Forum | Topic | Title | Text | Poster | Time |
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Poll Discussion | Poll: How much of your income are you able to put into savings? | 0% | A year or two ago I would have said 10%, but in 2018 it's down to zero. I no longer save anything. | R. Alex Jenkins | May 17, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you consider the country you are currently living as your home? | Yes | I've been living in Brazil on a permanent basis for sixteen years now, and my wife and children all live here with me, so I definitely consider Brazil my home. However, there will always b | R. Alex Jenkins | Apr 17, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you ever gotten bored while working on a project? | Of course | The subject material is not written by me, but my someone else, and therefore I have no control over the content other than it being in my chosen language pair and within my area of expert | R. Alex Jenkins | Mar 18, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: How often do you stand up from your desk while working? | Subliminal message :D | Are Proz.com staff insinuating that were out of shape? I have to agree to an extent, as it's mostly a sedentary profession. | R. Alex Jenkins | Mar 15, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Has a client ever sent you a message or file which was not intended for you? | Oh yes... | "Dear Frau Jenkins" is a particular favourite of mine. | R. Alex Jenkins | Mar 7, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you ever been rude to a client or agency? | I never go out to be rude, but it has happened | I was rude to a customer a while back who refused to change my Brazilian bank details to my UK bank account, or PayPal, due to the "amount of work involved", when I clearly explained that | R. Alex Jenkins | Feb 28, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Is it possible for a freelance translator to work efficiently without a dedicated work space? | My perspective | I need a place where I can close the door, when I need to close the door, so I have a dedicated bedroom (office) where I can exclusively do that, but the concept of grabbing a backpack and | R. Alex Jenkins | Jan 16, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: At what age do you plan to retire? | No idea... | I'm 50, and all I can tell you right now is I have no specific plans for retirement. Retirement is a mind-set, and if you're working in a job right now which you hate just so you don't | R. Alex Jenkins | Jan 6, 2018 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you done a translation of a language you can't speak with an automatic translator? | Thank God for that! | I can't begin to imagine why someone would use a translation tool to translate a language they don't even understand, and then submit it for professional payment? Thank God nearly every | R. Alex Jenkins | Nov 29, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you think people who work at home tend to pay less attention to personal hygiene than others? | Interesting... | The concept that because we sit at home all day, we stink? I haven't cut my hair in ten years or taken a shower in six months? Bizarre, and quite funny. I bought deodorant once, many mo | R. Alex Jenkins | Oct 18, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you ever received a complaint about the quality of your work from a client? | Naturally, people complain. | If you've never had a complaint then you must be wearing a golden shroud or something. It's uncommon, but it happens to all of us. My pet peeve is late or delayed payments. Customers | R. Alex Jenkins | Oct 12, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: For how many years have you been freelancing? | 10+ | I did my first freelance job in 2003, and went full-time in 2006. It's been a struggle of ups and downs ever since. | R. Alex Jenkins | Oct 10, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: In my second language, my accent is | For others to decide | I live in the north of Brazil, and people often comment on my accent and ask where I'm from. There's something about the way I look and speak that attracts attention, but that's also becau | R. Alex Jenkins | Oct 2, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What is a translator's best friend? | A dog? | Yes, I have two dogs and both of them are great, but a dog :) ? A supportive network of family and friends is your best ally IMO. You can have the best projects and the best deadlines, | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 23, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: How often have you come to an agreement with a client who then never sent you work? | Hoop Jumping | I hoop jump from time-to-time.
My particular specialty is signing NDAs, doing 'short' test translations, and receiving welcome packs/information from marketing managers, which trans | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 6, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: How would you rate your people skills with clients? | Moderate to fair... | ...a bit like the weather.
That's the reason I work on my own, in my own little world, because I'm not that great with crowds. [Edited at 2017-08-22 15:39 GMT] | R. Alex Jenkins | Aug 22, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Is translation/interpreting a gateway to another career for you? | No | Just echoing the collective "no" above me. | R. Alex Jenkins | Aug 11, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: How often do you take breaks when working? | I've never thought about it. | When I'm on a run doing solid and fluent work, I make a point of not taking a physical break, but force myself to stay put. Any sort of physical interruption, whether it's leaving my desk, | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 31, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What is the worst part about being a freelance translator? | The financial aspect | Echoing what a few people are saying here - I really dislike the financial aspect of being a freelance translator, and the need to chase customers for payments, not receiving responses | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 29, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Should a client send rejection notices to everyone who isn't chosen for a project? | It depends | I recently got an email telling me that I would not be contacted if I was not chosen for the job in hand, but I was still required to provide my details, a quote on deadline and price, a c | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 25, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Which running event would be your preferred choice at the "Translation Olympics"? | Fast turnaround, Proz... | I posted this at least five years ago, perhaps around the London 2012 Olympics? Glad to see Proz not taking their polls too seriously - it's just a silly bit of fun. Take care, folks. | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 23, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you ever attached the wrong file when delivering a translation? | Yes | I did it once several years ago, and the PM responded with "is this is a joke?", which was quite disconcerting. Why would anyone do that on purpose - send the wrong file? When I was | R. Alex Jenkins | May 23, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Is it important to clients that a translator live in a country where the target language is spoken? | It's important to live here or there... | PT-EN translator here.
I was born and brought up in England where I lived until I was 34 years old. I have been living in Brazil on a permanent basis for the last 15 years and haven't l | R. Alex Jenkins | Mar 17, 2017 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: If your income became 0, for how long would you be able to maintain your current lifestyle? | A scary and unnecessary thread / post topic | I think this is a very inappropriate thread and shouldn't have been posted here at all. This sort of thing could happen to any of us at any time - lose a job, fall into bad health, or b | R. Alex Jenkins | Dec 17, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Are you the only person who uses your main work computer? | Yes, absolutely | I'm probably repeating previous posts, but I established a long time ago that the only person who touches my computer is me. It's a functional tool for work and for other important | R. Alex Jenkins | Dec 6, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What has been your longest period of "famine"? | It happens from time to time... | At first it's a relief that you've got some time off to do your own thing, but that can quickly turn to boredom and depression if there's no work for a week or more. One thing I've lear | R. Alex Jenkins | Nov 25, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you think translators tend to be introverts? | Yes... | ... I definitely am. People say I don't come across that way, but I've never worked as an interpreter for example, to my detriment, because I don't feel comfortable that way. | R. Alex Jenkins | Nov 2, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you have a social network account that connects you with other translators? | Not really... | I have a Facebook account, but I rarely use it. I appreciate that you've just bought some new garden furniture, or have improved your park run by a couple of seconds, but as you can see... | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 28, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What do you do to keep your back healthy during intense periods of work? | Nothing, I do nothing. | It's an interesting topic because my family has a history of back problems. My father had to quit playing golf, and my brother has an adapted car for work, but I have no back problems what | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 19, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What is the most important lesson that you have learned as a translator? | Psychologically speaking... | ...the most important thing I've learned as a translator is that status remains in the mind. It's got nothing to do with anyone besides yourself. I don't translate for a living for fame | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 25, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you think it is wise for translators to accept machine translation post-editing projects? | No | I don't. Is there anything else I should say? | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 1, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you think that reviewers should be asked to sign a professional code of ethics? | No | I take being offered revision work as a compliment. A compliment of my skills, by the agency, that I'm competent enough to review the work of another professional. Why would I need to | R. Alex Jenkins | Apr 28, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you usually suffer from migraines as a result of your work? | Yes | I first noticed this twenty years ago when I was working in IT, equally spending most of the day in front of a screen. It's a bad/necessary habit I'm afraid, and I find it really hard to b | R. Alex Jenkins | Apr 26, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: A Project Manager is a man who thinks that 9 women will deliver his baby in 1 month. Do you agree? | No sexism | Reading through this thread, I don't see anything remotely sexist in it. To simplify the OP's question; the day-before-yesterday I received an email from a distant customer stating they | R. Alex Jenkins | Feb 28, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: I am... | Agreed | [quote]Mario Chavez wrote:
