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Off topic: Urgent need of horrible stories on sleepless, non-ending translating nights...
Thread poster: mariana24
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
more work over shorter deadlines is easier anyways Nov 30, 2007

...after a certain amount of fatigue, you hit this stage of heightened consciousness where your productivity actually increases by a magnitude. Many translators that I know just haven't pushed themselves to that limit and don't realize it. For example, if you have something that ought to take you 32 hours of work or the majority of your week, you can get it done in maybe 14 hours straight, as long as you don't let yourself stop. I find that it's actually easier that way. Just don't forget to sle... See more
...after a certain amount of fatigue, you hit this stage of heightened consciousness where your productivity actually increases by a magnitude. Many translators that I know just haven't pushed themselves to that limit and don't realize it. For example, if you have something that ought to take you 32 hours of work or the majority of your week, you can get it done in maybe 14 hours straight, as long as you don't let yourself stop. I find that it's actually easier that way. Just don't forget to sleep and relax for the rest of the week.

By the way, that company I did those 75k words in 92 hours for recently hired me as to head their new Translations Department. So, sometimes, these things unexpectedly pay off, a lot more than you'd think!
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mariana24
mariana24  Identity Verified
Uruguay
Local time: 03:35
Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
You made me laugh.. Nov 30, 2007

Adieu, all absolutely enlightening, and I'm not kidding.

I agree about the crossed-leg position, and my chair already allows that, and I do it. Also agree on the shift-sleeping. I have come to learn with this profession that the day is not divided in a morning, a lunch-time, an afernoon, an evening and a night. A day is a 24-period of time that one must divide as our brain capabilities allow. One can take a nap at 22:00 hrs and continue translating until 5:00 a.m., yes. And it WORKS
... See more
Adieu, all absolutely enlightening, and I'm not kidding.

I agree about the crossed-leg position, and my chair already allows that, and I do it. Also agree on the shift-sleeping. I have come to learn with this profession that the day is not divided in a morning, a lunch-time, an afernoon, an evening and a night. A day is a 24-period of time that one must divide as our brain capabilities allow. One can take a nap at 22:00 hrs and continue translating until 5:00 a.m., yes. And it WORKS.

What I don't understand is the "natural" keyboard? Is it my poor vocabulary? Shall I post a Kudoz question about it? What on earth is a "natural" keyboard? (ah, yes, I do have a huge LCD monitor as well, it´s only the natural keyboard I'm missing...I think -probably I own one and am not aware).

Thank you, Adieu, you really made me laugh. The only thing I find myself able to add after that monster work I took, is that one can do it for a limited period of time. You can translate 5,000, 10,000 words a day, yes, but not every day of your life. Otherwise, believe me, what you´ll get is a starved dog and a divorce...The need for money sometimes makes us forget that there's also a life to be lived and enjoyed.

Cheers,

Mariana
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Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
On Natural keyboards and floating sleep schedules Nov 30, 2007

Natural keyboard is a trademark of Microsoft's, although all other manufacturers make similar items. It is an ergonomic keyboard, with the same QWERTY layout (and therefore standard layouts in all other languages), but with a more natural curve to it . Keys slightly vary in size and slope up a little in the middle. Also, the spacebar is curved and elongated and the middle... bugger it, it's hard to explain

Just wiki or
... See more
Natural keyboard is a trademark of Microsoft's, although all other manufacturers make similar items. It is an ergonomic keyboard, with the same QWERTY layout (and therefore standard layouts in all other languages), but with a more natural curve to it . Keys slightly vary in size and slope up a little in the middle. Also, the spacebar is curved and elongated and the middle... bugger it, it's hard to explain

Just wiki or google it! It's a keyboard that is easier on your hands by not being utterly rectangular, yet without messing with the layout. It looks slightly strange but typists, writers, some programmers, and other people like us translators love them - you can kiss any wrist aches, back aches, shoulder pains, and finger cramps goodbye. Your local computer store should have a couple on hand, it really is quite a common device. Can't do without one!

...As to words, yes, I can definitely translate 5-10k per day, although I generally try to aim for 15 or even 20k. I've somehow adapted to sleeping whenever it feels necessary and doesn't interfere with life or business. Honestly, I didn't go into this line of work to do 9to5, 22 days a month, 11.5 months a year. I prefer working 10 days a month or so. There is a world of books to read, people to meet, places to go, things to do... People in the 21st century prefer a slow week of work and a hectic weekend, into which they manage to cram their lives. I'd rather have a crazy 2-day workweek I'm too damn lazy to get up for work five times a week... It is easier to stay up twice. And - same income, more life!

Plus, if it just happens that you're the one insane bloke ready to cleanly and meaningfully produce 25k words by Monday morning, as delivered on a Friday evening - well, some clients remember that. It's my way of moving up in the world. Well, that, and not shunning simple cheap texts at 3 cents if they come my way, instead churning them out at a steady 1.5 to 2k words per hour. I'd rather take a lowly focus group over a legal document, any day - it ends up paying more for time spent, with less brain fatigue at that.

Now, if someone would just give me at least a corny romance novel or two per month to translate, I'd be a happy man... I'm growing to really really hate short business-themed projects. Pity that the things translated from Russian into English these days that actually pay decently are anything but literature... And there seems to be no end of CIS-based agencies that hire penniless students for under 1 cent per word and sell translations at 10 bucks a page. Thank the gods they cannot even spell properly!
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