...that's where I am living, far away from towns, villages, people. This morning, there was a mist which embraces everything. I sit outside under some trees and like the contrast: Not a single soul around me, but I am doing a translation for one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Qui(e)te romantical!
Sep 15, 2007
Sep 12, 2007
Paperwork
Yesterday, I spent my day with paper work. I wonder to what level the unemployment rate would rise in France if there weren't all these papers and documents to send out and to class and to organize.
The mass of documents is unbelievable!
I am working with some sociétés de portage, an organisation which employs me and does my invoicing! Here in France, they say that by these means you reduce paper work. To be true, I have some doubts about it!
Each time, I contact my société they ask me for new papers. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I felt near the cash I earned, yes, I had the feeling that I could nearly touch it!
But then the man of the société de portage said to me: "After sending out the contract to the client in double wich we valided last month, you now need the rapport d'acitivé which has to be signed by the client in double. Then he sends it to you, you send it to us and when we receive it before the end of the month, we will valid it which takes about one week. After that you can declare your depenses and your activié. Then you do your monthly declaration and you demand a bulletin for the salary. And if you have done this by the 10th of the month, we will do your bulletin at the end of the month and you receive your money the following month by bank transfer which takes about ten days."
I swam a bit and drowned then in a paper pool!
After, I smoked a cigarette, took a deep breath and then looked for a new société de portage perhaps more adapted to my profession. And I found her!
Everything seems to be easier with them; even Paypal is possible!
Ah, look, I just got an email from them. Yes, what is it? I open my mail in a relaxed way. And then the man says: "Now you need a paper which states that the translation agency does not pay VAT. It must be an official document and also, we need..."
Brazil!
The mass of documents is unbelievable!
I am working with some sociétés de portage, an organisation which employs me and does my invoicing! Here in France, they say that by these means you reduce paper work. To be true, I have some doubts about it!
Each time, I contact my société they ask me for new papers. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I felt near the cash I earned, yes, I had the feeling that I could nearly touch it!
But then the man of the société de portage said to me: "After sending out the contract to the client in double wich we valided last month, you now need the rapport d'acitivé which has to be signed by the client in double. Then he sends it to you, you send it to us and when we receive it before the end of the month, we will valid it which takes about one week. After that you can declare your depenses and your activié. Then you do your monthly declaration and you demand a bulletin for the salary. And if you have done this by the 10th of the month, we will do your bulletin at the end of the month and you receive your money the following month by bank transfer which takes about ten days."
I swam a bit and drowned then in a paper pool!
After, I smoked a cigarette, took a deep breath and then looked for a new société de portage perhaps more adapted to my profession. And I found her!
Everything seems to be easier with them; even Paypal is possible!
Ah, look, I just got an email from them. Yes, what is it? I open my mail in a relaxed way. And then the man says: "Now you need a paper which states that the translation agency does not pay VAT. It must be an official document and also, we need..."
Brazil!
Sep 9, 2007
Discouraged!
When I sit at my computer at 5 a. m. (yes, in the morning), I sometimes feel discouraged. The reasons:
- The week is nearly over and my batterie so empty!
- I have calculated how much I earned the week and envy my cleaning woman!
- I think of all the mistakes I have made vis-à-vis my clients! (And all the nasty answers I received!)
- I have an appointement with my bank director!
Do you know what helps me in these dark moments? I think of my brother-in-law and friend who has told me some months ago: "Don't stop! Just accept every order you can and work! Do not get white hair over one particular order! What counts for you right now, is the mass of orders, the volume!"
He was right and still is!
While I am sitting there and translating, one manual after one label inscription after one film title and one PowerPoint presentation, something changes, with each text; something is developping and linking in my head lots of words and translations, my passive memory wakes up and I seem to feel some sort of "trust" in my capacities.
Do you know the magic word, the resul of the process? The sesam which opens all the doors? To your own capacities and to big translation agencies? It's experience!!!
I clutch at straws and hold on, I keep going and translate as much as I can. And one day, it will work!
- The week is nearly over and my batterie so empty!
- I have calculated how much I earned the week and envy my cleaning woman!
- I think of all the mistakes I have made vis-à-vis my clients! (And all the nasty answers I received!)
- I have an appointement with my bank director!
Do you know what helps me in these dark moments? I think of my brother-in-law and friend who has told me some months ago: "Don't stop! Just accept every order you can and work! Do not get white hair over one particular order! What counts for you right now, is the mass of orders, the volume!"
He was right and still is!
While I am sitting there and translating, one manual after one label inscription after one film title and one PowerPoint presentation, something changes, with each text; something is developping and linking in my head lots of words and translations, my passive memory wakes up and I seem to feel some sort of "trust" in my capacities.
