| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: How long do you work before taking a break? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How long do you work before taking a break?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Tim Drayton 
Cyprus
Local time: 21:45
Turkish to English
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I have been keeping a diary of my working hours this year, including the times that I stop for breaks (apart from short breaks to attend to calls of nature or put the kettle on). I see that, at times when I have been working at full capacity, the length of the stints that I put in ranges from two to seven hours, with four hours probably being about average.
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It is difficult to say. I guess it depends on how long I have been working, what time it is, or even the subject (extensive resarch involved). However, I don't think I take breaks before 40 or 50 minutes. Very short breaks, I mean.
[Edited at 2013-10-03 08:21 GMT]
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It depends on a lot of factors: my mood (Am I tired? Did I sleep well?), the subject (really interesting or dead boring?), the deadline (urgent or loose?), the telephone (is it one of those days when it rings all the time?), the weather (sunny or grey?)…
[Edited at 2013-10-03 09:25 GMT]
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Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 03:45
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| Depends tremendously | Oct 3, 2013 |
On factors like your
- biorhythm
- deadlines (i.e. is a gun being held against your head)
- lack of deadlines
- physical condition
- degree of focus and concentration
- amount of sleep you got the night before
- weather (i.e. is it 38C outside with 80 to 90% humidity), or
- you aren't just in the mood to work
etc., etc., etc.
My answer ">3" because I'm like a steamroller when the engine is revved up. Vrmm vrmm  ... See more On factors like your
- biorhythm
- deadlines (i.e. is a gun being held against your head)
- lack of deadlines
- physical condition
- degree of focus and concentration
- amount of sleep you got the night before
- weather (i.e. is it 38C outside with 80 to 90% humidity), or
- you aren't just in the mood to work
etc., etc., etc.
My answer ">3" because I'm like a steamroller when the engine is revved up. Vrmm vrmm 
BTW, what's a "break?" I wouldn't consider putting the washing out or doing the dishes a break, even though it can take your mind off things. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I lose track of time | Oct 3, 2013 |
When I'm concentrating on a translation I lose all sense of time passing. I'm always surprised when I notice what time it is and realize how long I've been working.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 20:45
Spanish to English
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It depends on how you define "break". I more or less regard any time spent away from my PC screen as a break. And, as with most things, it varies, as other colleagues have already mentioned.
| | | | Tatty
Local time: 20:45
Spanish to English
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| The meaning of break | Oct 3, 2013 |
I would define a break as going to the loo, making a cup of tea, hanging the washing out. Otherwise, I would only break for lunch for about an hour, and dinner.
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| If only the question was... | Oct 3, 2013 |
How long do you break before doing some work?
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It depends on different factors, I read many of them in some replies here.
Moreover, I think it depends on the format of the file to be translated. I usually need a break (or, better, my eyes need it) if there are many tables or codes or other elements that can strain my (poor) eyes.
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 19:45
Tatty wrote:
I would define a break as going to the loo, making a cup of tea, hanging the washing out. Otherwise, I would only break for lunch for about an hour, and dinner.
With Tatty, here.
A break would be any time not spent actually translating or doing translation-related work (answering e-mails, term research), and most definitely a break when it involves getting off my chair.
I have been known, like Muriel, to lose track of time, and sometimes find that I am hanging washing on the line about 4 hours after the machine cycle stopped.
[Edited at 2013-10-03 15:07 GMT]
| | | | Helen Hagon
Local time: 19:45
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
For me, a break means anything that involves being away from the computer and stretching my legs. I have regular short breaks of a couple of minutes or so to make a coffee or load the washing machine, and a longer break at lunchtime when I like to go out for some fresh air. However, if a deadline is looming, the longer break may suffer.
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 14:45
English to Spanish
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| I would care about how long I work before I take a break... | Oct 3, 2013 |
...if I had an obsessive compulsion to keep track of time, like someone's manager or an autistic person with feverish attention to detail (no offense to autists, though).
In this sea of inconsequential minutiae, do we really care about how many minutes we work before our next break? Do we keep track? We are animals of habit, for pete's sake. Is someone trying to get some “professional advice” or standard to shape his/her workday?
I don't care what you or others thin... See more ...if I had an obsessive compulsion to keep track of time, like someone's manager or an autistic person with feverish attention to detail (no offense to autists, though).
In this sea of inconsequential minutiae, do we really care about how many minutes we work before our next break? Do we keep track? We are animals of habit, for pete's sake. Is someone trying to get some “professional advice” or standard to shape his/her workday?
I don't care what you or others think, but I naturally analyze facts and questions for usefulness and relevance, and call it as I see it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 20:45
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| How about "Whenever I need one"? | Oct 3, 2013 |
First of all, I don't track my actual working time between breaks, unless I charge by the hour.
If the translation flows easily and the project is interesting or fun, then I usually keep on working until its completed.
If the field requires a lot of research and / or many varification emails with the client (which is more tiring), then the working period between breaks might be shorter. Again, there is no estimate of the work hours because I don't "keep" time.
... See more First of all, I don't track my actual working time between breaks, unless I charge by the hour.
If the translation flows easily and the project is interesting or fun, then I usually keep on working until its completed.
If the field requires a lot of research and / or many varification emails with the client (which is more tiring), then the working period between breaks might be shorter. Again, there is no estimate of the work hours because I don't "keep" time.
The working hours between breaks also depend on the delivery deadline. In case of a very tight one breaks will be limited to the absolute necessity. If the deadline can be easily met, then there might be more frequent breaks.
In short, I normally take a break when I need it, regardless of how many or how few hours I've been working. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Only 4 hours? | Oct 3, 2013 |
Allison Wright wrote:
I have been known, like Muriel, to lose track of time, and sometimes find that I am hanging washing on the line about 4 hours after the machine cycle stopped.
You wouldn't believe how many times I found out next morning that I had completely forgotten to hang up the washed clothes...
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