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.
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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?
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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
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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
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Send this card to your fellow translators and other language lovers to keep them company through these tough times.
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Hi there! We are still struggling with COVID-19 and how it is affecting everyone’s lives. In these challenging times, here is a friendly and humorous reminder to keep safe, observe the recommendations by recognized health organizations, and keep a positive mindset while we face the new normal.
Separated but together we will be able to go through this. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay at home, and stay fun.
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Send this card to your fellow translators and beloved ones as an encouragement to stay safe and at home. Purchase code COVID-19.4 (once you buy it you will receive it in your inbox with no watermarks).
Project glossary defined for translators and interpreters
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Let me guess… You have landed a translation project. Everything runs smoothly. You receive the files and even a glossary to complete the task! You start your translation and you are doing great! You are fine except for a few key terms that are crucial for the meaning of the text. You don’t panic because you know you have the wide and robust glossary specifically sent for this project, right? Well… guess what as a rule of thumb the glossary will never contain “the terms” YOU need so urgently. Translators’ luck.
Keep the smile all the same! Being a freelance translator is a fun adventure, isn’t it?
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Hey, translator. Have you been there? Have you managed to get out of this vicious cycle that would keep you proofreading endlessly? Deadlines are there to serve that purpose right? If it weren’t for them we would still be working on improving the first translation assignment we got.
Translator Fun 