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| User | Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff Poll: How often do you leave the house? |
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Astrid Elke Johnson 
Germany
Local time: 00:43
  Member (2002)
German to English
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| | Going out to escape e-mails from clients... | Jul 17, 2007 |
Konstantin Kisin wrote:
I have also just bought myself a Nokia E61 with unlimited internet and mail so I don't have to worry about missing e-mails from clients when I'm out. |
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Just another perspective on the matter is what I tend to do, namely go out in order to escape e-mails from clients.
If an e-mail from a client says (as it frequently does), "We want you to start on this translation right now", then "right now" is postponed until I get back.
Of course, I only do the real escape, right into the city, 35 km away, from time to time. I aim to go out to the shops locally every day, but that is often too ambitious, since I frequently have to do long translations under extreme time pressure, and eating, sleeping and going out sometimes all have to be cancelled for three days at a time.
Astrid
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Héloïse King
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:43
Member (2007)
French to English
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| | I sometimes forget there is a world outside the house... | Jul 17, 2007 |
I went out shopping on Saturday and realised I hadn't actually left the house since the previous Saturday... It's not good!
At least I live in a tall house and I have to walk two flights of stairs down and two flights of stairs back up again each time I need a cup of tea!
To be honest though, I don't mind too much at the moment: having only been in the business a few months, I'm just glad I've got the work - but I wouldn't want to carry on like this forever!
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Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 17:43
Member
English to Spanish
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Every day I go out to the gym or to jog.
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lorette
France
Local time: 00:43
 Partial member (2006)
German to French
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| | every day, at least 5 times a day! | Jul 17, 2007 |
Saifa wrote:
... I have a dog. |
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Amy Duncan
Brazil
Local time: 19:43
Member (2005)
Portuguese to English
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| | Not much lately... | Jul 17, 2007 |
I've been staying in a lot lately, but I take breaks and dance to salsa videos on YouTube so I won't be completely sendentary!
Amy
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Barbara Cochran
United States
Local time: 18:43
Spanish to English
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When I have something like a 57,000-word translation and a fairly tight deadline (like I did earlier this year), with smaller projects interspersed along the way, then I may not leave the house for two and a half days (and only then to buy groceries or pick up a prescription). But I normally try to get out of the house and go to a library to do my original writing. I wouldn't want to lug around my 20 multilingual dictionaries with me, so I stay home when I do translations.
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Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 00:43
Member (2002)
French to English
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Recently I tend to get irritated if I am away from the computer for more than an hour or so.
Anywhere else seems either a waste of time or money or simply an unnecessary risk.
I 've been cutting down on sleep too, since I prefer a zombie state in which I can only really concentrate on the screen and the translation in hand...
JUST KIDDING, but if wasn't for other family members I could easily end up this way.
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TrueBaller
United States
Local time: 18:43
Albanian to English
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Of course! Thanks to the work at the office...but even if I didn't have that job to get me out of my house every day, I would still find a way, a reason to do so.
Oh, God, I can't imagine myself locked inside my house for days. I feel that THAT would kill me little by little. I would get older much faster and be dead sooner. I know I definitely need the contact with the real world, with the people, with my colleagues at work and friends afterwards. It all keeps me alive. I can't imagine myself and my life otherwise.
But I do understand that there are many people who like staying home and working from home. I just can't be one of them.
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Sam Berner
Australia
Local time: 08:43
Member (2003)
English to Arabic
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| | Every second day | Jul 18, 2007 |
It used to be "every day", then I moved out into the country, so now I don't have to leave the property to leave the house.
Before moving to the country I was a "coffee girl" because, surprisingly, I don't actually work vry well in my own home office and much better in cafes and uni libraries.
Now that the coffee at home tastes better than that in the local pub, I am a bit more stuck and the "home-leaving" is limited to driving to post office, groceries and appointments with the dentist. So I would beslowly turning into what Orla described if it wasn't for: 2 dogs, laptop and WIFI - the three life-saving features of a translator. I can sit out in the paddock under the gum trees and watch the hills and the grass grow, or meditate on my neighbour's cows Very intellectual.
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Marie-Hélène Hayles
Italy
Local time: 00:43
Member (2004)
Italian to English
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| | Other - almost every day | Jul 18, 2007 |
There's probably one or at most two days a week that I don't leave the house, unless you count running up and down the stairs to let the cats in and out.
I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, I go shopping a couple of times a week, and sometimes I even have a life and go out with other people
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Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:43
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
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I have a dog, I go to the gym some lunchtimes (and watch tele to take my mind off the boredom) and when my little girl starts school in September, we'll be walking the journey twice a day come rain or come shine.
Sometimes there are just too many reasons to leave the house and I wonder when I'm going to find time to do my work
And the garden is always a distraction...
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Carolin Haase
Germany
Local time: 00:43
Member (2006)
English to German
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| | Other- at least twice a day | Jul 18, 2007 |
I leave the house for the first time when I bring my daughter to kindergarten around 8 am and for the second time when I pick her up at 4 pm- then we usually stay outside and go to the playground.
Often I have to run errands, shop for groceries or do something else away from my computer - that would be the third time out.
I don't like working in a café although I have a laptop; I can't concentrate properly with all that noise and all the people around me.
[Edited at 2007-07-18 07:31]
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Lawyer-Linguist
Portugal
Local time: 23:43
Member (2004)
Dutch to English
| | Every day (or at least evening) | Jul 18, 2007 |
Because I work from home and cannot boil a egg anyhow, we eat out almost every evening (or BBQ outside in summer). Eating out is relatively cheap here in Portugal and we have a good variety of restaurants in the nearby town.
Since moving from an apartment to the hills, I also have quite a trek down to the closest road to check the post box, walk the dog, etc.
In summer I also make a point of taking Friday afternoons off and doing something with the girls - this Friday afternoon I have to endure Harry Potter, it seems - I was really hoping they'd have grown out of it by now - but that will be followed by supper at the nearby beach at least.
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ICL
Spain
Local time: 00:43
English to Spanish
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| | @ Chantal and my answer | Jul 18, 2007 |
Chantal Kamgne wrote:
Because I have an office. If I did not, it would be difficult for me to make people (including my 2 kids, husband, other family members and friends) understand that I am always busy, including on week-ends and holiday.
Chantal |
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Hi Chantal,
I think that when you become a "home-office" freelancer, some of the biggest challenges are to: a) get disciplined in terms of hours, dressing, etc., b) convincing your household companions (including pets...) that you are seriously working and earning your living when sitting in front of the PCs for so long.
But believe me, it is possible, so if you ever consider it, don't despair.
As to my answer to this poll, I chose "every other day". In my case, because we have rather huge tall windows which allow me to have a very nice view, I tend to "feel" that I am "outside", so I don't go out everyday.
Also, I have bought all these physical training "paraphernalia" that allow me to do a bit of exercise when I stop for a break.
But of course it's never the same as going out, so I do "force" myself to go out every other day, mainly to do grocery shopping (which, btw, is uphill, so it is "major" exercise), besides going out with family and/or friends on weekends.
Best,
Ivette
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Dina Abdo
Palestine
Local time: 00:43
Member (2005)
Arabic
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| | My last time out ... 43 days ago!!! | Jul 18, 2007 |
OH MY GOD!
I needed that poll to wake me up! I didn't step out of my house door since 43 days exactly!!!!!
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| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > |
The translation workplace 
