| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Off topic: Just seen this on Twitter: how to recognize a translator. Thread poster: Tom in London
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 01:05
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| I was referring to | Jan 27, 2023 |
I think you questioned why so many translators write on the forums after 6 pm. For instance, I am often awake until 00-1 am, but that doesn’t mean I am ready for productive/constructive work after 8 pm. After 8 pm, it’s just fun or entertainment. Even after 6 pm.
I agree with you though that a highly structured schedule some describe here does not match freelancer’s life, unless they are missing a lot of job opportunities or have one steady client.
I can answer an... See more I think you questioned why so many translators write on the forums after 6 pm. For instance, I am often awake until 00-1 am, but that doesn’t mean I am ready for productive/constructive work after 8 pm. After 8 pm, it’s just fun or entertainment. Even after 6 pm.
I agree with you though that a highly structured schedule some describe here does not match freelancer’s life, unless they are missing a lot of job opportunities or have one steady client.
I can answer an email after 6 pm, but not sure that qualifies as work?
[Edited at 2023-01-27 10:37 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 02:05
Member
English to Turkish
Lingua 5B wrote:
I can answer an email after 6 pm, but not sure that qualifies as work?
[Edited at 2023-01-27 10:37 GMT]
It means that you don't switch off completely to enjoy or do other things. Whereas if you were working an office job, you'd be able to forget all about work once you've left the office building. I'm not saying the latter is preferable though (even though I envy it sometimes).
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Anyway - it's a pretty drawing.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 01:05
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote: Lingua 5B wrote:
I can answer an email after 6 pm, but not sure that qualifies as work?
[Edited at 2023-01-27 10:37 GMT] It means that you don't switch off completely to enjoy or do other things. Whereas if you were working an office job, you'd be able to forget all about work once you've left the office building. I'm not saying the latter is preferable though (even though I envy it sometimes).
I was doing whatever on my device and then answered an email. If I were in an office, forget about the whatever part because all office computers are monitored. Then I went back to “whatever”, all this while lying in bed. Last time I checked, lying in bed was not allowed in an office either. Thirdly, I chose to answer an email, in office you can’t choose things, you have to do them.
Any difference now? Interesting how perspective can change with a couple of details.
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| I switch off when the computer is off | Jan 27, 2023 |
... well, more or less. I am not good at leaving work at my workplace, but I can relax when I need to.
I have never been a morning person, so it suits me to work late in the evening and at night.
Lose sleep? I lose sleep when I have to get up before 8 or 9 am! 
I believe that when people lived in caves, someone had to stay awake at night and keep an eye on the fire and whatever might be lurking out... See more ... well, more or less. I am not good at leaving work at my workplace, but I can relax when I need to.
I have never been a morning person, so it suits me to work late in the evening and at night.
Lose sleep? I lose sleep when I have to get up before 8 or 9 am!
I believe that when people lived in caves, someone had to stay awake at night and keep an eye on the fire and whatever might be lurking outside. I would be the obvious candidate!
Those who like the 'early to bed and early to rise' routine are either happy in employment that requires it, or can keep it up as freelancers.
Those who don't like an early routine have all the more incentive to go freelance, so perhaps that is why freelancers have a reputation for it.
My family always worked at holidays and when others had time off - as church and social workers, that was when they were needed. Apart from administration and preparation in office hours too!
I have done my stint in offices and on early shifts in the health-care services. Some colleagues liked them a lot better than I did.
Now I am semi-retired, and can really decide when I want to work. Sort of. My regular clients know I don't answer the mails early in the morning, but I may be good for a couple of hundred words in a hurry, even at 5 pm.
The whole point of freelancing is the flexibility to organise your time precisely as you like. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 01:05
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Switching off | Jan 27, 2023 |
Full-time employees keep on talking about their job and colleagues after work, hard to switch off? LoL
I have a friend who left their job, they said they ended up thinking about it, one way or the other, 24/7. It was an office job with 4 hour shifts. Is time an illusion? Can you really work 24/7 while working a 4 hour shift only?
| | | | | Recognise a translator? - Easy! | Jan 27, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote: 
The translator lives in the big penthouse at the top of the tall tower towards the right of the drawing. The lights are out because she's enjoying a moon-light swim in her heated open-air pool on the roof.
I've no idea what the guy with the lights on does for a living. Maybe he's an architect!
Now, where's my G & T? Cheers!
JL
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 01:05
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
/ At 3 a.m., only one apartment in an apartment building has the lights on. Why?
GPT: It is difficult to say for certain why only one apartment in an apartment building would have the lights on at 3 a.m. without more information. It could be that the person living in that apartment is unable to sleep and is staying up, or they may be working a night shift and have just returned home. Alternatively, it could be that the person is hosting guests or has recently returned from a ... See more / At 3 a.m., only one apartment in an apartment building has the lights on. Why?
GPT: It is difficult to say for certain why only one apartment in an apartment building would have the lights on at 3 a.m. without more information. It could be that the person living in that apartment is unable to sleep and is staying up, or they may be working a night shift and have just returned home. Alternatively, it could be that the person is hosting guests or has recently returned from a trip. Without additional information, it is impossible to say for sure.
