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One of translation’s biggest trump-cards is the opportunity to work for yourself. Long before I started my masters, I decided that if I couldn’t work freelance I wasn’t interested in being a translator at all. This might sound a little extreme, but it has always been important to me to be able to pursue personal projects outside of work. After a couple of years in the workplace, I realised that a traditional desk-job was never going to give me the flexibility I needed to do this. So I assessed my strengths and weaknesses, researched a couple of options and identified a course I was sure would prepare me in the areas I needed. And here I am, give or take a stage, working for myself.
I know that not everyone entering the profession has gone about it in such a deliberate way. But I’m certain that the lure of flexible working is a huge part of what keeps translators, both aspiring and experienced, in the game.
The most obvious “personal projects” pursued by freelancers – although not the only – relate to family duties, specifically parenting. Yet it surprises me how little open acknowledgment there is of this, particularly within professional associations. There seems to be at best a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach, at worst vitriolic backlash at the suggestion of such plebeian concerns. Here are two examples of why I think this:
One of the requirements for Chartered Translator status in the UK is that your main source of income for the previous 5 years has to be derived from translation activities. The idea is that chartered status is awarded to full-time, experienced practitioners with a consistent professional track record. This consistency then has to be maintained for the duration of the chartered award. Fair enough. But I still remember the silence in the room at an information evening last year when I asked what the guidelines were for translators who might choose to decrease their workload for various reasons, such as to take on family duties. Obviously this would affect the requirements for consistency of wordcount and income – would chartered status still be appropriate? OF COURSE this would be taken into account, I was assured. How? Well, you would just submit your application, explain the situation and the committee would just… understand. Next question?! It was a pretty straight-forward query to me, but I was left feeling like I’d raised something incredibly inappropriate. (Or maybe they’d just spotted my flies were down).
My second example is the reaction to an article Ros Mendy wrote called The Translating Parent for the July-August 2005 ITI Bulletin. The article was well researched and rationally articulated. Ros surveyed a range of translators who were parents via the French and German Network e-groups, and referred to the experiences of no fewer than 10 different people in her article. Most importantly, she avoided clichés and stereotypes, raised some very interesting questions and offered some genuinely useful advice. Yet the backlash was nothing short of astonishing. Letters to the editor in the following issue claimed that it was not possible to be “professional” and raise a family too; that those who tried ended up neglecting both their children and their clients; some even suggested it was tantamount to child abuse. And I know that was just the tip of the iceberg.
So why these kind of reactions? Maybe it’s because translators have fought long and hard to be seen as professionals. Associations have had to combat images of homemaker-wives doing a bit of translation on the side to supplement a husband’s income, or harried mothers taking business calls with two noisy children hanging off apron strings*. Maybe it’s because I’m one of the first generations to have the option of combining professional translation with parenting. Whatever the reasons, they’re no longer an excuse to actively avoid this particular “life” element to our work-life balance. How can an association help to sustain our profession if they’re not addressing a significant reason behind many people’s decision to pursue translation in the first place?
To be fair, the personal lives of translators should rightly remain just that – personal. This is most definitely not an invitation for associations or other translators to comment on individual family choices, or indeed any individual’s marital, religious or sexual status. But it is a call for transparency from our associations around what they are doing to address an issue which impacts a translator’s work volume, and therefore status within the profession. It’s also an invitation to translators to openly acknowledge that our personal projects, regardless of what these may be, have a significant impact on our professional development and career planning. Only then can we truly address the issue of sustaining our profession.
* Not that I don’t think these situations occur, just that they’re hardly identifiable as the business models followed by the professionals I know. I’m serious.
I’m joining this discussion rather late in the day but would like to contribute something from my own experience. I totally refute the idea that you can’t be professional if you have parenting responsibilities. Unless we are total workaholics we all have responsibilities and interests outside of the job, be it caring for children or elderly parents, involvement in our local community or the committee of the local tennis club or professional association. The problem lies in the perception that as home-based workers we do a couple of hours a day typing something on the computer and spend the rest of the time watching day-time TV and getting a facial at the local beauty salon (or fitting in a round of golf if you are male!). In our industry in particular the “housewife” tag, the implication that we’re just earning a little extra to pay for that gorgeous handbag, probably results from a total lack of understanding about what it is we actually do. We have to make the wider community aware that there is a lot more to our job than just sitting down with a dictionary. When talking about my work to people who think it’s just dabbling for pocket money I take every opportunity to mention the software I use, deadlines to be met, negotiating rates and conversations with project managers and prospective clients – using the language of business, in short. While I don’t make a point of informing clients that I have children the subject does come up in those more personal, chatty emails with regular clients, e.g. client wishing me a nice weekend and my response might be “Chance would be a fine thing, six 11-year old girls descending on us for a sleepover” or “Think of me when I’m standing in the rain on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. watching my son play soccer.” I have had a (male) client and PM in Germany say that he’ll email me during the night when he’s up to make his baby’s bottle, or another client say she will not be available for queries over the weekend because she’s travelling to France due to a crisis with an elderly parent.
