Stray thoughts, tamed.
Sources of Joy - Days 40, 41 and 42 Do not jump to any conclusions. All dealings at the Evento regional da ProZ em Porto, Portugal and the Freelance Box event held this weekend in Porto were strictly professional, she said prudishly. The confessions part of the title owes its existence to a fleeting thought... Continue Reading →
Sources of Joy - Days 38 and 39 I am not sure that there should be a space between these two days. They form a contiguous blob in my mind. Each blob contained high anxiety levels tempered only by the calming effect of having a mountain of work from saving me from having to think... Continue Reading →
Sources of Joy - Day 35 There is a well-known hymn: Lead kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom; Lead Thou me on! The tune of the hymn linked here is not the one I know, but beautiful, anyhow. Just as beautiful is the very recently published collaborative effort of freelance translators giving voice to their own... Continue Reading →
Sources of Joy - Day 26 Day 26 – a Friday – started early and stretched itself to the ridiculously late, thus flying in the face of all that it methodical, disciplined, rational and desirable, even. It was a day to shift mountains, dig deep, travel far and yet stay fixed in one place. It was... Continue Reading →
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 →
Sources of Joy - Day 22 I really do love working. I got confirmation of an editing assignment set to begin in about three month's time. The client offered to make part-payment at the beginning of the job, which made me feel about ten times more special than I really am. Other aspects about this... Continue Reading →
Sources of Joy - Days 11 and 12 I love sleep. I especially love the rare occasion when I get 8.5 hours' sleep in a row. Last night's unusual headache had me retiring early. The real joy is experienced today: No headache, and a marked increase in concentration. This makes me a happy, efficient translator. So... Continue Reading →
A good day's work always makes me extremely happy, and that is what I had today. With one urgent assignment thrown into the mix, I did not even have time to go out and buy another pack of cigarettes, and that will make quite a few other people happy. I am grateful for that little vapour... Continue Reading →
Birdsong, long deadlines, a wedding, and devotion Birdsong at 06:00 reminded me that I am really a morning person, despite my love of burning the midnight oil. I got phoned from Switzerland today (Tuesday) with a request to do an effective 140-word translation by Thursday 10:00 a.m. For those of you who are not translators,... Continue Reading →
A regular client (agency) sent me 160 words for urgent translation this morning. I opened the document to discover that it was already in English. I sent a quick reply and let her know that even with the best will in the world, translating that short piece into decent German would be impossible for me.... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 