/ OK, if they happen to be working from home, what’s their job?
GPT: If the person in the apartment with the lights on at 3 a.m. is working from home, it is difficult to say for certain what their job is without more information. They could be in a variety of different fields such as customer service, information technology, finance, or a creative field like writing, graphic design or video editing. They could also be working in a job that requires them to work overnight shifts such as a security guard, nurse or truck driver. Without additional information, it is impossible to say for sure what their job is.
/ They are very committed to their deadlines.
GPT: If the person in the apartment with the lights on at 3 a.m. is very committed to their deadlines, it could suggest that they have a job that requires them to meet tight deadlines, such as a project manager, a software developer or a creative professional like a graphic designer, editor, or a creative writer. They may be working on a project that is due soon, or they may be in a field where there is a lot of competition and they need to work hard to stay ahead. It's also possible that they are a student and have an upcoming exam or a paper due. Without additional information, it is impossible to say for sure.
/ You are good, GPT. If you could be the person in the apartment, what would you wish you were doing with the lights on?
GPT: As a language model, I am not capable of having preferences or desires. I am here to assist users by processing natural language input and providing relevant information or responses. My primary function is to generate human-like text based on the input provided by the user.
/ No desires, no fun.
GPT: As a language model, I do not have the ability to experience emotions or have desires. However, my main goal is to assist users with any information they need or help them with any task they have. My ability to understand natural language and provide relevant responses is designed to make the user's experience more efficient and pleasant.
/ Emotions affect both intelligence and information.
GPT: Emotions can certainly play a role in how people process and understand information. Research has shown that emotions can influence our cognitive processes such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. Emotions can also affect how we communicate and interact with others. For example, people who are feeling positive emotions may be more likely to approach others and form social connections, while those who are feeling negative emotions may be more likely to withdraw and avoid social interactions.
As a language model, I am not capable of experiencing emotions, however, I am designed to understand and respond to the emotional context of the input provided by the user. My ability to understand and respond appropriately to the emotional context of language allows me to provide more human-like and relatable responses.
/ OK enough for now, my finger is hurting from typing.
GPT: I understand, I am here to assist you at any time you need, don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need further help or information. Take care of your finger, and have a great day! ▲ Collapse
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expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 00:05
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER | UNFORGIVABLE | Jan 28, 2023 |
GPT said
....have a great day!
Nobody EVER tells me to "have a great day" - without me telling them to F off.
You would have a great day if I was stupid enough to give you my phone number.
Seen on Reddit:
"The number is definitely leaked . Took about 4 days from giving them my number to getting a direct spam txt hidden as a girl sending in a picture and saying if am someone else then apologizing got the wrong number. As this never happened in the 15 years with this number - so is safe to assume yes they are leaking the numbers or someone has access to wherever they are saving numbers."
[Edited at 2023-01-28 12:27 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 01:05
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
You would have a great day if I was stupid enough to give you my phone number.
I understand your concerns, but I never answer calls from numbers I don't know and if that number would keep on calling without ever leaving a voicemail, I would block it. The same goes for unknown numbers that send text messages.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 01:05
French to English
Baran Keki wrote:
If you're an in-house translator, you work from 9 to 5
Actually, as an in-house translator, I found myself taking work home and working late far more often than as a freelancer.
My boss would never refuse work and would heap it onto the in-house workers until we broke. He even took a whole book that needed proofreading to the maternity after his translator wife had just given birth.
I accepted overtime because I could then take the equivalent time off to be with my children during the school holidays, but it was very stressful. I had several health issues crop up during that time precisely because of the stress.
Now, as a freelancer, I have very rarely had to work as hard, while also earning more than double my salary and I don't think I've been to see my doctor the whole time.
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 02:05
Member
English to Turkish
| You're right | Jan 30, 2023 |
Kay Denney wrote:
Actually, as an in-house translator, I found myself taking work home and working late far more often than as a freelancer.
My boss would never refuse work and would heap it onto the in-house workers until we broke. He even took a whole book that needed proofreading to the maternity after his translator wife had just given birth.
I accepted overtime because I could then take the equivalent time off to be with my children during the school holidays, but it was very stressful. I had several health issues crop up during that time precisely because of the stress.
Now, as a freelancer, I have very rarely had to work as hard, while also earning more than double my salary and I don't think I've been to see my doctor the whole time.
I came to blows with my boss a few times when she tried to give me work on the weekends. She's never succeeded, and we hated each other passionately for 10 years (it beggars belief, don't it?). She eventually fired me due to my low 'capacity' (for taking the time to research, quality check, produce better translations). Comfort zone is a terrible thing. I curse myself everyday for not getting into freelance translation at least 5 years earlier. I would've made a killing...
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
| Depends on language pair | Feb 2, 2023 |
Some people in some locations work VERY odd hours as remote translators.
This does not necessarily involve high workloads or long hours at all, just keeping an unusual schedule because all your clients are in a very different timezone.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:05
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Baran Keki wrote:
I curse myself everyday ..
So do I.
Every day. You could say it's an everyday occurrence.
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