I do think it is much more difficult to do the job with very young children around. A separate office is essential and yes, encourage clients to communicate via email and skype keyboard chatting. Even very young children can be made to understand that they have to wait if the office door is closed or the parent is on the phone. I personally did not work full-time when my children were babies and toddlers. Having waited till the ripe old age of 38 to start having them I just wanted to enjoy them and didn’t want to hand them over to someone else. I thoroughly enjoyed being a full-time mother in those early years and was then full of enthusiasm for getting back to my career once they were both in full-time school. Of course it gets so much easier when the children are older – my two are 11 and 14 in the meantime and at school all day. Apart from ferrying them to various after-school activities they are pretty non-demanding and it’s possible for me to work in the evenings too if I need to. I agree with Andy about the guilt when you are at home but too busy to be involved with them. This is particularly true when working on big projects during school holidays, I always feel I should be doing things with the kids, taking them on outings and excursions, while they are just as happy to have their friends round and play computer games, with the result that I am sometimes working away furiously with half a dozen kids in the house – not a problem. Aren’t we lucky to have this flexibility in our profession, being able to pop up to school for a special assembly or attend a sports carnival or look after a sick child without having to ask some boss for time off? And I don’t think there’s any need to come clean if parenting responsibilities prevent you from accepting a job, for example. Even if that is the reason I usually just say that I am too busy with another urgent/large project. Rather than thinking that you cannot cope with being a professional and a parent, the client comes away thinking that you are certainly in demand and might check your availablity a lot earlier the next time.
I’d certainly recommend freelancing to anyone wanting to combine a career with family life, but just be aware that you might not be able to work to capacity with very young children and that is probably not the time to be building up your business. If possible, get established beforehand and then you can concentrate on just a few favourite clients while you enjoy the children’s early years.
Trish Will
I’m joining this discussion rather late in the day but would like to contribute something from my own experience. I totally refute the idea that you can’t be professional if you have parenting responsibilities. Unless we are total workaholics we all have responsibilities and interests outside of the job, be it caring for children or elderly parents, involvement in our local community or the committee of the local tennis club or professional association. The problem lies in the perception that as home-based workers we do a couple of hours a day typing something on the computer and spend the rest of the time watching day-time TV and getting a facial at the local beauty salon (or fitting in a round of golf if you are male!). In our industry in particular the “housewife” tag, the implication that we’re just earning a little extra to pay for that gorgeous handbag, probably results from a total lack of understanding about what it is we actually do. We have to make the wider community aware that there is a lot more to our job than just sitting down with a dictionary. When talking about my work to people who think it’s just dabbling for pocket money I take every opportunity to mention the software I use, deadlines to be met, negotiating rates and conversations with project managers and prospective clients – using the language of business, in short. While I don’t make a point of informing clients that I have children the subject does come up in those more personal, chatty emails with regular clients, e.g. client wishing me a nice weekend and my response might be “Chance would be a fine thing, six 11-year old girls descending on us for a sleepover” or “Think of me when I’m standing in the rain on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. watching my son play soccer.” I have had a (male) client and PM in Germany say that he’ll email me during the night when he’s up to make his baby’s bottle, or another client say she will not be available for queries over the weekend because she’s travelling to France due to a crisis with an elderly parent.
I do think it is much more difficult to do the job with very young children around. A separate office is essential and yes, encourage clients to communicate via email and skype keyboard chatting. Even very young children can be made to understand that they have to wait if the office door is closed or the parent is on the phone. I personally did not work full-time when my children were babies and toddlers. Having waited till the ripe old age of 38 to start having them I just wanted to enjoy them and didn’t want to hand them over to someone else. I thoroughly enjoyed being a full-time mother in those early years and was then full of enthusiasm for getting back to my career once they were both in full-time school. Of course it gets so much easier when the children are older – my two are 11 and 14 in the meantime and at school all day. Apart from ferrying them to various after-school activities they are pretty non-demanding and it’s possible for me to work in the evenings too if I need to. I agree with Andy about the guilt when you are at home but too busy to be involved with them. This is particularly true when working on big projects during school holidays, I always feel I should be doing things with the kids, taking them on outings and excursions, while they are just as happy to have their friends round and play computer games, with the result that I am sometimes working away furiously with half a dozen kids in the house – not a problem. Aren’t we lucky to have this flexibility in our profession, being able to pop up to school for a special assembly or attend a sports carnival or look after a sick child without having to ask some boss for time off? And I don’t think there’s any need to come clean if parenting responsibilities prevent you from accepting a job, for example. Even if that is the reason I usually just say that I am too busy with another urgent/large project. Rather than thinking that you cannot cope with being a professional and a parent, the client comes away thinking that you are certainly in demand and might check your availablity a lot earlier the next time.
I’d certainly recommend freelancing to anyone wanting to combine a career with family life, but just be aware that you might not be able to work to capacity with very young children and that is probably not the time to be building up your business. If possible, get established beforehand and then you can concentrate on just a few favourite clients while you enjoy the children’s early years.
Trish Will
Thanks Karen, Ros and Andy for your comments on this. It’s very inspiring to hear such positive examples of how translators can combine the professional and personal in this way.
In fact, there has been such a positive response to this post overall that I wonder if things are changing – would there be the same kind of reaction to another article on parenting in the ITI Bulletin, almost exactly 4 years after the one I mention above, for example? Perhaps the professional associations take a different approach to recognising the realities of life for so many professional translators? Indeed, maybe my original perception was inaccurate or out-of-whack… This is definitely something I intend to explore a little more someday. More comments and thoughts are welcome in the meantime.
