| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you think translators are made from a different mould than other professionals? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think translators are made from a different mould than other professionals?".
This poll was originally submitted by Natalia Pedrosa. View the poll results »
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Mould? We are all so different (age, sex, education, social background…). The only thing we have in common is translation and even so what we translate and how we translate is quite different. Some of us didn’t start our professional career as translators and I have been hearing here on Proz others say they are thinking about leaving this profession and start a new career path. If we were all moulded from the same matter, that would be rather difficult, wouldn’t it? On a personal note, I s... See more Mould? We are all so different (age, sex, education, social background…). The only thing we have in common is translation and even so what we translate and how we translate is quite different. Some of us didn’t start our professional career as translators and I have been hearing here on Proz others say they are thinking about leaving this profession and start a new career path. If we were all moulded from the same matter, that would be rather difficult, wouldn’t it? On a personal note, I started translating rather late in life and being a translator freelancer suits me now, but maybe 20/30 years ago I wouldn't have wanted it… ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Totally agree | Sep 17, 2023 |
It takes a very specific personality to be a translator. For example:
- Willing to accept all kinds of hours and all-nighters
- Accepting most formats
- Always ready to learn new things
- Patient with late-paying clients
- Tactful when their word choices are questioned
| | | | Dan Lucas 
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:53
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| The forum of our discontent | Sep 17, 2023 |
Compared to the people working in the industry in which I was previously involved there seems to be much more complaining, and a sense of people being discontented with their lot on the one hand but not doing much about it on the other hand.
Then again, I only interact with other translators online, and those that seek out such forums may be skewed towards freelancers who have problems they need to discuss. Maybe a more representative sample would leave a more positive impression.... See more Compared to the people working in the industry in which I was previously involved there seems to be much more complaining, and a sense of people being discontented with their lot on the one hand but not doing much about it on the other hand.
Then again, I only interact with other translators online, and those that seek out such forums may be skewed towards freelancers who have problems they need to discuss. Maybe a more representative sample would leave a more positive impression.
Also, the financial industry tends to attract fairly aggressive personalities with a high level of self-belief (whether justified or not) so I suppose translation is always going to seem a bit bookish and passive by comparison.
Dan ▲ Collapse
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Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
Define mo(u)ld.
Before translating, I worked part and then full time as a banquet cook in several industrial kitchens, serving hundreds to thousands of guests at large MICE and wedding events. The job had zero tolerance for mistakes and demanded consistent performance amid long working hours jammed with physically taxing duties. Try to cook Ch... See more Define mo(u)ld.
Before translating, I worked part and then full time as a banquet cook in several industrial kitchens, serving hundreds to thousands of guests at large MICE and wedding events. The job had zero tolerance for mistakes and demanded consistent performance amid long working hours jammed with physically taxing duties. Try to cook Chinese fried rice for 200 portions at once using a giant wok, you’ll get the picture. No matter how chaotic the situation got, none of us whined because: a) ain’t nobody got time for that, and b) the executive chef would slap you. :3
Frankly, I don’t understand the question.
[Edited at 2023-09-17 11:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Barely agree | Sep 17, 2023 |
It's just one of many Arts. And if you are really in, it's incurable )
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 23:53
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
| Part of the problem(s) | Sep 17, 2023 |
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
It takes a very specific personality to be a translator. For example:
- Willing to accept all kinds of hours and all-nighters
This is a big part of what I have been lamenting for years. For some reason far beyond my understanding, translators appear to be way too accepting of all kinds of abuse and other assorted BS clients throw at them.
No, I will absolutely not pull all-nighters, because, you know, I am a human being, too.
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:53
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Context-dependent, surely | Sep 17, 2023 |
Alex Lichanow wrote:
For some reason far beyond my understanding, translators appear to be way too accepting of all kinds of abuse and other assorted BS clients throw at them.
I agree with this...
No, I will absolutely not pull all-nighters, because, you know, I am a human being, too.
...but not necessarily with this.
If you're pulling an all-nighter because it's busy season, your long-standing clients are desperate for capacity to complete time-sensitive projects, and you're happy to go with the flow and make money hand over fist for a few weeks, that's one kind of choice.
If you're pulling an all-nighter because some sketchy client with a dubious Blue Board rating popped up at 6pm and demanded that you complete 5k words by 6am in the morning of the following day, for 0.02 cents a word, well, that's another choice entirely.
Far too many people doing the latter, it seems to me.
