Poll: When having "translator's block", I... Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "When having "translator's block", I...".
This poll was originally submitted by Mónica Sauza. View the poll results »
| | | | Angus Stewart 
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:03
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
| I continue working | Oct 29, 2011 |
When I encounter "translator's block" with a particular word or section of text, I just continue working. I find that working in a non-linear fashion is a productive method, since if I experience "translator's block" I can chose to work on another section of the text that I find easier. In addition, to giving me time to mull over the particular problem, I often find that I discover some clues in other parts of the text that help me to resolve the difficulty.
| | | | | Also keep working | Oct 29, 2011 |
I highlight the word, phrase, or passage and keep on working. Often the answer comes to me later, either from additional context or because my mind has been processing it in "background."
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:03
Spanish to English
+ ...
| All of the above | Oct 29, 2011 |
Except for "I don't have...". And like our colleagues, after a couple of minutes wrestling with a term I usually keep on working and come back to it later.
I've used kudoz to brainstorm apparently easy terms a few times this week and the feedback was a great help.
[Edited at 2011-10-29 08:45 GMT]
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David Wright
Austria
Local time: 09:03
German to English
+ ...
| Didn't realise there was such a thing | Oct 29, 2011 |
Or do you just mean when you fed up of sitting in front of the computer for hours on end?
| | | | Parrot
Spain
Local time: 09:03
Spanish to English
+ ...
| A change of activity | Oct 29, 2011 |
... any change. It helps.
Partly, you could just be sick and tired as David says. But the mind doesn't really give up.
| | | | Ivan P
Local time: 09:03
Croatian to English
+ ...
| Keep working... | Oct 29, 2011 |
I'm with people who keep working, it can usually become clearer to you from the rest of the text. I usually try not to lose to much time on a particular term in a translation, if I cannot figure it out in a coupe of minutes, I just leave it be, put it in red, and continue working to come back to it later.
| | | | Suzan Hamer
Netherlands
Local time: 09:03
English
+ ...
| I also keep working | Oct 29, 2011 |
and like Muriel, highlight the text or term that is blocking me and come back to it later. In fact, that is how I generally work. I go through a text, translating everything that comes to me easily. I highlight terms that do not come to me off the top of my head, so to speak, and go back to them, and when I've got them figured out to my satisfaction, I go once more over the entire text.
That does not mean to say though that once in a while a change of activity does ... See more and like Muriel, highlight the text or term that is blocking me and come back to it later. In fact, that is how I generally work. I go through a text, translating everything that comes to me easily. I highlight terms that do not come to me off the top of my head, so to speak, and go back to them, and when I've got them figured out to my satisfaction, I go once more over the entire text.
That does not mean to say though that once in a while a change of activity does not help. And then I Drench: http://www.flashbynight.com/drench/. ▲ Collapse
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 09:03
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| A 2-minutes' break and.. | Oct 29, 2011 |
In case of a translator's block, I close my eyes, take a deep breath and then... tell myself to use my grays, that is, a single word command: think!
Usually this works pretty well.
| | | | Simon Bruni
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:03
Member (2009)
Spanish to English
| Keep working... | Oct 29, 2011 |
.. and come back to the cause of the block later. Meanwhile some not-entirely-conscious part of the brain often resolves the problem for me.
| | | | | It depends on the type of "block" | Oct 29, 2011 |
I might take a deep breath and keep on working, or take a coffee, or use Kudoz, or phone a very resourceful ex-colleague of mine, or, time permitting, sleep it over...
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 08:03
| Deep breath, mutter, keep working. | Oct 29, 2011 |
I see I am not the only one who sends temporary obstacles to stew on the backburner, whilst getting on with the rest of the job.
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Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 09:03
English to French
+ ...
Teresa Borges wrote:
I might take a deep breath and keep on working, or take a coffee, or use Kudoz, or phone a very resourceful ex-colleague of mine, or, time permitting, sleep it over...
Indeed!
| | | | Caryl Swift
Poland
Local time: 09:03
Polish to English
+ ...
| Any and/or all of the above... | Oct 29, 2011 |
| | | | Henk Peelen
Netherlands
Local time: 09:03
Member (2002)
German to Dutch
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
but sometimes a break works well!
In other situations, exactly the opposite works better: intensifying your concentration.
For taking a break, one of my favourite activities is Postcrossing:
http://www.postcrossing.com/
I did join this site because of I did move and had too much home made town, language and culture related postcards of my former town, to take with me to my new home.... See more but sometimes a break works well!
In other situations, exactly the opposite works better: intensifying your concentration.
For taking a break, one of my favourite activities is Postcrossing:
http://www.postcrossing.com/
I did join this site because of I did move and had too much home made town, language and culture related postcards of my former town, to take with me to my new home.
For those of you interested: how does it work?
You simply sign up and are allowed to draw 5 random addresses from the Postcrossing database. Each address is accompanied with a code which you write on the card. The receiver has to enter this code on the site after which you get a message and you are allowed to drew another address from the database. After every 20 of your cards registered by the reciever your number of drawable addresses is raised by 1, so after 100 sent (and by the receiver registered) cards you can draw 10 adresses. Nex to that, you can take as many accounts as you have e mail addresses. and there's no obligation, besides that, once you have drawn an addresse, you should send a card. And of course ... you should register received cards. You are allowed to upload a scan or photo from the received cards and also form the sent cards (as long as the receiver didn't register it). However, you're not bound to do that and in case the sender already did so and you really find the card not OK for you account, you can delete it. You can set you own pace and choose to just partially use your allowed drawable addresses or even make your account inactive.
Like always with desktop hobbies, most members are a "she", so buches of letters dotted with kisses, stars and teddy bears and ... sometimes even he is a she: http://www.postcrossing.com/user/xianyinhyn
And you can do more as well: become a supporter (financial) of ambassador (write an aticle for promoting it) and organize meetings.
Just fun, but like most of such things, depending on your own efforts, it might give some insight in other languages and cultures, while its more diverse than real penpals. I don't think it'll bring you work, although there are a lot of linquists among the members
When you have a lot of postcards, envelopes and stamps in store, it's a nice break.
[Bijgewerkt op 2011-11-02 10:40 GMT]
[Bijgewerkt op 2011-11-02 10:42 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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