@Andy, the poor AUSIT newsletter editor will be sick of hearing from me at this rate 🙂 I’ll think about re-purposing it for the Australian context (where I think there might be a very different approach to this topic btw).
Thanks Karen, Ros and Andy for your comments on this. It’s very inspiring to hear such positive examples of how translators can combine the professional and personal in this way.
In fact, there has been such a positive response to this post overall that I wonder if things are changing – would there be the same kind of reaction to another article on parenting in the ITI Bulletin, almost exactly 4 years after the one I mention above, for example? Perhaps the professional associations take a different approach to recognising the realities of life for so many professional translators? Indeed, maybe my original perception was inaccurate or out-of-whack… This is definitely something I intend to explore a little more someday. More comments and thoughts are welcome in the meantime.
@Andy, the poor AUSIT newsletter editor will be sick of hearing from me at this rate 🙂 I’ll think about re-purposing it for the Australian context (where I think there might be a very different approach to this topic btw).
Great again Sarah – isn’t it excellent to have this virtual community of people – faces we know, and some we know personally, who we can bounce these ideas off! Kevin, I’m right with you – it’s nice to know I’m not the only home Dad (I know I’m not) – and Sam, why did you leave my youngest out – I’m home parent to 3 (smiling)! My tips would also have to include – know when work has to take place – shut the laptop and leave it til later. Try and address your morning emails before the kids get up – that way they aren’t vying for your attention over breakfast. I had a fairly absent father and it did occur to me that being there physically, but paying more attention to my laptop screen might just be the same thing . My kids are, more or less, all in school now (kindy, primary and pre-primary) – and I completely devote Wednesdays to my youngest, Ed – usually with soccer in the park and lunch somewhere. I also think it’s a good idea to bring the kids to your office/laptop – show them what you’re doing – get them involved in some kind of language activity for kids (Live Mocha is excellent!). I also agree that home-parenting is something to be proud of – but if answering the phone without being hassled for Play-Doh or crayons is a problem – try and steer your clients towards e-mail or keyboard Skype chats. I’ve rarely found it a problem – and I always reinforce the fact that I work close to full-time and maintain a client group as well as home parenting. I think it’s a win-win. Ps. I’d love you to post this on Watercooler – and stick it in the Newsletter (AUSIT newsletter for non-Aussies) Sarah.
Great again Sarah – isn’t it excellent to have this virtual community of people – faces we know, and some we know personally, who we can bounce these ideas off! Kevin, I’m right with you – it’s nice to know I’m not the only home Dad (I know I’m not) – and Sam, why did you leave my youngest out – I’m home parent to 3 (smiling)! My tips would also have to include – know when work has to take place – shut the laptop and leave it til later. Try and address your morning emails before the kids get up – that way they aren’t vying for your attention over breakfast. I had a fairly absent father and it did occur to me that being there physically, but paying more attention to my laptop screen might just be the same thing . My kids are, more or less, all in school now (kindy, primary and pre-primary) – and I completely devote Wednesdays to my youngest, Ed – usually with soccer in the park and lunch somewhere. I also think it’s a good idea to bring the kids to your office/laptop – show them what you’re doing – get them involved in some kind of language activity for kids (Live Mocha is excellent!). I also agree that home-parenting is something to be proud of – but if answering the phone without being hassled for Play-Doh or crayons is a problem – try and steer your clients towards e-mail or keyboard Skype chats. I’ve rarely found it a problem – and I always reinforce the fact that I work close to full-time and maintain a client group as well as home parenting. I think it’s a win-win. Ps. I’d love you to post this on Watercooler – and stick it in the Newsletter (AUSIT newsletter for non-Aussies) Sarah.
I’ve only just seen this – great discussion, Sarah!
Four years on, I am pleased to say that my translation business and my two children (now aged 7 and 5) are thriving.
The kids go to after-school club twice a week, giving me two 9-5.30 days and three 9-3 days a week. I don’t translate or answer my work phone when they are around (although I do occasionally work after they are in bed). I make a point of replying to emails quickly and I set up an automated out-of-office message when I know I’m not going to be available for a few hours.
I still wouldn’t mention my children when dealing with a new customer, but I’m happy for my long-standing clients to know more about my personal life. Last year I was asked to translate a children’s non-fiction book about honeybees. I told the author that my daughter had helped me by reading my first draft aloud and she got a mention when the author was interviewed by a local newspaper after the book was published 🙂
I’ve only just seen this – great discussion, Sarah!
Four years on, I am pleased to say that my translation business and my two children (now aged 7 and 5) are thriving.
The kids go to after-school club twice a week, giving me two 9-5.30 days and three 9-3 days a week. I don’t translate or answer my work phone when they are around (although I do occasionally work after they are in bed). I make a point of replying to emails quickly and I set up an automated out-of-office message when I know I’m not going to be available for a few hours.
I still wouldn’t mention my children when dealing with a new customer, but I’m happy for my long-standing clients to know more about my personal life. Last year I was asked to translate a children’s non-fiction book about honeybees. I told the author that my daughter had helped me by reading my first draft aloud and she got a mention when the author was interviewed by a local newspaper after the book was published 🙂
Great discussion. During the school year I work close to 40 hours a week. I have three children, one at home or in pre-school, two in primary school. I freelance so that I can be with them when they need me. I have a separate office, and the thought that people can’t behave professioanlly with their children running around playing in another room is absurd to me. In five years I can think of one time when I had a business call interrupted by a crying toddler. And I can think of several times that that when a PM has not responded to an email then grovelled the next day that they had to go home to care for a sick child.