[quote]R-i-c-h-a-r-d wrote: I'm far too introverted to be an interpreter. You have to be full of your own gusto, and unfortunately I'm not. [/quote] | R. Alex Jenkins | Feb 25, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: I am... | Translator | I'm far too introverted to be an interpreter. You have to be full of your own gusto, and unfortunately I'm not. | R. Alex Jenkins | Feb 25, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Generally speaking, do you think that we translators are intellectuals? | Not necessarily | A translator isn't necessarily an intellectual, but has to deal with the output of many 'intellectuals' on a frequent basis, so perhaps a third-party intellectual, if such a thing exists? | R. Alex Jenkins | Jan 5, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you ever had to give a silly excuse for an unexpected late delivery? | No | And that's not just a smart personal marketing statement. No, because I never have to. It's one of the basic rules of being a freelance translator - get the job delivered on time, or you s | R. Alex Jenkins | Jan 2, 2016 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you find time to exercise? | Not exercise as such... | I take the dog out for a walk in the evenings... he deserves it, good lad. And sometimes I do a bit of rowing on the machine in the public park. [Edited at 2015-10-25 16:30 GMT] | R. Alex Jenkins | Oct 25, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Have you ever worked past midnight on a project? | Yes | I've always been a late starter so working into the evenings is normal for me when I've got a heavy workload, but I have a psychological 11 PM drop off point, and working beyond that seems | R. Alex Jenkins | Oct 3, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you keep the availability calendar in your profile updated? | I used to... | I used to all the time - get a few days work and update my Proz calender in RED, or get a really long project and pleasurably mark myself as "busy" RED. Until I realised there's no point, | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 28, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What aspect of being a freelance translator do you find hardest to deal with? | Social drought | [quote]Mario Chavez wrote:
...but I also need to get out, see people, say hi to the building manager or strike a conversation with the cashier at the vinyl record store. [/quote] | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 21, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: What aspect of being a freelance translator do you find hardest to deal with? | Unpredictability of income | It's the one thing that's seriously changed my life, but I'm not prepared do anything about it and get a 'regular' job because I'm too stuck in my ways and I like going to bed/getting up | R. Alex Jenkins | Sep 21, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: If you use a CAT tool, do you think it has increased your income? | Moving on with the times | I immediately asked myself whether translators who were working in the industry 30 years ago, and who didn't have access to CAT technology, made less money than the translators of today? | R. Alex Jenkins | Aug 25, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you think it's an advantage to live in your target language country? | I see a further point, re neilmac and Ty Kendall's comments. Thanks. | Of course, I hadn't noted that many people translate into a 'foreign' language, which I do not. I only translate into English (my native language), but I guess, if I translated INTO Po | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 28, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you think it's an advantage to live in your target language country? | No, definitely not. | I have been living in Brazil since 2002 (since I was 35) and I am nowhere near as fluent in Portuguese as I am in my native language English. Although I am highly competent in Portuguese, | R. Alex Jenkins | Jul 28, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: How much time have you spent in a country of your main source language(s)? | 13, unlucky for some | I've been living in Brazil since 2002, so that's 13 years for me. | R. Alex Jenkins | May 24, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Has working as a translator affected your interest in reading for pleasure? | Yes, to an extent. | It's a good question and one that's been on my mind for a while because I thought it was something strange about me, not anyone else, since everyone else seems to enjoy reading books in | R. Alex Jenkins | Apr 25, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you take measures to reduce the amount of work-related stress you feel? | To some extent | I get much more stressed when I go through periods with NO work. That's really stressful. Otherwise, I learn to disconnect and do something that is non-translation related like watching a | R. Alex Jenkins | Apr 1, 2015 |
Poll Discussion | Poll: Do you apply a surcharge for late payments? | No | I think that's far too severe.
However, if a customer continuously pays late then that, to me, is blatant disregard for me as a service provider, especially if that customer requires on | R. Alex Jenkins | Mar 13, 2015 |
Open discussion on topics related to translation, interpreting and localization
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