourself.
The other option is to farm out work, but when you do this, a whole lot of stress creating factors set in. You become responsible for following up with others, ensure uniform quality, face deadlines, etc., and if you are basically just a translator, you will not have the temperament to do all this and you will find yourself under pressure.
Or, you might end up pursing a dual career, one that fetches you money and one that fulfils your urge to translate. Again a fit recipe to a high-stress life.
So what is the lesson from this?
If you have adopted the translation profession with a view to making it to riches quickly, you are in for a stressful life leading inevitably to burn-out and worse eventually, but if you do it because you like it and at your own pace and are satisfied with whatever monetary rewards it fetches, you are in an enviable position of a person who does what pleases him most.
Which one is it for you? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Sometimes it get's too much | Jun 15, 2006 |
It happened to me already when I had to translate 60.000 words in three weeks and a half. Well, I then had a two days break and then... I started feeling unhappy without work.
Kindest regards
Gabriella
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