My husband also works from home four days a week as an IT consultant. Would many question his choice as unprofessional?
Great discussion. During the school year I work close to 40 hours a week. I have three children, one at home or in pre-school, two in primary school. I freelance so that I can be with them when they need me. I have a separate office, and the thought that people can’t behave professioanlly with their children running around playing in another room is absurd to me. In five years I can think of one time when I had a business call interrupted by a crying toddler. And I can think of several times that that when a PM has not responded to an email then grovelled the next day that they had to go home to care for a sick child.
My husband also works from home four days a week as an IT consultant. Would many question his choice as unprofessional?
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to this post, either in the comments or by emailing me directly. It’s clear this issue affects many translators, and I even briefly considered opening a support hotline 🙂
In case there was any doubt, I was convinced long before I wrote this post that professional translation could indeed be combined with parenting. I also know for a fact that there are many, many examples of male and female professionals who are doing just that – largely thanks to the great research Ros had already done with her article. On the other hand, I don’t for a second think it’s an easy option in terms of parenting or running a business, nor do I underestimate the planning and sheer hard work that must be required to make it work for all parties.
I’m insanely curious about the daily lives of other translators at the best of times, and I’m fascinated by the wide range of personal projects they seem to pursue – for me, parenting is an extension of that. I suppose what I’m really interested in are the nitty gritty details around how freelancers manage both a caring and a professional knowledge-working role, when presumably these two jobs are carried out simultaneously and usually in the same location, i.e. the home. There are plenty of tips and ideas in the fantastic comments and in Kate’s great post, enough to ensure my curiosity is satisfied and hopefully to encourage anyone thinking of going down that route. So thank you.
I also touched on the role of professional associations in addressing what I perceived to be the elephant in the room. Sam is right, many of AUSIT’s training sessions are location independent. This is very encouraging as it truly supports translation professionals given our range of personal projects and lifestyle choices, including those with caring or family duties. I predict we’ll see more location-independent events within the industry in the not-too-distant future – not because I’m any kind of visionary, but because I see it happening in other spheres already.
To be honest, when it comes down to it, I don’t really care whether a translator has children or not… I just don’t think it should matter so much if they do.
Thanks again, everyone. I look forward to coming back to this topic again!
I actually think I replied to the original ITI article Sarah and won the book prize (one and only time!). I essentially submitted a counter-argument suggesting that a large number of men occupied this role too – which I don’t think was suggested in the original article (although it was ages ago!)
Andy
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to this post, either in the comments or by emailing me directly. It’s clear this issue affects many translators, and I even briefly considered opening a support hotline 🙂
In case there was any doubt, I was convinced long before I wrote this post that professional translation could indeed be combined with parenting. I also know for a fact that there are many, many examples of male and female professionals who are doing just that – largely thanks to the great research Ros had already done with her article. On the other hand, I don’t for a second think it’s an easy option in terms of parenting or running a business, nor do I underestimate the planning and sheer hard work that must be required to make it work for all parties.
I’m insanely curious about the daily lives of other translators at the best of times, and I’m fascinated by the wide range of personal projects they seem to pursue – for me, parenting is an extension of that. I suppose what I’m really interested in are the nitty gritty details around how freelancers manage both a caring and a professional knowledge-working role, when presumably these two jobs are carried out simultaneously and usually in the same location, i.e. the home. There are plenty of tips and ideas in the fantastic comments and in Kate’s great post, enough to ensure my curiosity is satisfied and hopefully to encourage anyone thinking of going down that route. So thank you.
I also touched on the role of professional associations in addressing what I perceived to be the elephant in the room. Sam is right, many of AUSIT’s training sessions are location independent. This is very encouraging as it truly supports translation professionals given our range of personal projects and lifestyle choices, including those with caring or family duties. I predict we’ll see more location-independent events within the industry in the not-too-distant future – not because I’m any kind of visionary, but because I see it happening in other spheres already.
To be honest, when it comes down to it, I don’t really care whether a translator has children or not… I just don’t think it should matter so much if they do.
Thanks again, everyone. I look forward to coming back to this topic again!
I actually think I replied to the original ITI article Sarah and won the book prize (one and only time!). I essentially submitted a counter-argument suggesting that a large number of men occupied this role too – which I don’t think was suggested in the original article (although it was ages ago!)
Andy
I could probably fill in a pocket notepad with the names of my colleagues who have children and are freelancing – both men and women. The organizer of the coming Proz conference in Adelaide, Australia has four, ranging from 16 to 2. She is homeschooling and renovating – but it did not affect her ability to run the committee or continue to produce good work. The guy who moderates the Watercooler has two, and he is the at-home dad who takes care of them. Three of our own Queensland AUSIT committee members have school-age kids. So I am not just seeing freelancing, but also active involvement in the profession.
