Poll: Which of these makes the best white noise for working? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which of these makes the best white noise for working?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Susanna Martoni 
Italy
Local time: 12:36
Member (2009)
Spanish to Italian
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A cat snoring.
Sooner or later, I will have my cat.
Looking forward to hearing her/him snoring.
I am sure it'going to boost my energy.
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White noise is often associated with a better sleep and that’s the last thing I want when I’m working – to fall asleep! Anyway, to work I need some background noise: being an urban soul I do like hearing the sounds outside (I live on an almost quiet street). My TV is always on, except when I'm revising my work or proofreading others' work, then I press the mute key. I find that music interferes with my ability to focus on my work.
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 05:36
English to Russian
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I live on the lake connected to the Gulf of Mexico via Galveston Bay. Egrets, herons, cranes, pelicans, ducks and seagulls have been keeping me company through the day for years and I absolutely loved it and still do, even though I no longer do commercial translation. Actually, I would rather notice a prolonged complete silence and I didn't like it. "Hmm, maybe something is brewing in the skies again?" Birds give me a sense of peace and normalcy.
However, there is a problem. Today,... See more I live on the lake connected to the Gulf of Mexico via Galveston Bay. Egrets, herons, cranes, pelicans, ducks and seagulls have been keeping me company through the day for years and I absolutely loved it and still do, even though I no longer do commercial translation. Actually, I would rather notice a prolonged complete silence and I didn't like it. "Hmm, maybe something is brewing in the skies again?" Birds give me a sense of peace and normalcy.
However, there is a problem. Today, aside of working on site I do a lot of early morning teleconferences between 6 and 9 am and have nowhere to hide, so I had to buy some serious noise-cancelling equipment and install triple-pane balcony doors. Good for hurricanes too. My desk is right next to it. Seagulls are the loudest but somehow they observe my schedule most of the time and show up when a meeting is already over. Plus, on the lake we have less of them than, say, Ostend, Flanders, and not so gigantic:-). I wasn't too happy when one, the size of a Christmas goose, looked like it was about to check me out. I apologized for whatever it didn't like and beat a hasty retreat. Smaller birds, such as nightingales, blue jays, doves, cardinals etc., or roaring hummingbirds descending on the feeder can't be heard through the doors. Seriously, first time I heard a hummingbird approaching me on the balcony I was scared, thinking of a giant wasp or something equally terrifying attacking me:-) 1800 wing flaps a minute... ain't it something! ▲ Collapse
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| No noise at all | Nov 26, 2023 |
Mostly no noise at all though I don't mind some background music. Not music that I like though otherwise I'll stop and hum or sing along with it, I find I cannot concentrate when there's some speech going on. Luckily we live in a very quiet area with no noise whatsoever during the day but my husband likes to put on the TV when he comes home after work but the volume is low so it does not interfere with my working. I find I need complete silence to concentrate when a text is particularly difficul... See more Mostly no noise at all though I don't mind some background music. Not music that I like though otherwise I'll stop and hum or sing along with it, I find I cannot concentrate when there's some speech going on. Luckily we live in a very quiet area with no noise whatsoever during the day but my husband likes to put on the TV when he comes home after work but the volume is low so it does not interfere with my working. I find I need complete silence to concentrate when a text is particularly difficult though. ▲ Collapse
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I live in El Salvador and it is summer all year round. So there is better weather than most first world countries (USA, Europe). A medium speed fan is all I need.
| | | | William Hepner
United States
Local time: 06:36
Member (2022)
Spanish to English
| No (Intentional) Noise | Nov 27, 2023 |
That is, no apparent noise beyond the ambient hum, drone, or quasi-silence that coexists with the sound of typing, since we rarely ever have the experience of complete silence. But I prefer it as close to silent as possible.
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Are poll questions now being posed by ChatGTP?
Not the answers, though. I'm sure ChatGPT "knows" what white noise is.
Yes, it does: "White noise is a random signal that has equal intensity at different frequencies, creating a constant sound akin to static or the sound of a waterfall."
So almost all the suggested answers are wrong by definition. Even assuming we accept the premise that white noise is good for working, which I don't.
Wasn't this ... See more Are poll questions now being posed by ChatGTP?
Not the answers, though. I'm sure ChatGPT "knows" what white noise is.
Yes, it does: "White noise is a random signal that has equal intensity at different frequencies, creating a constant sound akin to static or the sound of a waterfall."
So almost all the suggested answers are wrong by definition. Even assuming we accept the premise that white noise is good for working, which I don't.
Wasn't this supposed to be a site for linguists? ▲ Collapse
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Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 12:36
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
| White or background noise? | Nov 27, 2023 |
First of all, it is actually pretty important to distinguish between background noise (which is probably what this poll is asking about) and actual white noise.
That being said, I did try working with actual white noise once, but found it extremely unpleasant. My perfect background noise for work is music that is either completely instrumental or where the vocals are indiscernible and/or mixed into the background. (Dark) ambient, synthwave (without vocals!), drone and black metal are my go... See more First of all, it is actually pretty important to distinguish between background noise (which is probably what this poll is asking about) and actual white noise.
That being said, I did try working with actual white noise once, but found it extremely unpleasant. My perfect background noise for work is music that is either completely instrumental or where the vocals are indiscernible and/or mixed into the background. (Dark) ambient, synthwave (without vocals!), drone and black metal are my go-to genres.
[Edited at 2023-11-27 07:22 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Aline Brito
Brazil
Local time: 07:36
Member (2020)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| I consider myself very lucky. | Dec 9, 2023 |
Unless it's something captivating (like a video that interests me), loud, irritating, or people having a conversation in the room/trying to talk to me, I am lucky to be able to block out all the noise while I'm translating. Sometimes I put some music or the news on, but I don't even listen to it when I'm concentrating. There's a church near my house whose bell rings loudly every hour, and I'm now so used to it that I genuinely don't even notice.
For proofreading, however, I do prefer just ... See more Unless it's something captivating (like a video that interests me), loud, irritating, or people having a conversation in the room/trying to talk to me, I am lucky to be able to block out all the noise while I'm translating. Sometimes I put some music or the news on, but I don't even listen to it when I'm concentrating. There's a church near my house whose bell rings loudly every hour, and I'm now so used to it that I genuinely don't even notice.
For proofreading, however, I do prefer just soft background noise. ▲ Collapse
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