Do you know the magic word, the resul of the process? The sesam which opens all the doors? To your own capacities and to big translation agencies? It's experience!!!
I clutch at straws and hold on, I keep going and translate as much as I can. And one day, it will work!
Sep 7, 2007
Phew, that's done!
I send the last part of the assignement this morning to my agency. I guess they were satisfied! At least, they had no questions!!!!I definitely would have liked to get a mark from them or at least a "Well done". But remember, I am a service provider now and not a school girl anymore. So I tapp myself all alone on the shoulder for that!
It was hard work. The hunting language is very, very special and thereby very interesting! Also for my daily language life! There are so many expressions I use in everyday communication that come from the hunting business. I guess because these are our origins.
And now, after communicating for two days with lots of hunters on the Web, I nearly feel like a hunting specialist myself. But will probably never see again a hunting text to translate in my life!
So, in order to get the most of my hard work, I will publish some glossary on hunting! Definitely! Also to fill up empty days without paid work!
And to all of you I have learned to say: Waidmannsheil! Halali!
Sep 6, 2007
Word FAAAAst
Yesterday night, at about 10 pm, my trial period for Wordfast ran out! Why not? I love problems while I am working!!!
As I got so used to Wordfast in the past months, I just bought it right away on Internet (and received the licence today). There was no other way out because the translation which I had to deliver this morning, was done with Wordfast!
My bank account screamed out loud and tomorrow I certainely get some friendly letter from my bank director! But what can I do? I am a professionnal now who has to do investment.
By the way, Wordfast is great! It helps you to never forget a single word as it is dividing phrases into segments. It analyses your text, word nomber, etc. And you can build up magic databases.
The guidelines are comprehensible, even for people who have never read a manual before in their life! And for all the rest, Wordfast proposes training sessions in every country and a mailing list where questions are answered quickely!
Hope that the investment pays out soon!!!
As I got so used to Wordfast in the past months, I just bought it right away on Internet (and received the licence today). There was no other way out because the translation which I had to deliver this morning, was done with Wordfast!
My bank account screamed out loud and tomorrow I certainely get some friendly letter from my bank director! But what can I do? I am a professionnal now who has to do investment.
By the way, Wordfast is great! It helps you to never forget a single word as it is dividing phrases into segments. It analyses your text, word nomber, etc. And you can build up magic databases.
The guidelines are comprehensible, even for people who have never read a manual before in their life! And for all the rest, Wordfast proposes training sessions in every country and a mailing list where questions are answered quickely!
Hope that the investment pays out soon!!!
Sep 4, 2007
So tired...
It is about elven o'clock and I am tired!
Everybody is sleeping in my home: cats, dogs, children and husband! Yes, I have the feeling: The whole world sleeps while I am still on my computer trying to figure out the details of hunting fox and other cunning devil!
Believe it or not: I got an assignement today. About 2000 words! Not too bad, n'est-ce pas?
And lots of agencies, at least four, answered my mailing campaign. I have the feeling that I am in the mids of everything!
But right now, I am too tired to think about it. My way goes straight to bed as tomorrow morning work is waiting for me. I have to get up early, very early, very, very early because it is Wednesday and the kids are, here in France, off school. And want to talk to hard working Mummy!
Good night! Faites de bons rêves!
Everybody is sleeping in my home: cats, dogs, children and husband! Yes, I have the feeling: The whole world sleeps while I am still on my computer trying to figure out the details of hunting fox and other cunning devil!
Believe it or not: I got an assignement today. About 2000 words! Not too bad, n'est-ce pas?
And lots of agencies, at least four, answered my mailing campaign. I have the feeling that I am in the mids of everything!
But right now, I am too tired to think about it. My way goes straight to bed as tomorrow morning work is waiting for me. I have to get up early, very early, very, very early because it is Wednesday and the kids are, here in France, off school. And want to talk to hard working Mummy!
Good night! Faites de bons rêves!
Quiet and all of a sudden a big RIOT
This morning, I got the phone call (the second in my life) of a translation agency. They are interested in my profile as a translator and would like to work with me.
"Could you please send us a more detailed resume?", the woman asked me on the phone, "I guess that you did not enumerate all your translation assignements and that you gave just an extract of you experienced professionnal life." What can one say? Yes, I did quite a lot of translation in my life, but will it be enough to fill two pages?
I am nervous, I am excited! For one minute, I was thinking just going to bed putting the cover over my ears in order not to hear the phone ringing.
But no, I am a big girl now and I will try my upmost! I will try and I will learn and finally, I will succed. Perhaps not this time, perhaps not next time, but one day...
I will keep you posted.