I think what it boils down to is (a) antiquated perceptions of motherhood; (b) people projecting their own inability to multitask and their fear from those who can on the mother-freelancer colleagues and (c) the attitude that makes men “assertive” but women with the same set of characteristics “bitchy” 😀
The only way I can see parenting affecting your work is that you cannot take on as much as the fulltime translator who is not parenting. As for quality of work and professionalism, to say that it in any way diminshes just because you have kids, is a load of BS. I had my child at a very early age, and she did not stop me from achieving what I wanted. Nor has the fact that she is now a mother herself stopped her from becoming a successful architect.
It is precisely why at AUSIT we try to provide PD activities that fit a variety of lifestyles – from parenting to remote locations.
Please put this posting on the Watercooler – it is important that as many people as possible read it. I also strongly encourage you to enlarge a bit on it and publish it in the coming AUSIT Newsletter.
Keep on the good work, and bless us with some more insightful postings 🙂
Sam
PS. As a matter of sheer curiosity, was the person who responded to you at the Chartered meeting a male, or a female?
Male… but then everyone in the room, myself included, accepted the response. I thought that was even more telling!
Hi Sarah,
Good discussion! There’s one thing I want to pick up on about Chartered Linguist status , namely you don’t necessarily need to be working full time as a translator. In fact the guideline figure for volume – 300,000 words a year – was arrived at to take account of the fact that lots of translators choose to work part-time, maybe because they have other responsibilities or because they combine translating with interpreting or teaching translation, for example. It’s definitely possible to combine CL status with having a family – living proof right here!
Best,
Karen
I could probably fill in a pocket notepad with the names of my colleagues who have children and are freelancing – both men and women. The organizer of the coming Proz conference in Adelaide, Australia has four, ranging from 16 to 2. She is homeschooling and renovating – but it did not affect her ability to run the committee or continue to produce good work. The guy who moderates the Watercooler has two, and he is the at-home dad who takes care of them. Three of our own Queensland AUSIT committee members have school-age kids. So I am not just seeing freelancing, but also active involvement in the profession.
I think what it boils down to is (a) antiquated perceptions of motherhood; (b) people projecting their own inability to multitask and their fear from those who can on the mother-freelancer colleagues and (c) the attitude that makes men “assertive” but women with the same set of characteristics “bitchy” 😀
The only way I can see parenting affecting your work is that you cannot take on as much as the fulltime translator who is not parenting. As for quality of work and professionalism, to say that it in any way diminshes just because you have kids, is a load of BS. I had my child at a very early age, and she did not stop me from achieving what I wanted. Nor has the fact that she is now a mother herself stopped her from becoming a successful architect.
It is precisely why at AUSIT we try to provide PD activities that fit a variety of lifestyles – from parenting to remote locations.
Please put this posting on the Watercooler – it is important that as many people as possible read it. I also strongly encourage you to enlarge a bit on it and publish it in the coming AUSIT Newsletter.
Keep on the good work, and bless us with some more insightful postings 🙂
Sam
PS. As a matter of sheer curiosity, was the person who responded to you at the Chartered meeting a male, or a female?
Male… but then everyone in the room, myself included, accepted the response. I thought that was even more telling!
Hi Sarah,
Good discussion! There’s one thing I want to pick up on about Chartered Linguist status , namely you don’t necessarily need to be working full time as a translator. In fact the guideline figure for volume – 300,000 words a year – was arrived at to take account of the fact that lots of translators choose to work part-time, maybe because they have other responsibilities or because they combine translating with interpreting or teaching translation, for example. It’s definitely possible to combine CL status with having a family – living proof right here!
Best,
Karen
Though I am not father (and I hope not to become one in, at least, ten years), I can see your point, which is similar to the combination of studies and freelancing. Though it is possible to combine, it can be quite exhausting. And while you can skip classes to meet your deadlines, it is not an option to stop feeding your children or taking them to the park for a walk when you are on a hurry with your projects.
I do not doubt about the ability to combine both work and personal life for freelance professionals, though I agree with those that claim that the quality of their work might be affected by their situation. Of course, I am forgetting about the whole “housewive” part, which I just found terribly ridiculous.
Olli´s last blog post… Imágenes del ENETI 2009
Though I am not father (and I hope not to become one in, at least, ten years), I can see your point, which is similar to the combination of studies and freelancing. Though it is possible to combine, it can be quite exhausting. And while you can skip classes to meet your deadlines, it is not an option to stop feeding your children or taking them to the park for a walk when you are on a hurry with your projects.
I do not doubt about the ability to combine both work and personal life for freelance professionals, though I agree with those that claim that the quality of their work might be affected by their situation. Of course, I am forgetting about the whole “housewive” part, which I just found terribly ridiculous.
Olli´s last blog post… Imágenes del ENETI 2009
It’s interesting to note that when criticisms are made of the lack of professionalism among translators, the code word “housewives” is usually used to criticize translators who are also parents with young children. While I did once suggest to a colleague in a new EU country who asked my opinion that she might want to rewrite the part of her web site that emphasized “wife and mother” over her rather considerable professional qualifications, one of the things that delights me personally is that translation permits the flexibility for parents that many other professions lack. And let’s not be sexist about it either, please. I chose to switch to translation, because it afforded me the luxury of being a stay-at-home daddy and dog owner. And there are plenty of other men, including agency owners, who have chosen a language career to take advantage of this flexibility for their families as well.
Kevin Lossner´s last blog post… "Never let the cock beat loose…."
