... we are standing on the cusp of a fresh new mentality which we have to embrace - whatever our age - in order to maximise the benefit we derive from the diverse activities which fall under the aegis of freelance translation.
No problem – new radiator required
Sources of Joy - Day 43 The first source of joy came from the utter calm of composing a quotation to a potential new client this morning. Integrating newly absorbed ideas from the recent conference into daily practice made me feel as if a plan were coming together. I was also happy that I gave this... Continue Reading →
Desk-bound, yet free
Sources of Joy - Day 23 Now that I have had the benefit of some quality sleep, I can highlight what brought me joy yesterday, when my workload meant movements were restricted to within spitting distance of my desk. There is a certain joy which those in occupations which demand imagination, creativity and problem-solving are... Continue Reading →
New typewriter required
There are not too many translators who readily accept scanned copies of documents for translation. Even translators who were touch typists before the introduction of function keys on computer keyboards (such as I) become lazy. We love our computers. We love our CAT tools which obviate the necessity for (a) typing and (b) formatting. These... Continue Reading →
I have bitstripped
Bitstrip is a new Facebook app which is quite fun to use - provided your good friends also create their own Bitstrip avatar. It proved so popular within the first few days that the program crashed. The app writers were a little ambitious, and have now removed a few of the flexibility features which made... Continue Reading →
SDL Trados Studio: Emma hits the mark, once again
Shortcuts in SDL Trados Studio: the basics. Apart from her characteristic clarity and precision, one of the things I like about Emma Goldsmith is that she shares her knowledge so liberally. Of course, this knowledge is available in the SDL Trados help files and videos on Youtube, but if you are allergic to those two... Continue Reading →
Strategic Siestas
Eventually - about half way down the page, you will be able to read about my freelance translation summer survival plan. But first, the historical preamble: I am relatively new to the whole experience of the European summer. As a recent immigrant to Portugal from Zimbabwe, this is only my fifth one. Southern African seasons... Continue Reading →
Proliferation
How I feel when I put stuff on the Internet - 20px - Twenty Pixels. I used to have a small walled garden leading off a wide thatched verandah which my partner christened the "inner sanctum", and the name stuck. Each gardening decision was taken meditatively. This is not to say that it did not... Continue Reading →
The greatest gift
As a teenager I had a friend whose entire sex education talk received from her father (since her mother preferred to give the impression that she never engaged in such nonsense) encompassed one sentence: Sex is God's greatest gift to man (sic), and the most abused. It dawned on me shortly thereafter that all gifts... Continue Reading →
Buckets of colour
I have never categorically admitted to having a bucket list. One item on that bucket list is quite complicated really. It involves mural art. I am not an artist in the professional sense of the word, although some would say a rather rigorous critic! Apart from the fact that right now I need to use... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 