"Could you please send us a more detailed resume?", the woman asked me on the phone, "I guess that you did not enumerate all your translation assignements and that you gave just an extract of you experienced professionnal life." What can one say? Yes, I did quite a lot of translation in my life, but will it be enough to fill two pages?
I am nervous, I am excited! For one minute, I was thinking just going to bed putting the cover over my ears in order not to hear the phone ringing.
But no, I am a big girl now and I will try my upmost! I will try and I will learn and finally, I will succed. Perhaps not this time, perhaps not next time, but one day...
I will keep you posted.
It is all so quiete....
...it is all so still!
And I wonder: What's wrong all of a sudden? Does no agency want to work with me anymore? Did they loose my email-address? Or is somebody telling stories about me on the Web?
In the beginning of summer, I sent out about 70 mails to agencies proposing my services. And I got some translation assignements for:
- household appliance
- English and French designers and their automn collection
- preparation instructions of frozen fish
I was so happy and over excited that I got a cleaning woman. Today, she is earning more than me!
Somewhere, I found a good excuse to my state: Apparently after two months in a job there should always be a period when business is down! Can anyone confirm this?
Or am I just to bad?
Doubts, doubts, doubts - they come in slowly, without making a noise, grap heart and brains and DRIVE ME CRAZY!
But I do not give up! No!
And I wonder: What's wrong all of a sudden? Does no agency want to work with me anymore? Did they loose my email-address? Or is somebody telling stories about me on the Web?
In the beginning of summer, I sent out about 70 mails to agencies proposing my services. And I got some translation assignements for:
- household appliance
- English and French designers and their automn collection
- preparation instructions of frozen fish
I was so happy and over excited that I got a cleaning woman. Today, she is earning more than me!
Somewhere, I found a good excuse to my state: Apparently after two months in a job there should always be a period when business is down! Can anyone confirm this?
Or am I just to bad?
Doubts, doubts, doubts - they come in slowly, without making a noise, grap heart and brains and DRIVE ME CRAZY!
But I do not give up! No!
Sep 3, 2007
About me and this blog
The blog of a starting translator who tries to find her way in the jungle of the business world!
One little thing to tell you - I am not writing in my mother tongue and my name is in reality not Josi Pines!
The reason? I want to talk to you as openly as possible and tell you what is really happening to me without loosing clients, money and my reputation.
I want to talk to you about my mistakes which I have to analyse and then to hide from everybody.
And I want to talk to you about my success which I have to hide a little from friends and family!
Hope you'll have a good time!
One little thing to tell you - I am not writing in my mother tongue and my name is in reality not Josi Pines!
The reason? I want to talk to you as openly as possible and tell you what is really happening to me without loosing clients, money and my reputation.
I want to talk to you about my mistakes which I have to analyse and then to hide from everybody.
And I want to talk to you about my success which I have to hide a little from friends and family!
Hope you'll have a good time!
Welcome!
The ups and downs of a starting translator, that's what this blog will be about! This blog is about my personal ups and downs and doubts and happiness! I have started my translation business in juin of 2007, i. e. three months ago. And I can tell you, I passed three months of excitement!
Positive and negative excitement and lots of nights without sleep!
Can you imagine? I have never worked in a translation agency, I worked in a Marketing Service, yes, I worked as a translator for a kids shop and on voluntary basis. And comparing to my collegues in the private university where I did my translation course, I felt quite "ahead" concerning translation experience...
All of my former collegues have stopped their carreer as a translator, even one who was able to pass State examinations! So, I am all alone in the World Wide Web, in this community of wild animals!
But I want to succeed as a translator. It was always my dream and I love it. I love words, I love to find the right expression matching context and language level. I like to communicate with people by writing. I like to search the Internet. I am eager to learn.
I am a certified translator, certified by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry where 90 % of the candidates failed. At least that's what everybody talks about during the breaks...*
And still, it is not easy!!!
Come and follow me on my way to the TOP! (I hope?!)
Positive and negative excitement and lots of nights without sleep!
Can you imagine? I have never worked in a translation agency, I worked in a Marketing Service, yes, I worked as a translator for a kids shop and on voluntary basis. And comparing to my collegues in the private university where I did my translation course, I felt quite "ahead" concerning translation experience...
All of my former collegues have stopped their carreer as a translator, even one who was able to pass State examinations! So, I am all alone in the World Wide Web, in this community of wild animals!
But I want to succeed as a translator. It was always my dream and I love it. I love words, I love to find the right expression matching context and language level. I like to communicate with people by writing. I like to search the Internet. I am eager to learn.
I am a certified translator, certified by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry where 90 % of the candidates failed. At least that's what everybody talks about during the breaks...*
And still, it is not easy!!!
Come and follow me on my way to the TOP! (I hope?!)
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