| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Should a freelance translator take weekends off? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
Mario Freitas 
Brazil
Local time: 18:21
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Should vs. Can | Nov 24, 2016 |
I wish one day I'll reach the point where I can take weekends off.
Right now, I really think I should, but I cannot. We have to do the work when it comes and before it's due. If you can eliminate the weekend from the schedule, great! But if I don't have any work on Wednesday and Thursday, and I get a new job on Friday, am I going to take the weekend off? I already took Wed and Thu off! And this is what usually happens. I take several days off, but not necessarily on a weekend.
| | | |
Of course it doesn't have to be weekends - everyone's personal situation is different. But at least one clear day per week is definitely to be recommended. It's so easy to slip into the bad habit of always chipping away at your workload in any apparently "spare" moment, allowing it to eat into the leisure/family/fitness/household administration/etc time we also need to have.
| | | | | Edith said it perfectly | Nov 24, 2016 |
Edith van der Have-Raats wrote: ... but decide for themselves. Having said that, for everyone it is important to at least take time of, whether that's in the weekend or on other weekdays. This is a human need. But the freelancing life style gives the opportunity to decide what is best. For people with a family and a spouse working during the week, the weekend will probably be the best choice for time off. But perhaps you are single and prefer spending some quiet week days for leisure and working in the weekends while the cinemas, zoos and shopping malls are crowded. That's the beauty of our profession  [Edited at 2016-11-24 08:23 GMT]
I wholeheartedly agree!
Anne-Carine
| | | | | Survival and thriving - it's all about stages | Nov 25, 2016 |
When I started as a freelancer back in 1999 I built a client base by more or less "always" taking on a job, whether it meant working weekends or out of office hours. That meant I had spurts of activity but also empty days from time to time. As the client base grew (I'm turning 17 years as a translator next week), I have a more steady base of jobs with regular clients - now it's imperative to take weekends off to prevent burnout. It's important to take breaks, to do exercise, to stay away from th... See more When I started as a freelancer back in 1999 I built a client base by more or less "always" taking on a job, whether it meant working weekends or out of office hours. That meant I had spurts of activity but also empty days from time to time. As the client base grew (I'm turning 17 years as a translator next week), I have a more steady base of jobs with regular clients - now it's imperative to take weekends off to prevent burnout. It's important to take breaks, to do exercise, to stay away from the computer screen in periods, and if you have a family (I recently got married) you also want to build and enjoy that relationship!
So for new freelancers: you really MUST be prepared to answer to work emails from your early morning to your late night, every day, especially if you work across time zones. But later in your career you can start building routines. I still have the ocassional spurt that requires getting up at 5 am and working weekends, or traveling for an interpreting job, but I make it a point to ensure enough rest across the week and month so my health does not get damaged. If you intend on being a professional all your life, you need to take care of your health! But also to offer the best service possible according to your clients' needs.
On the other hand, as other people have commented in this thread, we also get the luxury of not being geographically bound. Who says you cannot take a Wednesday off if you don't have an assignment that day and enjoy the whole week working from your laptop elsewhere? (I have a lot of experience on that front and it's awesome!). ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 06:21
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
I arrange my schedule according to how I see fit.
I find that Saturdays and Sundays provide me with lots of quality time and I can work without much fewer distractions.
If I decide to reschedule my conventional 'weekend' into regular weekdays, I find that I can get hotel and restaurant reservations much easier, like I did a few weeks back when I traveled to see an old friend, whom I haven't seen in about 30 years, on the Japan Sea coast and stayed in a hot springs the f... See more I arrange my schedule according to how I see fit.
I find that Saturdays and Sundays provide me with lots of quality time and I can work without much fewer distractions.
If I decide to reschedule my conventional 'weekend' into regular weekdays, I find that I can get hotel and restaurant reservations much easier, like I did a few weeks back when I traveled to see an old friend, whom I haven't seen in about 30 years, on the Japan Sea coast and stayed in a hot springs the following night. If I'd done this on a Saturday and Sunday, the place would have been much noisier with families and small children running around and I wouldn't have had the entire bath area to myself.
@Sonja
So, you like cracking whips, do you? We can be friends.  ▲ Collapse
| | | |
@Sonja So, you like cracking whips, do you? We can be friends.
Well there were traces of sarcasm in my posting I am afraid ... but what the heck, please put forward any suggestions to diversify my daily routine
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Should a freelance translator take weekends off? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