Dan
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Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 23:53
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
| Context-dependent indeed | Sep 17, 2023 |
Dan Lucas wrote: Alex Lichanow wrote:
For some reason far beyond my understanding, translators appear to be way too accepting of all kinds of abuse and other assorted BS clients throw at them. I agree with this... No, I will absolutely not pull all-nighters, because, you know, I am a human being, too. ...but not necessarily with this. If you're pulling an all-nighter because it's busy season, your long-standing clients are desperate for capacity to complete time-sensitive projects, and you're happy to go with the flow and make money hand over fist for a few weeks, that's one kind of choice. If you're pulling an all-nighter because some sketchy client with a dubious Blue Board rating popped up at 6pm and demanded that you complete 5k words by 6am in the morning of the following day, for 0.02 cents a word, well, that's another choice entirely. Far too many people doing the latter, it seems to me. Dan
I can't help but agree in this case, though in those rare instances, I will still try to spread out the extra workload over additional hours during the day. At the end of the day (literally in this case), there are no winners if an overworked translator drudges their way through an urgent job all night just to deliver a sub-par translation.
I also need to add that I am lucky enough to have clients mostly in time zones within +/-2 hours of my own, the only exception being an American client's project management team in Thailand, though as an early bird, I usually still manage to communicate with them beyond simply accepting jobs.
[Edited at 2023-09-17 15:59 GMT]
| | | | | Cast? Or cut? | Sep 17, 2023 |
I understand how someone or something can be cast or cut from a different mould, or even made from a different metal, than someone or something else. I wonder if being made from a mould sounds good I'm English (or am I just nitpicking?). Oh, and my answer to the mould question is a confident "no"
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 22:53
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Excuse my ignorance | Sep 17, 2023 |
be cast in the same mold
idiom
Add to word list
to be very similar in character to someone else
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/be-cast-in-the-same-mold
made from the same mold
Very similar in characteristics or behaviors (to someone or... See more be cast in the same mold
idiom
Add to word list
to be very similar in character to someone else
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/be-cast-in-the-same-mold
made from the same mold
Very similar in characteristics or behaviors (to someone or something else).
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/made%20from%20the%20same%20mold
If the above is what you meant to ask...
Yes, different professions, different professionals. Each profession requires people with specific skills and talents.
Professional translators deal with languages and cultures, among many other things, and have a commitment to deliver high-quality translations, so they can excel in this field.
While other professionals with different skills and abilities can excel in their respective professions.
Even among translators, we're all different: we come from diverse backgrounds, we work with different languages, tools and methods, and our skill sets and experiences are unique.
I'm sorry, but I am not sure if I understood this poll... ▲ Collapse
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At different times in my life I have worked as an electrician, delivery driver, tax official, teacher, editor, translator, computer programmer and medical writer. Also semi-professionally as a musician (i.e. for beer money). There have been periods when I was doing two or more of these jobs at the same time.
Which professional "mould" do you think I was made from?
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 23:53
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
A lot of translators probably tend to be introverts who don't bother working alone, something a lot of more extravert people would absolutely hate to do.
But I wouldn't call that a "different mould". And most certainly not if those words should mean that translators are somewhat "special" compared to other professions.
Working late hours isn't a characteristic of a translator, by the way. There are probably also still quite a few translators that work in-house. It's mor... See more A lot of translators probably tend to be introverts who don't bother working alone, something a lot of more extravert people would absolutely hate to do.
But I wouldn't call that a "different mould". And most certainly not if those words should mean that translators are somewhat "special" compared to other professions.
Working late hours isn't a characteristic of a translator, by the way. There are probably also still quite a few translators that work in-house. It's more a characteristic of people who are self-employed and therefore are more prepared to go the extra mile. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | On moulds, introverts and all-nighters | Sep 18, 2023 |
Over the years, I changed from an extrovert to become an introvert that’s why I said “being a translator freelancer suits me now, but maybe 20/30 years ago I wouldn't have wanted it”.
At the very beginning, I pulled numerous all-nighters having bitten off more than I could chew and the consequences were disastrous quality-wise and I believe I gained a few gray hairs in the process. I might work until 10 pm when a translation is flowing well and I like getting up very early in ... See more Over the years, I changed from an extrovert to become an introvert that’s why I said “being a translator freelancer suits me now, but maybe 20/30 years ago I wouldn't have wanted it”.
At the very beginning, I pulled numerous all-nighters having bitten off more than I could chew and the consequences were disastrous quality-wise and I believe I gained a few gray hairs in the process. I might work until 10 pm when a translation is flowing well and I like getting up very early in the morning to revise, but that’s all. No all-nighters at all!
On the other side, I did work nights at least once a month when I was working as staff translator at an EU Institution. All my colleagues, but another colleague and I, had their families in Brussels. So, we always volunteer to do the plenary meetings that often lasted until the early hours of next day… ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 23:53
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| The question | Sep 18, 2023 |
The question implies all translators are same, which is simply not true.
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