Every translator knows that as soon as the project deadline looms, a strange, universal curse descends upon our hardware.
Purchase code: Paradox
We’ve all been there: the project is 99% done, the deadline is mere hours away, and suddenly your screen freezes. It’s the Translator’s Paradox—a universally accepted truth that the stability of your technology is inversely proportional to your time remaining. It’s a certainty in our field—the closer it gets to the deadline, the more likely your computer will start acting weird. Suddenly, the CAT tool freezes during the final QA check, the browser crashes with twenty source tabs open, or worse, your perfectly reliable operating system decides now is the ideal time to download a major update. This isn’t just bad luck; it’s a cosmic joke played on those who work best under pressure, reminding us that backing up your work ten minutes ago was, perhaps, a slightly better idea than waiting until the very last second.
Because misery loves company (and a little humor).Purchase this card to instantly connect with your fellow translators and remind them that they are not alone in the tech-meltdown mayhem.
Happy New Year card for translators and interpreters
Purchase code: New Year 2024
It’s that wonderful time of year when we spread love, joy, and good cheer for the holidays and the year ahead! Why not make your holiday greetings do double duty? Here’s a customizable Christmas card you can send to clients and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, while gently reminding them of your availability to collaborate in 2025.
This festive card not only lets you share heartfelt wishes but also serves as a subtle yet effective marketing tool to promote your translation or interpreting services for the year to come. Share the spirit of the season and keep your business top of mind for your clients!
Happy Holidays!
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To purchase one of these cards, simply click the “buy now” button and follow the purchase process. Don’t forget to enter the purchase code in the comment section and/or send an email to translatorfun @ gmail.com to indicate the purchase code or title of the card you’ve just purchased.
Once payment is received, the card without watermarks will be sent to the email address you entered at the time of the purchase. All cards can be customized (your name can be added). If you are a company, your logo can be included.
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and translators and interpreters also deserve some love, right? These Valentine’s Day cards are an excellent present to send to your colleagues.
Although being a workaholic is a pattern among all translators and interpreters, no matter their zodiac sign, Capricorns may be at the top of the workaholic ladder. They find it hard to take some time off. They are obsessed with success and status.
Capricorn translator: You are extremely hard-working, and you never give up. You are clear-eyed, perceptive, down-to-earth. You may come across as a little pessimistic, but rather you are realistic. You are not afraid of turning down jobs with tight deadlines. You don’t have time to play around. You are practical and usually take a hands-on approach to work.
Capricorn interpreter: You have a clear understanding of reality. You are practical and down to earth. You are ready to tackle what life throws at you, so you are not afraid of the challenges live interpreting comprises. You are perfect for the job because you deliver, and always look smart, attractive, put-together, and trendy. You have an appetite for money, status, and rewards.
Are you a Capricorn translator or interpreter? Do you know one? Buy and send this card to your colleagues to recognize their unique traits.
They love being the center of the universe, and work hard for it! They are usually charming, welcoming, warm, funny, protective, and great company. Likewise, they are natural leaders and tend to assume a boss-like stance.
Leo translator: You are a really hard-working person. You take each project very seriously and pour your energy and enthusiasm into completing the task flawlessly, and on time. You are obsessed with details and proofread your translation many more times than necessary. When working in groups, you feel comfortable taking the lead and making sure communication runs smoothly among team members. You always give your best and expect the best from others. You love receiving compliments and praise for your work. You feed yourself from flattery and praise. On the contrary, you don’t take criticism too well. You are hard on yourself when it comes to letting go of errors.
Leo interpreter: You are a social beast. You enjoy crowds and being in the spotlight. You are confident, bright, and sexy. You feel comfortable owning the stage. Your desire for attention makes you an outstanding interpreter. You know that you will keep at it until your audience surrenders to your communicative skills. You are one of the greatest multitaskers, and your client’s satisfaction is your only drive. You are tireless, always keeping in a good mood until the show is over. You will never show your weaknesses or flaws. Likewise, you aim for excellence and expect recognition. You seek flattery and praise everywhere you can. You love your job and find it hard to say no, even if it means having your life turned upside down.
PS: Guess who is a Leo 🙂
Are you a Leo translator or interpreter? Do you know one? Buy this card or send it to your colleagues as a way of recognizing their unique traits. Don’t forget, they love to receive compliments, so… what are you waiting for?
Purchase code: Leo
These cards are customizable (your name and logo and be added), so you can use them as a marketing tool to promote your services for the upcoming year and share your love while doing so.
top sign-off phrase to include in your resignation letter
Leaving politics aside, I wanted to post about this “Hasta la vista, baby” event, which kept me thinking about how one phrase can make your departure memorable. Could this become a helpful phrase to turn down low-paying job offers? Would it be the perfect sign-off phrase to use when quitting a job? In any case, the well-known event inspired me to create one more cartoon. I hope you like it and have fun with it.
Purchase this card by clicking on the “Buy now” button below. (Please enter the purchase code “HVB” when prompted).
Purchase code HVB
Once payment is received, the card without watermarks will be sent to the email address you entered at the time of the purchase. All cards can be customized (your name can be added). If you are a company, your logo can be included.
A translator talks about the scariest horror movie in their life.
Continuing with the humourous cartoons about translators I felt the inspiration to create this cartoon playing a little with the most dreaded word a translator can hear —”deadline”.
Translators are an odd type that is most exposed when mingled with other “normal” people. No matter how hard they try to go with the flow, there is always a detail that will give them away. Do you agree?
Purchase this card by clicking on the “Buy now” button below. (Please enter the purchase code DDLN22 when prompted).
