Poll: Overall, I am happy about the current state of my career.
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jul 8, 2020

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Overall, I am happy about the current state of my career.".

View the poll results »



 
Sundar Gopalakrishnan
Sundar Gopalakrishnan
India
Local time: 14:27
English to Tamil
+ ...
Not happy Jul 8, 2020

I am not happy about the current state of my career. I started my career as a lexicographer. I ended up a translator. I love lexicography. I like translation also. But translation is a tedious work. I love to do literary translations. But usually I get non-literary translation work which is boring.

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:57
Spanish to English
+ ...
Semi-true Jul 8, 2020

I could actually be doing with a little less work, so that I might have the possibility of enjoying a couple of days rest before the end of August.

Angie Garbarino
 
Anastasia Kingsley Kinkusic
Anastasia Kingsley Kinkusic  Identity Verified
Member (2011)
Croatian to English
+ ...
Working everyday Jul 8, 2020

Last week I took my family to Prague, Czech Republic while balancing my workload. I’m grateful to be working, grateful for good health and still managing to enjoy my summer! With face masks of course but life goes on! 🙋‍♀️

Angie Garbarino
 
Nilton Junior
Nilton Junior  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 08:57
Member (2009)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Semi-true Jul 8, 2020

Although I am happy with my income level, I voted semi-true because I think I can still find ways to work fewer hours without affecting my bottom line.

Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Chié_JP
Chié_JP
Japan
Local time: 17:57
Member (2013)
English to Japanese
+ ...
Yes Jul 8, 2020

I am really lucky.

My family are safe, and have jobs (including myself with interesting jobs from long term clients!). Wishing everyone the same and stay safe, take the changes in a positive way where possible, including face masks that are now indispensable.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:57
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
True Jul 8, 2020

I’m quite happy with the current state of my career, so long as my clients, old and new, keep coming for more. The only “problem” I have is the occasional feeling that I have more work than I can handle (like now) when at my age I should be slowing down, but like muscles memory needs exercise…

 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:57
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Not happy Jul 8, 2020

Not at all happy.
Things are very bad here, very few jobs and no money.


 
TONNY OCHIENG
TONNY OCHIENG
Kenya
Local time: 11:57
Dholuo (Lwo) to Swahili
+ ...
Not happy Jul 8, 2020

I could do with more translation work coming my way. Not the once in awhile gigs that i seem to get.

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:57
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Unstable Jul 8, 2020

I am very happy with my career.
However, regarding the state of my career, the inconsistency of the volume of jobs has always been a factor of unstableness, and the current crisis has added to that.


Jo Macdonald
Josephine Cassar
Emily Gilby
 
Barbara Cochran, MFA
Barbara Cochran, MFA  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:57
Spanish to English
+ ...
Semi-True Jul 8, 2020

I got laid off from a major literary project back in April but will be starting back up, any day now, with a client who is a world-renowned academic whom I have been collaborating with for more than 5 years.

I really needed a rest, anyway, because of the practically non-stop, seven-days-a-week demand for my services during that time.

Prolific writers are my favorite kind of client, because I prefer to be a prolific translator (without being a hack, of course).


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:57
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Semi-true Jul 9, 2020

I work mainly for international organizations, and my particular clients are suffering. I will be much happier when they get back up to speed.

On the other hand, the break has been a blessing. I have been able to get two personal book projects ready for publication.


 
The Misha
The Misha
Local time: 04:57
Russian to English
+ ...
I don't have a career Jul 9, 2020

I have a small professional business. Many public accountants, doctors and lawyers in private practice, code writers, etc. do too. In a career, or so the story goes, you start low, with a low enough pay, and progress, little by little, to a position with more responsibilities and more pay. Then you retire and go play golf or fish until you kick the bucket. In a small professional business, if you are good at what you do and do everything right, you build a better client book, raise your rates, l... See more
I have a small professional business. Many public accountants, doctors and lawyers in private practice, code writers, etc. do too. In a career, or so the story goes, you start low, with a low enough pay, and progress, little by little, to a position with more responsibilities and more pay. Then you retire and go play golf or fish until you kick the bucket. In a small professional business, if you are good at what you do and do everything right, you build a better client book, raise your rates, little by little, and, hopefully, make more money. But you are still doing the same work, day in and day out, and your responsibilities never change. Oh, and there's no golf non-stop for you either - you keep toiling until it is your time to go.

These are two different models, if you ask me, and people not being able to differentiate between the two properly causes them a lot of unnecessary mental anguish in this business. Just saying:)
Collapse


 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 16:57
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Semantics Jul 10, 2020

As with the word "job", this obsession with semantics is not only utterly pointless, it's also completely wrong. Actors have careers, musicians have careers, private lawyers have careers, boxers have careers, politicians have careers, assassins have careers, and none of them are employees.

 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
Semantics bis Jul 12, 2020

I don't know if it's any consolation, but I'd say that, as with a divorce*, a career is something that you always have.

For a while [me and my wife], we pondered whether to take a vacation or get a divorce. We decided that a trip to Bermuda is over in two weeks, but a divorce is something you always have. - Woody Allen

[Edited at 2020-07-12 19:24 GMT]


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Overall, I am happy about the current state of my career.






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! »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »