Working as a translator is a truly wonderful career…difficult, stressful and complicated – yes, but wonderful (at least that’s the official version, if anybody asks.) Nonetheless, as the Christmas period is now just around the corner, most translators look forward to spending at least a few good days away from their workstations and with a nice glass of wine in hand instead of a computer mouse. Indeed, Christmas is just the perfect time for professional linguists to at least try remembering what ‘relaxed’ really means.
There is, however, yet another reason why most translators love Christmas. And that’s being able to spend more time with the family gifts.
Whether you’re a professional linguist yourself or came across this article because a friend or a family member is a translator and you just don’t know what to get for them, here’s a list of things they would definitely love to have…
- More time
Every translator, without an exception, would love to have more time. Whether you get hold of an extra hour each day or simply manage to slow the time down for them, they will be forever grateful.
- A crash-free PC
Losing work because a PC had crashed is one of the biggest fears and nightmares of any professional translator. Gifting them a PC or laptop that’s guaranteed to never crash would be the ultimate present. For this, you may need to look beyond PC-World…
- A never-failing internet connection
Similarly to a crashing PC, a dropped internet connection can often give professional translators a massive headache. Finding the holy grail of internet connections and a provider who are able to guarantee a problem-free service will cause a huge smile on the translator’s face this Christmas.
- A dictionary with jokes & idioms
Being a professional translator is a very, very particular career. In fact, the love-hate relationship with what we actually do is pretty solid. One of the aspects which stimulate the ‘hate’ side for most of us is translating jokes or idioms. Let’s not get into why some jokes can be funny in one language, but pretty dull in another (not to say cringe), but if you ever come across a dictionary with translated jokes and idioms, make sure to get it.
- A translation agency that always pays on time
Translators work hard, and so they expect to be rewarded for their effort. On time, naturally. Some translation agencies tend to, let’s say, forget about that sometimes. Finding and building a strong relationship with a translations agency, which always pays on time is often a challenging task for professional linguists. Fortunately however, although we can’t promise that you’ll receive any of the gifts mentioned above, we can in fact promise this one. If you’re a professional translator, here’s a little gift from us. Simply follow this link.
