| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5] > | Being freelance and being isolated Thread poster: savaria (X)
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savaria (X)
Hungary
Local time: 12:36
English to Hungarian
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TOPIC STARTER | My situation | Sep 17, 2008 |
As for me,I spend 18 hours out of 24 alone,with my shar-pei dog,about whom I have told you quite much not too long ago,in another forum thread.
She is a very nice doggie{actually I called her Honeybear(Mézesmaci),because shortly after I had told you about him,she went into our pantry,and deliberately sucked all the honey that was stored in the pantry,in a large bottle},but she does not substitute direct staying in touch with human people.
[Módosítva: 2008-09-17 19:12]
| | | | Dinny 
Greece
Local time: 13:36
Italian to Danish
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| I sometimes miss a boss! | Sep 17, 2008 |
But only sometimes...
I used to be a hell of a good secretary, the better my boss was, the better a secretary I would be. And I enjoyed being able to cope with whatever necessity my boss had. Quickly and efficiently.
Being a freelancer I am my own boss and the only part I miss is actually the challenge in the everyday cooperation with a person who keps all the strings in his/her hand and where efficiency makes th... See more But only sometimes...
I used to be a hell of a good secretary, the better my boss was, the better a secretary I would be. And I enjoyed being able to cope with whatever necessity my boss had. Quickly and efficiently.
Being a freelancer I am my own boss and the only part I miss is actually the challenge in the everyday cooperation with a person who keps all the strings in his/her hand and where efficiency makes the difference.
Being my own boss I tend to be lazy at times, nobody's really there to expect something extraordinary of me. I therefore work as much as my bills expect me to do and, for the rest of the time, I choose to enjoy life.
As much as I enjoyed being the efficient better-half, I really enjoy more to be in charge of my own time and to be able to spend time enjoying not only my work but also whatever is outside my work.
I would never go back to be somebody's right hand! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Feel free to... | Sep 17, 2008 |
Hey folks! Any time you have a sense of solitude, please feel free to email! Use Proz email with my profile! We can discuss weather, sports, agriculture, and Norwegian leather industry. Cheers!
| | | | | Sports/Coffee/Phonecalls/Cinema/Blog or Interest Group/Pets | Sep 17, 2008 |
There are so many options to have a 'communicative break' during your working day...
A simple phonecall to an old friend, to a relative, to a former work colleague... Do you have free local/national calls with your ADSL package? Or maybe free calls to all landlines nationwide in your country? Or with Skype?
How about a little scape to the cinema... ?
A good movie will get you out of the house, and will take your mind off your translations and inner terminol... See more There are so many options to have a 'communicative break' during your working day...
A simple phonecall to an old friend, to a relative, to a former work colleague... Do you have free local/national calls with your ADSL package? Or maybe free calls to all landlines nationwide in your country? Or with Skype?
How about a little scape to the cinema... ?
A good movie will get you out of the house, and will take your mind off your translations and inner terminology doubts.
NO DVD watched home counts though!
You need to get fresh air, see people around, see some landscape and receive some natural light in your eyes.
Another good idea: doing cardiovascular sports will improve your health, raise your energy levels, increase your positive thinking... as well as your performance too....
How about jogging in a park/mountain/on the beach? Or getting a bicycle? Or swimming?
Meeting up with a local translator/interpreter, as pointed out earlier, is a very good option.
How about a 'powhow', or the l¡ke, locally? How organising a get-together very week/fortnight/month?
And, why not, joining a dinner group, maybe one for singles? practice your non-native languages! A foreign-language coffee/dinner?
Some of this pieces of advice may sound eccentric or freakish, but, hey, as long as they work.. and what the heck... as far we know, you only live once!
And the typical ones.. a good shopping trip... some chat-dating perhaps... or the stereotypical: a pet?
It is funny, how one tends to see the world in one way or the other, rather than the way one could see it!
Alfredo
[Edited at 2008-09-17 19:59] ▲ Collapse
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Gina Ferlisi
Local time: 12:36
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| i love doing this job! | Sep 17, 2008 |
I agree with trinh ... I love my job, even if i do it from home, staying up till late or working all night to reach a tight deadline ..but i also have many prozian on msn or skype my "faithful group of translators" and most important they have become very good friends over the years, even if only virtual, but we always cut out our virtual coffee break time during the day or night to have a chat or a laugh or a phone call!!! in that way work becomes less boring!! I wouldn't have found them if I... See more I agree with trinh ... I love my job, even if i do it from home, staying up till late or working all night to reach a tight deadline ..but i also have many prozian on msn or skype my "faithful group of translators" and most important they have become very good friends over the years, even if only virtual, but we always cut out our virtual coffee break time during the day or night to have a chat or a laugh or a phone call!!! in that way work becomes less boring!! I wouldn't have found them if I wasn't on proz!!
When I am tired I always take a break and go out, shopping , gym, cinema with friends etc...things that i couldn't do if I was still working in an office all day..my boss would have fired me if I went out for a couple of hours instead of working!!
I would never think of going back to office work..getting up at 5 am to catch the train ..staying out 10 hours and seeing my son only at bedtime...