Thanks for your perspective Kevin. I know many men who have chosen translation for exactly the same reasons you have, and I was hoping someone would chime in from that camp. (You’ll note I was referring to parents or anyone with caring duties throughout my article). It is indeed a shame that the word ‘housewife’ is still used in a derogatory way to refer to unprofessional behaviour among translators, be they male or female. It’s a clear sign of how far we still need to go to achieve gender equality, and not just in the workplace – but obviously that’s a much larger issue.
It’s interesting to note that when criticisms are made of the lack of professionalism among translators, the code word “housewives” is usually used to criticize translators who are also parents with young children. While I did once suggest to a colleague in a new EU country who asked my opinion that she might want to rewrite the part of her web site that emphasized “wife and mother” over her rather considerable professional qualifications, one of the things that delights me personally is that translation permits the flexibility for parents that many other professions lack. And let’s not be sexist about it either, please. I chose to switch to translation, because it afforded me the luxury of being a stay-at-home daddy and dog owner. And there are plenty of other men, including agency owners, who have chosen a language career to take advantage of this flexibility for their families as well.
Kevin Lossner´s last blog post… "Never let the cock beat loose…."
Thanks for your perspective Kevin. I know many men who have chosen translation for exactly the same reasons you have, and I was hoping someone would chime in from that camp. (You’ll note I was referring to parents or anyone with caring duties throughout my article). It is indeed a shame that the word ‘housewife’ is still used in a derogatory way to refer to unprofessional behaviour among translators, be they male or female. It’s a clear sign of how far we still need to go to achieve gender equality, and not just in the workplace – but obviously that’s a much larger issue.
Dear all,
I can’t understand that in the kind of world we live in today someone can think like that about freelancing from home and parenting – almost like working from home and being a parent at the same time would somehow make you unfit to do the job properly.
I find a million reasons to go for it, not against it. To name only a few more general (but there are lots of very specific ones, too – yes, there are minuses, too, but not the ones that are being referred to here):
We have a financial crisis – working from home saves a lot of pounds, dollars or euros for both, the freelancer and the client. We have a climate and ecological crisis – working from home does not pollute that much. We have a crisis of values – there is no better way to teach children the value of work than to show them how the work is done – “in situ”. They can’t see what you’re doing and how if your job is miles away in some office. Plus: they also find out that the normal day doesn’t only consist of job work. House work also needs to be done – cleaning, gardening, doing the laundry etc. Everything that the family needs and that takes one, two, sometimes even three hours a day. Every day. When do you do this if you work in the office? In this hectic times I won’t be surprised if you pay other people to do this. And your children learn – what? That there is some other person who will do it for them? That all you need to do is go to work every day and make money and life will be peachy?
And the thinking of clients … Really, no comment. That someone is not professional if the children are heard over the phone – Jesus! How did the clients grow up? Silently waiting in a corner? If I have a phone conversation while my children are screaming wildly, I gladly inform the clients that the project we’re talking about is a piece of cake compared to taming these beasts. Usually we laugh and make a deal.
In short, I am shocked that after so many years of feminism, workers’ rights movement and other emancipatory projects plus more education for all there are still people who think like this. But I’m very grateful that you have pointed this out – I’ll pay extra attention if maybe some of my clients also share such views. Seeing me as “not that professional” might mean they are not paying me as much as they should :)! Well … if they exist, they’ll see my “unprofessional” behaviour pretty soon.
Wishing you all to work and live in a way that suits you, no matter whether this is in the office or at home, with or without children present. No person should judge whether one or the other way is more or less professional. The job should be done on time and properly – and only we are entitled to decide in what circumstances we are going to achieve this, not some other person that neither lives our lives nor pays our bills.
I’m very g
Dear all,
I can’t understand that in the kind of world we live in today someone can think like that about freelancing from home and parenting – almost like working from home and being a parent at the same time would somehow make you unfit to do the job properly.
I find a million reasons to go for it, not against it. To name only a few more general (but there are lots of very specific ones, too – yes, there are minuses, too, but not the ones that are being referred to here):
We have a financial crisis – working from home saves a lot of pounds, dollars or euros for both, the freelancer and the client. We have a climate and ecological crisis – working from home does not pollute that much. We have a crisis of values – there is no better way to teach children the value of work than to show them how the work is done – “in situ”. They can’t see what you’re doing and how if your job is miles away in some office. Plus: they also find out that the normal day doesn’t only consist of job work. House work also needs to be done – cleaning, gardening, doing the laundry etc. Everything that the family needs and that takes one, two, sometimes even three hours a day. Every day. When do you do this if you work in the office? In this hectic times I won’t be surprised if you pay other people to do this. And your children learn – what? That there is some other person who will do it for them? That all you need to do is go to work every day and make money and life will be peachy?
And the thinking of clients … Really, no comment. That someone is not professional if the children are heard over the phone – Jesus! How did the clients grow up? Silently waiting in a corner? If I have a phone conversation while my children are screaming wildly, I gladly inform the clients that the project we’re talking about is a piece of cake compared to taming these beasts. Usually we laugh and make a deal.