Purchase code DDLN 22
Once payment is received, the card without watermarks will be sent to the email address you entered at the time of the purchase. All cards can be customized (your name can be added). If you are a company, your logo can be included.
As the world becomes more connected, interactions between people from different cultures, whether that be at school, at work or as part of daily life, are increasing. As a result of this, the translation industry is growing at an unprecedented rate and consequently, so are the number of translators!
Many times you might say to your translator, “you’re a life-saver” or “you are irreplaceable” or “I couldn’t have completed that business deal without you”, which are all great to hear. But here are a few things you perhaps shouldn’t say if you want to keep your translator sweet!
1. I just had my secretary write a 70-page document, can you quickly proofread it for me?
First of all, there’s nothing ‘quick’ about 70-pages. It’s easy for people to undermine a translator’s ability by assuming proofreading or translating a document is a walk in the park. What many fail to understand is that it takes years of learning, practice and commitment to become a good translator, and even at your best, you may still lose an hour of your day researching the perfect translation of a single word.
2. You are a translator, right? What does (insert random word with no context) mean?
Sure, translators are very skilled (almost superhuman may we add!) but that doesn’t mean they can translate every single language on Earth! Additionally, many languages, including English, have words with multiple meanings. We can guarantee that a translator’s first response to a question such as this would be “what’s the context?”
3. I took French in high school and was looking for some work on the side, could you help me get into the industry?
We understand. It’s natural for people to think that all it takes to become a translator is basic knowledge of a language, but being a translator is so much more than that. It’s one thing being able to understand what someone has said in a foreign language, but being able to convey that in another is a form of art. Plus, if everyone who took French in high school became a translator, why are some earning up to $100 an hour?
4. What! So you translate from home? Is that an actual job?
Yes, it is. Do you think there’d be a multi-billion dollar translation industry otherwise?
5. Wait, what? $(fill in the blank) for a job that will literally take a few hours to translate? I’ll use Google Translate instead!
Translators hear this many times over the course of their careers and it’s never nice to feel like your time and abilities are being undermined. But, again, a multi-billion dollar translation industry wouldn’t exist if Google Translate were accurate. Give it a go, we guarantee you’ll be back!
6. There’s no way it can take that long! I needed this yesterday! It’s only 25 pages long, a day is surely more than enough.
Translation is not an easy job, and sometimes it can take a long time. If translation were merely swapping words from one language to another then hey, it would be easy (and even Google Translate could do a good job). It’s not, though. It involves assessing the context, understanding the background of a word or phrase, maintaining a tone, localising a concept… the list goes on. And it’s for this reason that it takes about an hour to translate a one page document. So, yes, perhaps a day would be enough if they don’t eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, have a life etc.
7. So, I had my friend look over the document you translated. She speaks French and doesn’t think it’s very good.
If you have a friend, aunty, cousin, grandpa that you wholly trust to do your translation work for you, then why seek the services of a professional? Enough said!
8. We need you to translate a super confidential document and can only send it after we agree a price. How much will you charge?
Think of this from a practical perspective: how is a translator supposed to assess the scope of the work if they can’t see the document? This is like asking a landscaper to transform your garden, but not letting them see it first. A 300-word translation of a contact form is very different to the translation of a 300-word document on ventilation cowls for the upward discharge of hot air in sustainable buildings…
9. I need you to maintain the formatting in this scanned JPEG file I’m sending you to translate.
A language is a hard enough skill to learn without having to understand the ins and outs of graphic design. They are two completely separate jobs and should be treated as such. If you’re lucky enough to come across a translator willing to do both, you should expect them to ask to be compensated accordingly. Otherwise, hire a graphic designer to either create an editable copy of the file in the first instance, or ask them to amend the formatting once the translation has been completed.
10. Can you please give me a quote to translate my website www.(ridiculousnumberofpages).com?
Typically, website translations are high-volume, so make sure you have a high budget! Don’t expect a translator to spend hours of their day clicking through URL by URL trying to figure out the content to translate just for you to refuse their quote. Help them out by sending a list of the URLs to be translated, or even better, export the content into an Excel file.
To conclude,
Be kind. Avoid demeaning comments, unrealistic expectations, and be courteous to your translator. It’s by no means an easy job, even for the most skilled of translators.
On the other hand, if you are a translator, try to remain calm and positive. Most of these questions are due to not fully understanding the true cost of a quality translation. Eventually, you will find it pretty funny and get a good laugh out of it!
Translators usually organize their lives according to their upcoming deadline so when talking to someone else they would always arrange for whatever activity to happen after their upcoming deadline. Most likely, after their upcoming deadline, there will hopefully be a new upcoming deadline so whatever extra activity will never happen. That is their luck.
Take five in between deadlines to have some fun and smile.
#staysafe #staymotivated #stayhealthy #stayfun
Purchase code D1A (once you buy it you will receive it in your inbox with no watermarks).
Send this card or any card on Translator Fun’s archive to add some fun to your colleagues’ routine.
Yeah! Another cartoon in the new series about parts of speech frequently used by translators or associated with them. Now, it’s the turn of “on”. In the case of translators, this preposition always finds its way to collocate in an almost fixed phrase for translators. Here’s an example:
Translator’s fried: Hey you! Long time no see. Let’s catch up!
Translator: I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m on a tight deadline, sorry.
Take five minutes to relax and have some fun.
#staysafe #havefun
Purchase code PU2 (once you buy it you will receive it in your inbox with no watermarks).
Send this card to your fellow translators and other language lovers to keep them company through these tough times.
Purchase code PU2 (once you buy it you will receive it in your inbox with no watermarks).
Translator Fun 