It takes time to get started as a freelance..but at the end it's really worth it!! This is what I call Freedom!! It's wonderful being your own Boss!!
Gina! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I work better alone and concentrated | Sep 17, 2008 |
When I get the tip of the thread I'm glad when I can continue in tranquility my work. Then I may search for accompaniment.
Freelance has other negative connotations for me: I like my work and mostly it is some bit difficult for a freelancer to get jobs. I have no certification but I translate some 20 years and this seems not to count. Therefore I came to proz, I will construct my new WWA translating and really begin from the bottom up (I'm 70).
But feeling alone that is... See more When I get the tip of the thread I'm glad when I can continue in tranquility my work. Then I may search for accompaniment.
Freelance has other negative connotations for me: I like my work and mostly it is some bit difficult for a freelancer to get jobs. I have no certification but I translate some 20 years and this seems not to count. Therefore I came to proz, I will construct my new WWA translating and really begin from the bottom up (I'm 70).
But feeling alone that is not my character and you should also enjoy your time alone ... simply try!
Manfred
[Editado a las 2008-09-17 22:29] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 07:36
Portuguese to English
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| I like working/living alone | Sep 18, 2008 |
Before I get to why I like it, I just wanted to answer part of Manfred's post:
mmertens wrote:
Freelance has other negative connotations for me: I like my work and mostly it is some bit difficult for a freelancer to get jobs. I have no certification but I translate some 20 years and this seems not to count. Therefore I came to proz, I will construct my new WWA translating and really begin from the bottom up (I'm 70).
[Editado a las 2008-09-17 22:29]
Manfred, I'm not much younger than you, never completed college, never took a translating course and have no credentials. Joining ProZ has made all the difference. It takes a little while to build up your profile, etc., but it's worth it, and I have found my colleagues here to be most supportive and not judgmental about the fact that I am self-taught. I am learning that there are people in the world you actually appreciate you for your skills and not how many degrees (or whatever) you have. I have plenty of work now and enjoy my career.
Now, on to why I like working/living alone. I'm not really a social animal, although I like people. I find that forums like these are a big help. I also belong to some other forums (not translation). I have free national long-distance service on my landline phone, so I talk often with my daughter, my sister, and other friends here in the US. For friends in Brazil I use Skype or Call2 (a British internet site offering inexpensive overseas calls on a regular phone). I don't have pets, and don't miss having them (I had a bunch of cats and birds when I was raising my kids).
I never get cabin fever, for which I am very grateful. I do tai chi, and this seems to give me the exercise I need, along with an occasional walk. But if I'm really busy and can't get out, it doesn't bother or harm me.
| | | | Juliana Brown
Israel
Local time: 06:36
Member (2007)
Spanish to English
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| I love it usually | Sep 18, 2008 |
and like Viktoria, I post stuff here on and off when I need some human contact, but don't have time to go out and see people face to face.
Since I live in a place where sunshine and warmth are never a guarantee, and I get rather down when it's dark and cold, I make sure I get outside as often as possible, to see friends, etc.and...I'm starting karate lessons!
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| Agree with Amy | Sep 18, 2008 |
Amy Duncan wrote:
...I have found my colleagues here to be most supportive and not judgmental about the fact that I am self-taught. I am learning that there are people in the world you actually appreciate you for your skills and not how many degrees (or whatever) you have.
Thank you for saying it, Amy. Translating and interpreting are few of the remaining professions where time-honored way of entering it - through direct experience, and not through educational institution - is still possible.
But let's get back to the "isolation" question. And I would like to ask - isolation from whom?
In all honesty, I cannot say "I like people", neither can I say "I dislike people". It depends what kind of people!
When you are an employee, you rarely get to choose your co-workers. Nobody would tolerate getting a spouse he/she did not choose, and yet you spend more time with your co-workers then with your spouse!
But as a free-lancer, you have the luxury of choosing whom you want to spend time with. Isn't it something to be thankful for?
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 16:06
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | I like solitude and translation so I have nothing to complain | Sep 18, 2008 |
I went full-time freelancer this year. It has certainly brought-down human-to-human contact for me. Now I interact mostly with my own family members.
But that is ok by me for I like solitude and I am a bit of an introvert. I like reading, writing, translating and surfing, all activities that are done at an individual level. I now get more time for all of these.
But if you are of an extrovert and interacting with people is essential for your well-being, then you should p... See more I went full-time freelancer this year. It has certainly brought-down human-to-human contact for me. Now I interact mostly with my own family members.
But that is ok by me for I like solitude and I am a bit of an introvert. I like reading, writing, translating and surfing, all activities that are done at an individual level. I now get more time for all of these.
But if you are of an extrovert and interacting with people is essential for your well-being, then you should plan your work-schedule in such a way that you are not always immersed in translation work. You should actively go out and meet people. Some suggestions:
Don't buy groceries, household-requirements, etc online or over the phone, but personally go to the store to buy them yourself.
Invite people, friends, neighbours, etc. home for controlled interactions limited by time.
Become an active member of the local club of bird-watchers, environmentalists, amateur photographers, gardeners, etc.
Do volunteer service for the aged, the young or other needy groups of your society.