In short, I am shocked that after so many years of feminism, workers’ rights movement and other emancipatory projects plus more education for all there are still people who think like this. But I’m very grateful that you have pointed this out – I’ll pay extra attention if maybe some of my clients also share such views. Seeing me as “not that professional” might mean they are not paying me as much as they should :)! Well … if they exist, they’ll see my “unprofessional” behaviour pretty soon.
Wishing you all to work and live in a way that suits you, no matter whether this is in the office or at home, with or without children present. No person should judge whether one or the other way is more or less professional. The job should be done on time and properly – and only we are entitled to decide in what circumstances we are going to achieve this, not some other person that neither lives our lives nor pays our bills.
I’m very g
Interesting point, and I am quite shocked at the reactions you describe. I think freelance translation is a fantastic choice if one wants to raise children and I am astonished that folks might think you can’t combine being a parent and a successful professional. By saying that, they’ve just taken women back 50 years. I am not a parent, but I think our freelance profession is an ideal way to have a rewarding career and a great relationship and quality time with children. I have several friends who do this, including Corinne (who commented above).
Judy Jenner´s last blog post… Unexpected Crisis Effect
Interesting point, and I am quite shocked at the reactions you describe. I think freelance translation is a fantastic choice if one wants to raise children and I am astonished that folks might think you can’t combine being a parent and a successful professional. By saying that, they’ve just taken women back 50 years. I am not a parent, but I think our freelance profession is an ideal way to have a rewarding career and a great relationship and quality time with children. I have several friends who do this, including Corinne (who commented above).
Judy Jenner´s last blog post… Unexpected Crisis Effect
Personally (and may just be me!), although I have freelanced since my daughter was 3 months old, I find it very off-putting to talk to someone about work while their kids are audible in the background. Maybe it’s none of my business, but I worry about everyone in the situation; that the freelancer isn’t able to give her/his full attention to the work at hand, and that the kids aren’t being appropriately supervised. I agree that it’s hard, and I was in that situation for 5 years before my daughter started school, but I do think it conveys an unprofessional impression all around. I think there are various ways to get around it: try to train clients to communicate with you by e-mail, target clients who are in time zones that work with your child care arrangements, etc. I still do this to some extent although my daughter is in school from 8-2:30; I deliberately look for clients on the East Coast of the US or in Europe so that their work day is wrapping up by the time I go get my daughter.
Corinne McKay´s last blog post… Lowering your translation rates: why/why not
Personally (and may just be me!), although I have freelanced since my daughter was 3 months old, I find it very off-putting to talk to someone about work while their kids are audible in the background. Maybe it’s none of my business, but I worry about everyone in the situation; that the freelancer isn’t able to give her/his full attention to the work at hand, and that the kids aren’t being appropriately supervised. I agree that it’s hard, and I was in that situation for 5 years before my daughter started school, but I do think it conveys an unprofessional impression all around. I think there are various ways to get around it: try to train clients to communicate with you by e-mail, target clients who are in time zones that work with your child care arrangements, etc. I still do this to some extent although my daughter is in school from 8-2:30; I deliberately look for clients on the East Coast of the US or in Europe so that their work day is wrapping up by the time I go get my daughter.
Corinne McKay´s last blog post… Lowering your translation rates: why/why not
My solution has been to handle about 70% of client communications by e-mail. In my experience, many of my clients prefer e-mail anyway because they have a record of any arrangements we’ve made – and I always answer my work e-mail within 5-10 minutes unless I’m on holiday. A voicemail message clearly stating that I’ll get back to the caller within the hour also helps give me some leeway for settling the kids at a quiet activity before calling back. I actually have a harder time explaining my work situation to my friends than to my clients, since the regulars don’t notice how my children affect my work life most of the time, whereas my friends get to witness the juggling act first-hand!
My solution has been to handle about 70% of client communications by e-mail. In my experience, many of my clients prefer e-mail anyway because they have a record of any arrangements we’ve made – and I always answer my work e-mail within 5-10 minutes unless I’m on holiday. A voicemail message clearly stating that I’ll get back to the caller within the hour also helps give me some leeway for settling the kids at a quiet activity before calling back. I actually have a harder time explaining my work situation to my friends than to my clients, since the regulars don’t notice how my children affect my work life most of the time, whereas my friends get to witness the juggling act first-hand!
I remember that ITI article too. I still haven’t worked out whether it is better to strictly delimit your working hours to the times when you have childcare and be completely unavailable when you haven’t, or whether to occasionally answer business calls with children underfoot. I only know that when I tried the former system last autumn, I had two weeks with no work for the first time in 12 years. I’d really like to know about other people’s experiences. I was writing my own blog post on the same subject when I saw yours. Perhaps it is time for a debate!
Kate Lambert´s last blog post… “I don’t know how you do it” freelancing with children
thanks for your response Kate, and for your excellent post on the subject too. Time for a debate, indeed!
I remember that ITI article too. I still haven’t worked out whether it is better to strictly delimit your working hours to the times when you have childcare and be completely unavailable when you haven’t, or whether to occasionally answer business calls with children underfoot. I only know that when I tried the former system last autumn, I had two weeks with no work for the first time in 12 years. I’d really like to know about other people’s experiences. I was writing my own blog post on the same subject when I saw yours. Perhaps it is time for a debate!
Kate Lambert´s last blog post… “I don’t know how you do it” freelancing with children
thanks for your response Kate, and for your excellent post on the subject too. Time for a debate, indeed!