Take up interpretatin work in your language which will force you to come into contact with people.
Somehow I am not convinced that online contact with people as on proz.com or the numerous online social groups like Facebook, is much of a substitute for actual human company. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tjasa Kuerpick
Slovenia
Local time: 12:36
Member (2006)
Slovenian to German
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| Life is much too interesting to feel boring | Sep 18, 2008 |
For me it is the best job ever! I cannot imagine being something else. Sure, it is often quite stressful but then there are days when I can go on a mountain or biking tour or where I can meet other people or friends and have some fun. I think the most important thing is that you may not allow that your everyday life becomes routine, looking something like that: get up - drinking coffee - going into your office - doing some work until late afternoon - coming home eating - TV - going to bed. That'... See more For me it is the best job ever! I cannot imagine being something else. Sure, it is often quite stressful but then there are days when I can go on a mountain or biking tour or where I can meet other people or friends and have some fun. I think the most important thing is that you may not allow that your everyday life becomes routine, looking something like that: get up - drinking coffee - going into your office - doing some work until late afternoon - coming home eating - TV - going to bed. That's indeed very boring!
Translators are thinkers so they need silence to do their work properly, but they can organize their time as it suits them best. Thinking of the latest technology improvements, many professions have become much more independently regarding location, and doing their work. Anyway, things change when you have a child or a family to look after; there is always something going on. Others have domestic animals that need your best care, attention and even conversation (like dogs). Really, there are so many things out there, one could see and learn. Just go and try it out, Life is much too interesting to feel boring ▲ Collapse
| | | | | What about being part of a cooperative? | Sep 18, 2008 |
Would this be a kind of partial solution?
In that way you are your own boss.
But you are part of a company.
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Anne Brackenborough (X)
Germany
Local time: 12:36
German to English
| even hermits need a social life | Sep 18, 2008 |
savaria wrote:As for me,I spend 18 hours out of 24 alone,with my shar-pei dog
I really appreciate having a cat, and even like it in the afternoon when he comes and sits on my lap with his head or bottom obscuring the laptop screen! (dusts cat hairs from keyboard)
When I left university I was thinking of becoming a translator at some point, but knew it wouldn't be good for me to start out straight away in such a lonely job. I decided to look for a job where I would be forced to be more sociable and took up teaching. That also suited my independent nature (the teacher, to some extent, is the boss!) but got me out more. It also brought me out of my shell and has made me much more assertive.
After having children I took up my old idea of translation as it fitted in with my family schedule better. I like my work a great deal, and like being alone, but feel I need to watch out that I don't get too reclusive. When you are too used to being alone, being with other people really does start to feel like hell, as you get so used to having things the way you like them. Going out seems an effort, and it feels fine being alone - but I know that it is not good for me. As people have said, you focus too much on yourself and worry unnecessarily.
In the end, it's up to me to take care of myself and make sure I am happy. That might mean sometimes fighting my "inner lazy pig" as it's known in German. I liked Alfredo's suggestions for staying sane!
| | | | | rent an office | Sep 18, 2008 |
I worked in a one bedroom apartment in England for over a year and I didn't like it. I was always at home and in the evenings I was still in the same place, I only left the house to visit friends or to go shopping. So when I moved back to Holland this year I quickly decided to rent an office somewhere else even though I have a much bigger house with a separate room I can use as an office. Because I rent an office somewhere else I cycle to work which is healthy, I come home and it really feels li... See more I worked in a one bedroom apartment in England for over a year and I didn't like it. I was always at home and in the evenings I was still in the same place, I only left the house to visit friends or to go shopping. So when I moved back to Holland this year I quickly decided to rent an office somewhere else even though I have a much bigger house with a separate room I can use as an office. Because I rent an office somewhere else I cycle to work which is healthy, I come home and it really feels like home, I have colleagues and I still decide my own working hours and I can work from home when I feel like it (almost never). Renting an office is for me the perfect solution. My profits even nearly doubled because I work a lot faster so the costs are not a problem.
[Edited at 2008-09-18 08:23] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Serena Dorey (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:36
German to English
| Try coworking / shared office space | Sep 18, 2008 |
Shared office spaces and 'coworking' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking) places are now springing up in many cities around the world. These range from places where you can rent a permanent desk in a shared office to places where you can just turn up, plug in your laptop and start working. So even if you don't want to go to an office everyday, coworking can help you to vary your working enviro... See more Shared office spaces and 'coworking' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking) places are now springing up in many cities around the world. These range from places where you can rent a permanent desk in a shared office to places where you can just turn up, plug in your laptop and start working. So even if you don't want to go to an office everyday, coworking can help you to vary your working environment by alternating between your home office and a shared space where you work alongside other freelancers.
I've been renting a desk in a shared space in the UK for 4 months now, having spent 18 months working from a spare bedroom at home. I liked working from home but decided to try the shared desk space option for a while and, although I choose to work from home on the odd day here or there, I wouldn't go back to working from home everyday. I feel less isolated, it's improved my work/life balance because it makes it easier to leave work behind at the end of the day and I've met lots of new people. And I still get to enjoy the perks of being a freelancer - setting my own hours, etc. ▲ Collapse
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