I want to be a freelancer. I am a native Chinese speaker,and I focus on English-Chinese translation.And I am still a freshman in this field.I wish I can be a professional and can work at home or anywhere I would like to.
I am gald to see so many women can be a mother and a professional translator at the same time. Give me more confidence to achieve my target.
I want to be a freelancer. I am a native Chinese speaker,and I focus on English-Chinese translation.And I am still a freshman in this field.I wish I can be a professional and can work at home or anywhere I would like to.
I am gald to see so many women can be a mother and a professional translator at the same time. Give me more confidence to achieve my target.
Great post, Sarah! I agree; for whatever reason, I really only talk about my daughter if clients ask; and sometimes I forget who knows that I have a kid and who doesn’t. I think that the behind-the-scenes juggling act is not specific to freelancing; for better or worse, moms throughout the world have to figure out how to unobtrusively fit a breast pump into the laptop case… The issue that I think is harder for us freelancer moms and dads is that we don’t quite fit in with the power suit career-track crowd or with the stay at home crowd. I agree that because my family and my personal projects are so important to me, it would take *a lot* for me to consider an in-house job. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll still be as happy freelancing when my daughter is an adult and doesn’t need me around after school… but I have 11 years to think about it!
Corinne McKay´s last blog post… Lowering your translation rates: why/why not
Great post, Sarah! I agree; for whatever reason, I really only talk about my daughter if clients ask; and sometimes I forget who knows that I have a kid and who doesn’t. I think that the behind-the-scenes juggling act is not specific to freelancing; for better or worse, moms throughout the world have to figure out how to unobtrusively fit a breast pump into the laptop case… The issue that I think is harder for us freelancer moms and dads is that we don’t quite fit in with the power suit career-track crowd or with the stay at home crowd. I agree that because my family and my personal projects are so important to me, it would take *a lot* for me to consider an in-house job. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll still be as happy freelancing when my daughter is an adult and doesn’t need me around after school… but I have 11 years to think about it!
Corinne McKay´s last blog post… Lowering your translation rates: why/why not
You pinpointed a theme that I was just starting to notice after my first year in the freelance translating business. I find myself keeping the two kids a secret. Since I was starting to wonder what was up with that, thanks for your explanation.
Our girls are 11 and 8, and are homeschooled, so they’re definitely around all day. But they’re older and well into the habit of leaving me be for several afternoon hours. Plus I get up earlier than they do, so I fit a couple of hours in there. All told I can enjoy a 30-hour work week without any problems.
Thanks for the post!
Kelly Wester´s last blog post… Energy Efficiency in the Home Office
You pinpointed a theme that I was just starting to notice after my first year in the freelance translating business. I find myself keeping the two kids a secret. Since I was starting to wonder what was up with that, thanks for your explanation.
Our girls are 11 and 8, and are homeschooled, so they’re definitely around all day. But they’re older and well into the habit of leaving me be for several afternoon hours. Plus I get up earlier than they do, so I fit a couple of hours in there. All told I can enjoy a 30-hour work week without any problems.
Thanks for the post!
Kelly Wester´s last blog post… Energy Efficiency in the Home Office
Thank you Sarah for writing this post. It is such a relief to see this discussion finally being thrust out in the open…it’s something that is probably on a lot of translators’ (and indeed other freelancers’) minds but they are too shy to bring it up. Hardly surprising when they are met with the types of reactions you mention. Other professions, even the ‘youngest’ ones, these days seem to be increasingly comfortable with opening up a non-judgemental dialogue about parenting options, so why isn’t ours!
Philippa Hammond´s last blog post… How we work now: some more thoughts on balancing life and freelancing
Thank you Sarah for writing this post. It is such a relief to see this discussion finally being thrust out in the open…it’s something that is probably on a lot of translators’ (and indeed other freelancers’) minds but they are too shy to bring it up. Hardly surprising when they are met with the types of reactions you mention. Other professions, even the ‘youngest’ ones, these days seem to be increasingly comfortable with opening up a non-judgemental dialogue about parenting options, so why isn’t ours!
Philippa Hammond´s last blog post… How we work now: some more thoughts on balancing life and freelancing
As a mother of two school-aged children (aged 4 and 6) and a freelance translator working between 30 and 40 hours a week from home, I can say with absolute certainty that parenting and freelancing are not mutually exclusive, nor does the combination have to lead to neglected children or shoddy work. However, I was well established as a freelancer for a number of years before I had kids; although I can combine translation and parenting just fine, I don’t think I would have wanted to try to tackle the process of acquiring projects and building up a solid client base with very small children. Successfully combining the two does require a level of structure and self-discipline – as well as some late evenings and an understanding partner – that I think not everyone would want to have to maintain.
As a mother of two school-aged children (aged 4 and 6) and a freelance translator working between 30 and 40 hours a week from home, I can say with absolute certainty that parenting and freelancing are not mutually exclusive, nor does the combination have to lead to neglected children or shoddy work. However, I was well established as a freelancer for a number of years before I had kids; although I can combine translation and parenting just fine, I don’t think I would have wanted to try to tackle the process of acquiring projects and building up a solid client base with very small children. Successfully combining the two does require a level of structure and self-discipline – as well as some late evenings and an understanding partner – that I think not everyone would want to have to maintain.